Portuguese Reach the Bight of Benin

1472

Ruy de Sequeira's expedition crossed the equator for the first time on the West African coast and made direct contact with the powerful kingdom of Benin. The Portuguese traded brass manillas, coral beads, and European cloth for pepper, ivory, and palm oil. Benin's Oba sent ambassadors to Lisbon in return, inaugurating a complex diplomatic relationship that would endure alongside the steadily growing Atlantic slave trade for centuries to come.