Rulers · fl. 1822–1840
King Brister
Dei ruler of the Mesurado interior; co-mediator of the April 1822 crisis and signatory of the 1840 peace.
Biography
Brister stepped in alongside Sao Boso when the subordinate chiefs rose against the sale of their land, voicing the principle that no one, not even a king, may sell land belonging to all. The crisis was settled on 24 April 1822.
He remained a power for two decades: in April 1840 he was among the kings who signed Governor Thomas Buchanan's treaty of perpetual peace and the ending of slave-trading in their jurisdictions.
Historical significance
Articulates the indigenous doctrine of corporate land tenure that the 1821 contract violated.
Timeline
- 24 Apr 1822Mediates the Mesurado land crisis
- Apr 1840Signs Buchanan's treaty of perpetual peace
On the map
Associated with Mesurado interior. Open the historical atlas.
Related entries
References
- Captan (2015), citing Ashmun.
- National Gazette and Literary Register (Philadelphia), 31 July 1840.
Suggested reading
- Captan (2015). Introduction to Liberian Government.