The name 'Cotonou' means 'the mouth of the river of death' in the Fon language. At the beginning of the 19th century, Cotonou (then spelled Kotonou) was a small fishing village. The village was a part of the Kingdom of Dahomey. In 1851, the French made a treaty with the Dahomean King Ghezo. It let them build a place to trade at Cotonou. During the reign of Glele (1858-89), who ruled after Ghezo, the area was given to France by a treaty signed on May 19, 1868. In 1883, the French navy was at the city to stop the British from taking over the area. After Glele's death in 1889, his son Behanzin tried to challenge the treaty but he failed.