As Allada and Hueda gained prominence in Atlantic trade, African rulers clearly had the upper hand vis-a-vis the Europeans. 'In 1703, the king was even in a position to enforce on the French, Dutch and English a peaceful co-existence', despite their wars in Europe (Dantzig, 1975, p. 258). Despite the existence of European coastal forts, these were not actually fortified, nor did they provide much in the way of military assistance. Spaces of cultural exchange existed on the coast, with creole Portuguese as a lingua franca widely used in commerce by Europeans and Africans (Tilleman, 1697, p. 30; Law, 1991a, pp. 116-9; Hair, 1997, p. 18). However, African rulers and their representatives  
remained fully in control of business, fending off European attempts to establish zones of exclusive trade, and imposing free trade.  
In this context, the Hueda kingdom showed great aptitude for political and economic diplomacy, regularly receiving European emissaries and sending its own emissaries abroad. In the 1690s, for example, British traders reported that the Hueda ruler had taken 'us by the hands, snapped our fingers, and told us we were very welcome, that he was glad to see us, that he longed for it, and that he loved Englishmen dearly, that we were his brothers, and that he would do us all the good offices he could' (Phillips, 1732, p. 217). In 1721, a Hueda ruler played a central role in the construction of a Portuguese fort in his territory. In addition to sending a letter to Brazil to invite the Portuguese to establish themselves in Hueda, the ruler furnished labour to build the facility.