Monarch of the Kingdom of Asante
Osei Kofi Tutu I (c. 1660 – c. 1717) was one of the founders of the Ashanti Empire, assisted by Okomfo Anokye, his chief priest and a distant relative from the town of Awukugua–Akuapem. The Asante comes from the Akan ethnic group of West Africa. Osei Tutu I led an alliance of Asante states against the regional hegemony, the Denkyira, completely defeating them. He ruled the Kwaman State between c.1680/c.1695 and 1701 (he was definitely Kumasehene by 1695) and he ruled the Ashanti Empire from late 1701 to around 1717.
Asantemansu, Kwaaman, Amantoo and Kumasi states.
It is unclear who out of Oti Akenten, Obiri Yeboa and Osei Tutu founded Kumasi, or at least had its name changed. This is because Kwaaman is in the same place as Kumasi (Kwaaman is Kumasi). According to most accounts, it was Osei Tutu who, with the help of Okomfo Anokye, founded Kumasi after growing trees in three places and seeing which tree grew the best.
However, it is also said that it was Obiri Yeboa who founded Kumasi in an attempt to move his capital away from his Denkyrian overlords, which makes sense as he was the first chief to form the "Asante" (It was not called the Asante yet) coalition against the Dormaa.
But then there's Oti Akenten, who waged a series of successful military operations against neighbouring Akan states, bringing a larger surrounding territory into alliance with the Kwaaman state, which can also be known as the Kumaseman state from this point forward. This suggests that the chief settlement of Kwaaman has already been renamed Kumasi or Kumase and that the tale of its founding by Osei Tutu has been lifted from earlier tradition.
This is supported by the fact that Oti Akenten was the first chief to proclaim himself the ruler of all people who would eventually become the Asante.
It is widely agreed that Obiri Yeboa was the first hene to bring together the states together in a confederation either called the Amantoo confederation, or the Kwaaman clan states, with the capital of this new alliance being Kwaaman, with Osei Tutu renaming it due to the kum tree that Tutu sat under while negotiating the terms for the land.
The first time we hear the term Asante in history is out of the mouth of the king of Denkyira, Ntim Gyakari before his execution. He uttered "esa nti"—meaning "because of war"—as it was because of war with the Denkyiras that the Akan city-states that would form the Asante Union joined.
The Amantoo was the region of Akan-speaking peoples, with almost all of the chiefs of the Amantoo belonging to the same clan, which gave them the idea of a union of peoples was already instilled.
Early life.
Birth.
The man said to be the creator of the Asante Empire was born Osei Kofi Tutu Opemsoo in around 1660 in the town of Kokofu Anyinam, in the Ashanti Region of modern-day Ghana, which was also the hometown of his mother. He was born when his mother was going to visit her husband, Owusu Panyin, in Esiase to give birth to Osei there, but due to not reaching Esiase in time as planned, she gave birth to Osei in Anyinam. He and his mother stayed there for 40 days, before going back to Kwaaman.
His father was Owusu Panyin, an Akan noble from the Adanse area, who was the chief Esiase. His mother, Maanu Kotosii, was from Kokofu and was the sister of the hene of the Asantemanso and later Kwaaman, Obiri Yeboa, and his brother, who was either the ruler of the lost Asante city of Asantemansu or the ruler of Kwaaman, Oti Akenten.
It is said that Osei Tutu's mother was barren for many years, and she, her husband and her brother Obiri Yeboa consulted a powerful and famous shrine called Otutu, whose deity was the deity of the river Kakaawere, in the land Akuapem to obtain a blessing so his sister and brother-in-law could have a child, with Kotosii making two promises: first, that she would reward the river's deity if it allowed her to reach home before she gave birth and, secpondly, that she would also show appreciation to the deity if it allowed her to reach home before she gave birth. She fulfilled her promises by naming her child Tutu, after the shrine. Due to the matrilineal succession the Akan practised, it meant that Osei Tutu was the heir to the Kwaaman throne.
Osei Tutu was of the Oyoko abusua (tribe), an abusua that (according to legend) was formed from the Eukona abusua after a portion of the clan broke the Eukona abusua taboo and ate the meat of a buffalo. The people were then referred to as Owekuo, or Oyoko: those who eat buffalo meat.   
Time in the Denkyrian court.
Little is known about the childhood of Osei Tutu, and most of what is known and told about his life dates from when he reached the age of sixteen. At sixteen, the age when Akan boys were now seen as men, a representative of the Denkyirahene travelled into Kwaaman and demanded that Osei Tutu to come with him. This was not unusual, as the Denkyira had a long-standing practice of holding the heirs to their subordinate kings as hostages to ensure compliance. However, while he was a captive, Osei Tutu was not a prisoner in the traditional sense. Political prisoners like the Osei Tutu were treated with intense respect, thus they had a positive view of the Denkyira when they were eventually released to rule their state. So, rather than being locked in a dungeon, Osei Tutu was essentially a guest in the Denkyirahene's palace, albeit one who was not allowed to leave. In Abankesesso, the capital of the Denkyiraman, Osei Tutu spent his days socializing with Denkyira elites (a few of which would become important during his lifetime), playing Oware and learning immensely about the traditions and customs of the Denkyira court, specifically about the manner of administration and the maintenance of power in the Denkyira court. He proved his worth so effectively and was so respected in the Denkyiran court that he was eventually made a royal shield-bearer.
