The political, military, and spiritual foundations of the Asante nation date to the first Asante king, Osei Tutu. He forged the Asante Union by bringing together several subgroups from roughly 1670 to the 1690s. He also built a capital, Kumasi; created the legend of the Golden Stool to legitimize his rule; and began celebrating the Odwira, or yam festival, as a symbol of national unity. From 1698 to 1701, the united Asante army defeated the Denkyira people. Over the course of the eighteenth century, Asante conquered most of the surrounding peoples, including the Dagomba.

By the early nineteenth century, Asante territory covered nearly all of present-day Ghana, including the coast, where the Asante could trade directly with the British. In exchange for guns and other European goods, the Asante sold gold and slaves, usually either captured in war or accepted as tribute from conquered peoples. As they prospered, Asante culture flourished. They became famous for gold and brass craftsmanship, wood carving, furniture, and brightly colored woven cloth, called kente. Although the Asante maintained traditional beliefs, Muslim traders and Christian missionaries won some converts among them to their respective religions.

During the nineteenth century, Asante fought several wars with the British, who sought to eliminate the slave trade and expand their control in the region. A series of defeats at the hands of the British gradually weakened and reduced the territory of the Asante kingdom. After nearly a century of resistance to British power, Asante was finally declared a Crown Colony in 1902 following the uprising known as the Yaa Asantewa War.