1890

• 6 May - The Pioneer Column
  Pioneer Column
  The Pioneer Column was a force raised by Cecil Rhodes and his British South Africa Company in 1890 and used in his efforts to annex the territory of Mashonaland, later part of Southern Rhodesia ....
  
   left Cecil Rhodes' farm at Kenilworth, a suburb of Kimberley, for Macloutsie under Col. Pennefather and Sir John Willoughby
• 29 June - Archibald Ross Colquhoun becomes the Resident Commissioner of Mashonaland
  Mashonaland
  Mashonaland is a region in northern Zimbabwe. It is the home of the Shona people.Currently, Mashonaland is divided into three provinces, with a total population of about 3 million:* Mashonaland West* Mashonaland Central* Mashonaland East...
  
  
• July - Fort Tuli is built by the Pioneer Column at the place known as Selous Camp and used by Frederick Selous
  Frederick Selous
  Frederick Courteney Selous DSO was a British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist, famous for his exploits in south and east of Africa. His real-life adventures inspired Sir H. Rider Haggard to create the fictional Allan Quatermain character. Selous was also a good friend of Theodore...
  
   as a base for his hunting expeditions.
• 12 September - The Pioneer Column
  Pioneer Column
  The Pioneer Column was a force raised by Cecil Rhodes and his British South Africa Company in 1890 and used in his efforts to annex the territory of Mashonaland, later part of Southern Rhodesia ....
  
   ran up the Union Jack on Harare Hill in Salisbury
  Harare
  Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
  
   and claimed Mashonaland
  Mashonaland
  Mashonaland is a region in northern Zimbabwe. It is the home of the Shona people.Currently, Mashonaland is divided into three provinces, with a total population of about 3 million:* Mashonaland West* Mashonaland Central* Mashonaland East...
  
   for the British Empire
  British Empire
  The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
  
  
• 1 October - The Pioneer Column is disbanded and each member is granted land on which to farm

1891

• 15 February - A temporary frontier at Manica is settled.
• 9 May - Mashonaland
  Mashonaland
  Mashonaland is a region in northern Zimbabwe. It is the home of the Shona people.Currently, Mashonaland is divided into three provinces, with a total population of about 3 million:* Mashonaland West* Mashonaland Central* Mashonaland East...
  
  , Matabeleland
  Matabeleland
  Modern day Matabeleland is a region in Zimbabwe divided into three provinces: Matabeleland North, Bulawayo and Matabeleland South. These provinces are in the west and south-west of Zimbabwe, between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers. The region is named after its inhabitants, the Ndebele people...
  
   and Bechuanaland are declared British Protectorates in London by Order in Council.
• 12 June - The United Kingdom and Portuguese governments reach agreement on the means of determining boundaries between their territories.
• 27 June - First edition of the Mashonaland Herald, later the Rhodesia Herald and later still the Zimbabwe Herald
• 18 September - Leander Starr Jameson
  Leander Starr Jameson
  Sir Leander Starr Jameson, 1st Baronet, KCMG, CB, , also known as "Doctor Jim", "The Doctor" or "Lanner", was a British colonial statesman who was best known for his involvement in the Jameson Raid....
  
   becomes the first Administrator of Mashonaland
• 22 December - The British South Africa Company
  British South Africa Company
  The British South Africa Company was established by Cecil Rhodes through the amalgamation of the Central Search Association and the Exploring Company Ltd., receiving a royal charter in 1889...
  
   holds its first annual meeting in London.

1892

• 22 June - Kopje Fort is completed at Salisbury.
• 29 October - The Rhodesia Herald commences publication.

1893

• 18 July - Matabele
  Ndebele people (Zimbabwe)
  The Ndebele are a branch of the Zulus who split from King Shaka in the early 1820s under the leadership of Mzilikazi, a former general in Shaka's army....
  
   impi enter Victoria and attack the Mashona
  Shona people
  Shona is the name collectively given to two groups of people in the east and southwest of Zimbabwe, north eastern Botswana and southern Mozambique.-Shona Regional Classification:...
  
  
• 2 October - Lobengula
  Lobengula
  Lobengula Khumalo was the second and last king of the Ndebele people, usually pronounced Matabele in English. Both names, in the Sindebele language, mean "The men of the long shields", a reference to the Matabele warriors' use of the Zulu shield and spear.- Background :The Matabele were related to...
  