Affair scandal and flight to Akwamu.
However, these were not the only activities Osei Tutu was partaking in Abankesesso. It is said that Osei Tutu, even in his childhood, was a strong, handsome male, with all the marks of Akan royalty. Due to this he easily caught the eye of the ladies of the Denkyiran court, courting many. This was a well known fact about Osei Tutu. However, his fall from grace would be in the form of his relationship with the sister or niece of the Denkyria ruler, Princess (Ohene nuabaa) Akobena Abensua. This relationship was not just imprudent, but also adulterous as Abensua was married to a high ranking Denkyrian dignitary, who by some accounts was the Gyaasehene, who had been betrothed to her since they were children. It became worse as the princess fell pregnant, and rumors spread like wildfire on who the father actually was, which were true. Due to Akan law, Abensua would not be getting in trouble for this relationship, but Osei Tutu. Due to the punishment of possible execution for this affair, and at the behest of Abensua, he fled to the Akan state furthest east, Akwamu. This affair would later lead to a tragic sequel decades later.
Time in Akwamu.
Osei Tutu realised that he could not go to his home state of Kwaaman. To do so would certainly bring doom upon his people, who were still subjects of the Denkyirans. Instead, he fled to the Akwamu court of Sasraku I in Akwamufie. There, he begged Sasraku for protection against the Denkyrians. Sasraku took a liking to Osei Tutu. Whether this was due to either him interceding to save the life of a well known diviner (who had angered Sasraku), or to Osei Tutu's own personal beauty, is unclear. The fact that Akwamu were enemies with the Denkyrians, and that around this time the Dormaa, enemies of the Akwamu, had gone to war with the Kwaaman, Osei Tutu's state, could also have contributed to Osei Tutu being taken in by Sasraku, treated well, and being protected from the Denkyirans. Here Osei Tutu learned much about the military organisations of the Akwamu. This Akan state was possessed of the most advanced and powerful military of any Akan state. He also learned about the political and social makeup of Akwamuman, and saw a difference when it came to rulers. Unlike the Kwaaman, who had formed the Amantoo coalition with states under the yoke of the Denkyrians, and whose rule was divided between clans and cities, the Akwamu were centralized, and had one supreme ruler. The unity of the Akwamu, and the highly sophisticated army that the Akwamu had at their disposal, allowed the Akwamu to spread their influence immensely. These factors of what made the Akwamu so successful, as well as Akwamu culture itself, greatly inspired the future reforms of Osei Tutu.
Meeting Okomfo Anokye.
It is unclear at what specific time period Osei Tutu met Okomfo Anokye. While some sources say that the two met in Denkyira after it is said that after Anokye and his mother left Akwamu, they settled in Denkyria. Kings of his day courted him. With him on their side, they were sure to hit fresh heights of glory. Anokye's mother had an odd coloring on her hands. Denkyira were going through some difficulties at the time. Their priests blamed it on her and executed her. Anokye was devastated. He looked forward to the day he could inflict similar pain on the Denkyira rulers, with Osei Tutu had the same ambition having observed the ill-treatment of non-Denkyira people, like Anokye's mother. When Osei Tutu fled Denkyira, Okomfo Anokye fled with him. Others say that it was in Akwamu, where some stories state that the two met after Osei Tutu interceded to save the life of Okomfo Anokye when Anokye killed his own grandmother. However, it was certain that by the time Osei Tutu was in Akwamu, the two had certainly met and became best friends, becoming inseparable. Okomfo Anokye would aid Osei Tutu in his future war with the Denkyrians and in the making of the Asante Empire using his spiritual, strong oratorical skills and considerable intellectual and psychological abilities to influence many of the regional states to unite under Osei Tutu and gain military and political strength, which they could use to confront their enemies. Unknown to the two at the time, they were distant cousins.
Return to Kwaaman.
After a few years in Akwamu, Osei Tutu received news that his Uncle, Obiri Yeboa, had been killed repelling an attack from the Dormaa. Due to this, Osei Tutu was told to go home to Kwaaman and take on the role of Kwaamanhene. However, due to Osei Tutu still being a wanted fugitive by the Denkyira, he was too scared to go back to Kwaaman, so Ansa Sasraku detached 300 of some of his best Akwamu warriors to guide him to Kwaaman. When the soldiers, Osei Tutu and Okomfo Anokye arrived at Kwaaman, the warriors settled among them and later became citizens of Asafo, while Osei Tutu and Okomfo Anokye mourned the death of his uncle for a few days, before Osei Tutu was enstooled as Osei Tutu I of Kwaaman.
Becoming Kwaamanhene, Kumasehene and Amantoohene.
The state was quite perilous when Osei Tutu took up the throne, with the coalition of the Akan states greatly fractured. It would have been fully broken up for not Osei Tutu taking up the role of Kwaamanhene. To be able to go to war against the Denkyirans in the future, Osei Tutu needed the full, unrivialled backing of the Amantoo Kings.
Centralization of power.
Creation of the Sika Dwa Kofi
It became clear to Osei Tutu that he must prepare for war as his planned unification of the Amantoo could not be made possible until the Denkyrians had been defeated, but he needed to rally the chiefs of Amantoo behind him and him alone to make his much-needed reforms. He spoke of this to his uncles and to the Queen Mother, Manu. After much thought, she advised him to call a great meeting to settle who would be the leader of the Amantoo. This would be done via Anokye, whom