 At the beginning of the 19th century, Cotonou (then spelled "Kutonou") was a small fishing village, and is thought to have been formally founded by King Ghezo of Dahomey in 1830.It grew as a centre for the slave trade, and later palm oil and cotton.In 1851 the French Second Republic made a treaty with King Ghezo that allowed them to establish a trading post at Cotonou.