War of the Golden Stool
Diplomats are supposed to display tact and common sense at all times. Sadly, however, they are often only too human, and the history books are full of examples of ambassadors and other dignitaries making monumentally stupid – and offensive – errors of judgment. But arguably no diplomatic faux-pas was quite so stupid as that committed by Sir Frederick Mitchell Hodgson in March 1900. This massive failure in diplomacy led to what’s now known as the War of the Golden Stool and ultimately caused around 3,000 casualties. And yes, the incident that sparked off all the fighting really did involve a golden stool.
But not just any golden stool. For the Ashanti of western Africa (now modern-day Ghana), the Golden Stool was the very embodiment of their people. And, even though their own king, Premeph I, had been forced into exile with the arrival of the British, the fancy seat was seen to embody not only his enduring power, but also that of the rulers who had gone before him and also those that were still to come. In short, no one object was more sacred to the Ashanti than the golden stool, and a sensible diplomat would have recognized this. Not so Sir Frederick.
With British troops having successfully put down skirmishes and small uprisings by the Ashanti people, Sir Frederick was tasked with leading a small delegation of soldiers and dignitaries into the city of Kumasi. At first, it looked like the visit was going well. Local children sang the British national anthem to Sir Frederick and his wife, and the Ashanti leaders gathered to hear what the representative of the Empire had to say. But then, it all went wrong. Not only did Sir Frederick demand to be given the Golden Stool to be seated on that day, he also demanded it be handed over, to be taken to Queen Victoria back in London.
No sooner had Sir Frederick spoken these words than the assembled crowds started to rebel. One local leader ran home and pulled together a small legion of men prepared to fight the British. The Brits retreated to their stockade. Unable to match the British on a military level, the Ashanti instead tried to starve their foes. The tactic started working as the British started to succumb to hunger and disease. Realizing to stay put was to die, Hodgson, his wife and around 100 men escaped and managed to get help.
The British would go on to take their revenge. Many of the rebels were persecuted and the city of Kumasi was indeed annexed and made part of the Empire. But they didn’t get it all their own way. The Ashanti enjoyed much more freedom than most other people under British imperial rule. More importantly, the Brits never got their hands on the Golden Stool. So, while the Ashanti may have lost the battle, they kept their dignity and arguably won the moral victory.