List of rulers of Wogodogo

The chronology of the Mossi Kingdoms prior to the French occupation is unclear. Historian Yamba Tiendrebeogo reconstructed the history of Wogodogo from Mossi oral tradition that included the lengths of the reigns of historical rulers.[6] Other scholars propose more recent dates for many pre-colonial events—setting the start of Oubri's reign around 1495 rather than 1182—and correspondingly shorter reigns for many rulers.[7]

According to Titinga Frédéric Pacéré,[12] in tradition, he is considered all powerful with right of life and death on the inhabitants of Wogodogo and Oubritenga. In practice, his power was subject to the custom and law of the fathers. He personifies the empire and embodies its unity, but power is really in the hands of the court of the mogho naba, ministers who make decisions and govern the country.[13] This complex organisation of powers is materialised every Friday during the ceremony of the false departure of the king.

The mogho naba has no authority over the other kingdoms of Tenkodogo, Fada N'Gourma, Boussouma and Ouahigouya, whose sovereigns would be, like him, descendants of Yennenga. Traditionally, the rulers of these four kingdoms and the mogho naba avoid each other, but they happen to meet, such as happened in 1946 to consult on the reconstruction of the Upper Volta.[14]

• Englebert, Pierre (1996). Burkina Faso: Unsteady Statehood in West Africa. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-8133-3680-0.
• Levtzion, Nehemia (1975). "North-West Africa: from the Maghrib to the fringes of the forest". In Gray, Richard (ed.). The Cambridge History of Africa, Volume 4: from c. 1600 to c. 1790. Cambridge University Press. pp. 142–222. ISBN 978-0-521-20413-2.
• Ouedraogo, Mahamoudou (2000). Culture et Dévelopment en Afrique: Le Temps du Repositionnement (in French). L'Harmattan. ISBN 978-2-7384-9805-2.
• Rupley, Lawrence; Bangali, Lamissa; Diamitani, Boureima (2013). Historical Dictionary of Burkina Faso (Third ed.). Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-6770-3.