Tado, near the Mono in south-eastern Togo, is remembered by most Gbe-speaking peoples (Aja, Ewe, Fon) as their place of origin.
Its tradition tells of a village, Azame, healed by a stranger who became its first king and renamed it; one account puts this about 1000, another puts the Aja migrants' arrival in the thirteenth century. Allada, Notsé and the later Fon kingdom all trace their princes to Tado, but those foundations are centuries later.
Who holds it
- Name
- Not known; whether the kingship already stands in 1200 is not pinned
- Title
- Anyigbafio ('king of the land') of Tado
- Since
- not pinned
- Confidence
- low
Lord in 1200
The Anyigbafio of Tado, if the kingship already exists (not pinned).
Council
The Anyigbafio and the lineage heads (tradition).
Communities
Aja, with earlier inhabitants (the Alu in tradition).
Walls and castle
A town wall is mentioned in later tradition; not dated.
Trade and crafts
Farming; later iron working is reported.
Where the sources disagree
- The founding of Tado is dated about 1000 in one Wikipedia article and the Aja arrival in the thirteenth century in another; neither cites archaeology.
Evidence: Late oral traditions.
On the map: Point; the Aja country is a province.
Sources and studies
- Wikipedia, Aja people and Tado (traditions; no archaeology cited)
- GeoNames gazetteer (positions of Nri, Aguleri, Udo, Ughoton, Uburu, Esie, Tado)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.