  's impis attack patrols of the British South Africa company
• 3 October - War on the Matabele is authorised -- First Matabele War
  First Matabele War
  The First Matabele War was fought in 1893-1894 between the British South Africa Company military forces and the Ndebele people. Lobengula, king of the Ndebele, avoided outright war with the British settlers because he and his advisors were mindful of the destructive power of the European weapons...
  
  
• 8 October - 22 January 1894 - Andrew Duncan
  Andrew Duncan
  Sir Andrew Rae Duncan, GBE was a British businessman who was brought into government during the Second World War, serving twice as both President of the Board of Trade and Minister of Supply....
  
   becomes acting administrator for Leander Starr Jameson
  Leander Starr Jameson
  Sir Leander Starr Jameson, 1st Baronet, KCMG, CB, , also known as "Doctor Jim", "The Doctor" or "Lanner", was a British colonial statesman who was best known for his involvement in the Jameson Raid....
  
  
• 4 November - British forces occupy the site of Bulawayo
  Bulawayo
  Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...
  
  . This marks the effective occupation of Matabeleland
  Matabeleland
  Modern day Matabeleland is a region in Zimbabwe divided into three provinces: Matabeleland North, Bulawayo and Matabeleland South. These provinces are in the west and south-west of Zimbabwe, between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers. The region is named after its inhabitants, the Ndebele people...
  
   by British settlers
• 3 December - British forces, in search of King Lobengula, suffer a humiliating defeat near the Shangani river. The incident becomes known as the Shangani Patrol
  Shangani Patrol
  The Shangani Patrol was a group of white Rhodesian pioneer police officers killed in battle on the Shangani River in Matabeleland in 1893. The incident achieved a lasting, prominent place in Rhodesian colonial history.-Setting and Battle:...
  
  . The remains of the 34 Patrol members killed on that day were eventually interred next to the bodies of Cecil Rhodes and Leander Starr Jameson at World's View in the Matobo
  Matobo
  Matobo can refer to:*Matobo National Park in Zimbabwe*Matobo District, an administrative division of Zimbabwe*Matobo, a village in Botswana...
  
   Hills. The American scout, Frederick Russell Burnham
  Frederick Russell Burnham
  Frederick Russell Burnham, DSO was an American scout and world traveling adventurer known for his service to the British Army in colonial Africa and for teaching woodcraft to Robert Baden-Powell, thus becoming one of the inspirations for the founding of the international Scouting Movement.Burnham...
  
  , is one of only three survivors of the Patrol.

1894

• Spring - Matabele King Lobengula dies of unknown causes. His death is kept a secret from the British for many months.
• 23 January - Mashonaland
  Mashonaland
  Mashonaland is a region in northern Zimbabwe. It is the home of the Shona people.Currently, Mashonaland is divided into three provinces, with a total population of about 3 million:* Mashonaland West* Mashonaland Central* Mashonaland East...
  
   and Matabeleland
  Matabeleland
  Modern day Matabeleland is a region in Zimbabwe divided into three provinces: Matabeleland North, Bulawayo and Matabeleland South. These provinces are in the west and south-west of Zimbabwe, between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers. The region is named after its inhabitants, the Ndebele people...
  
   protectorates merge to form South Zambesia
  • Andrew Duncan
    Andrew Duncan
    Sir Andrew Rae Duncan, GBE was a British businessman who was brought into government during the Second World War, serving twice as both President of the Board of Trade and Minister of Supply....
    
     is made the acting Chief magistrate of South Zambesia
• May - Leander Starr Jameson
  Leander Starr Jameson
  Sir Leander Starr Jameson, 1st Baronet, KCMG, CB, , also known as "Doctor Jim", "The Doctor" or "Lanner", was a British colonial statesman who was best known for his involvement in the Jameson Raid....
  
   is elected Chief magistrate of South Zambesia
• 9 September - Leander Jameson becomes the Administrator of the South Zambesia Protectorate
• 28 October - 1 April 1895 - Francis Rhodes stands in for Leander Jameson as acting Administrator of the South Zambesia Protectorate

1895

• 3 May - South Zambesia and North Zambesia
  Zambia
  Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
  
   are united as Rhodesia
  Rhodesia
  Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
  
   (after Cecil Rhodes)
• June - Joseph Vintcent becomes acting Administrator of the Rhodesia Protectorate
• 29 December - The Jameson raid
  Jameson Raid
  The Jameson Raid was a botched raid on Paul Kruger's Transvaal Republic carried out by a British colonial statesman Leander Starr Jameson and his Rhodesian and Bechuanaland policemen over the New Year weekend of 1895–96...
  
   is commenced.

