The Ashanti Empire was an Akan empire in Ghana that existed from 1670 to 1902, later existing as a British protectorate from 1935 to 1957; Kumasi served as its capital. King Osei Tutu, who reigned from 1695 to 1717, oversaw a massive Ashante territorial expansion, turning a disciplined royal and paramilitary army into a disciplined fighting machine and conquering Denkyira on the Gulf of Guinea in 1701. The Ashanti Empire was now able to begin coastal trade with powers such as the United Provinces, but it later came into conflict with the European peoples. From 1823 to 1900, the Ashanti fought a series of wars with the United Kingdom over control of the Gold Coast region, and the Ashanti uprising of 1900 was suppressed; two years later, the Ashanti became a British protectorate. The protectorate existed until 1957, when it became a part of the independent state of Ghana. It still exists as a titular empire, being protected by the Ghanaian constitution.
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