Jayin was an Alaafin

Alaafin

Alaafin or Man of the Palace in the Yoruba language was the title of the emperor of the medieval Oyo empire of northwestern Yorubaland. It was retained through the fall of that state as the official title of the ceremonial ruler of the contemporary Oyo clan....

 of Oyo

Oyo Empire

The Oyo Empire was a Yoruba empire of what is today southwestern Nigeria. The empire was established before the 14th century and grew to become one of the largest West African states encountered by European explorers. It rose to preeminence through its possession of a powerful cavalry and wealth...

 and the son of Oba

OBA

Oba or OBA may refer to:* Oba , an African ruler or king* Oba , in Yoruba mythology* Oba, an island in the North Maluku province of Indonesia* Oba-Igbomina, a town in Nigeria...

 Kanran

Kanran

Karan was an Alaafin of Oyo who succeeded Odarawu as king. He was considered a fierce and tempestuous leader who subjected citizens to severe harm and punishments. As a result of his propensity to incite scourge on his subjects, a plot was conspired to terminate him or get him to abdicate the throne...

. He was considered to be an effeminate and dissolute prince prior to his ascension to the throne

Throne

A throne is the official chair or seat upon which a monarch is seated on state or ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the monarchy or the Crown itself, an instance of metonymy, and is also used in many expressions such as "the power behind the...

. As king of Oyo, his Harem

Harem

Harem refers to the sphere of women in what is usually a polygynous household and their enclosed quarters which are forbidden to men...

 was usually filled with varied sort of characters. However, it was his son that carried the hopes and aspirations of the people during his reign, in the process triggering jealousy from the King.

Prince Olusi, Ajayin's son, was kind and generous, but his stay in the palace was short-lived. He was raised in his father's house and one day succumbed to a tryst with one of his father's wives. The prince

Prince

Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...

 was caught and inevitably had an audience with Jayin. In the meeting Jayin could not control his jealousy and betrayed his emotions by poisoning the prince leading to Olusi's death.

Olusi's death was a tragic event in Oyo and shattered the hopes of many citizens, the chiefs

Tribal chief

A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...

 then began to suspect foul play and vowed to find the cause of death. During Olusi's funeral

Funeral

A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...

, the King was asked to abdicate the throne, preferably committing suicide

Suicide

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...

.

It was during Jayin's reign the title of Awujale of Ijebu

Ijebu

Ijebu was a Yoruba kingdom in pre-colonial Nigeria. It formed around the fifteenth century. According to legend, its ruling dynasty was founded by Obanta of Ile-Ife...

was created.