Oyo Empire could act as a buffer between Oyo and Imperial Benin. By the end of the 16th century, the Ewe and Aja states of modern Benin were paying tribute to Oyo. The reinvigorated Oyo Empire began raiding southward as early as 1682. By the end of its military expansion, Oyo's borders would reach to the coast some southwest of its capital. It met little serious opposition until the early 18th century. In 1728, the Oyo Empire invaded the Kingdom of Dahomey in a major campaign of its cavalry. Dahomey warriors, on the other hand, had no cavalry but many firearms. Their
Oyo, Oyo Oyo, Oyo Oyo is a city in Oyo State, Nigeria, founded as the capital of the Oyo Kingdom in the 1830s and known to its people as 'New Oyo' (Ọyọ Atiba) to distinguish it from the former capital to the north, 'Old Oyo' (Ọyọ-Ile), which had been deserted as a result of rumors of war. Its inhabitants are mostly of the Yoruba people, and its ruler is the imperial majesty Alaafin of Oyo. The major market in the city is Akeesan market, also called Oja Oba (King's market) its very close to the Alaafin's Palace, which is opened on a