Dahomey conquered Allada, the origin for the royal family according to oral tradition, and in 1727 he conquered Whydah. This increased size of the kingdom, particularly along the Atlantic coast, and increased power made Dahomey into a regional power. The result was near constant warfare with the main regional state, the Oyo Empire, from 1728 until 1740. The warfare with the Oyo empire resulted in Dahomey assuming a tributary status to the Oyo empire. Tegbesu, also spelled as Tegbessou, was King of Dahomey, in present-day Benin, from 1740 until 1774. Tegbesu was not the oldest son of King Agaja (1718–1740), but
French Dahomey Dahomey became an overseas territory with its own parliament and representation in the French national assembly. On 4 December 1958, it became the Republic of Dahomey ("République du Dahomey"), self-governing within the French Union. On 1 August 1960, the Republic of Dahomey gained full independence from France. The republic's first president was Hubert Maga, who had been the Prime Minister during the overseas territory's last year under French rule. French Dahomey French Dahomey was a French colony of and a part of French West Africa from 1904 to 1958. After World War II, by the establishment of the French Fourth