1896

• 2 January - Leander Starr Jameson
  Leander Starr Jameson
  Sir Leander Starr Jameson, 1st Baronet, KCMG, CB, , also known as "Doctor Jim", "The Doctor" or "Lanner", was a British colonial statesman who was best known for his involvement in the Jameson Raid....
  
   and his raiders surrender
• 20 March - The First Chimurenga
  Second Matabele War
  The Second Matabele War, also known as the Matabeleland Rebellion and in Zimbabwe as the First Chimurenga, was fought in 1896–97 between the British troops and the Ndebele people....
  
   revolt against the British South Africa Company
  British South Africa Company
  The British South Africa Company was established by Cecil Rhodes through the amalgamation of the Central Search Association and the Exploring Company Ltd., receiving a royal charter in 1889...
  
   starts among the Matabele
• 2 May - Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey
  Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey
  Albert Henry George Grey, 4th Earl Grey was a British nobleman and politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the ninth since Canadian Confederation....
  
   becomes the second Administrator of Mashonaland
  Mashonaland
  Mashonaland is a region in northern Zimbabwe. It is the home of the Shona people.Currently, Mashonaland is divided into three provinces, with a total population of about 3 million:* Mashonaland West* Mashonaland Central* Mashonaland East...
  
   and Administrator of the Rhodesia Protectorate
• 14 June - The Mashona join in the First Chimurenga.
• 13 October - The Matabele are defeated by the British South Africa Company, and their chiefs concede
• November - Arthur Lawley becomes the Administrator of Matabeleland
  Matabeleland
  Modern day Matabeleland is a region in Zimbabwe divided into three provinces: Matabeleland North, Bulawayo and Matabeleland South. These provinces are in the west and south-west of Zimbabwe, between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers. The region is named after its inhabitants, the Ndebele people...
  
  
• 29 November - British forces leave Rhodesia as it is believed local troops can now defeat the Mashona

1897

• January - Final determination of the boundary between Rhodesia and Portuguese possessions to the east
• 24 July - William Henry Milton
  William Henry Milton
  Sir William Henry Milton was the 3rd Administrator of Mashonaland, played rugby for England and was South Africa's second cricket captain....
  
   becomes the 3rd Administrator of Mashonaland
  Mashonaland
  Mashonaland is a region in northern Zimbabwe. It is the home of the Shona people.Currently, Mashonaland is divided into three provinces, with a total population of about 3 million:* Mashonaland West* Mashonaland Central* Mashonaland East...
  
   and Administrator of the Rhodesia Protectorate
• 26 October - The municipalities of Salisbury and Bulawayo are formally created.
• 27 October - The Mashona are defeated by the British South Africa Company
  British South Africa Company
  The British South Africa Company was established by Cecil Rhodes through the amalgamation of the Central Search Association and the Exploring Company Ltd., receiving a royal charter in 1889...
  
   thus ending the First Chimurenga
  Second Matabele War
  The Second Matabele War, also known as the Matabeleland Rebellion and in Zimbabwe as the First Chimurenga, was fought in 1896–97 between the British troops and the Ndebele people....
  
  .

1899

• An Order in Council grants Southern Rhodesia a part-elected Legislative council.
• 17 April: Polling day in the first Legislative Council election
  Southern Rhodesia Legislative Council election, 1899
  The Southern Rhodesia Legislative Council election of April 17, 1899 were the first elections to take place in the Colony of Southern Rhodesia. They followed the Southern Rhodesia Order in Council of 1898 which granted to the Colony a Legislative Council consisting of at least ten voting members:...
  
  .
• 15 May: First session of the Legislative Council.

Births

• 1893 - John Noble Kennedy
  John Noble Kennedy
  Major-General Sir John Noble Kennedy GCMG KCVO KBE CB MC was a British Army officer who served as Assistant Chief of the Imperial General Staff during World War II.-Military career:...
  
  , Governor of Southern Rhodesia
  Southern Rhodesia
  Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...
  
   from January 1947 to November 1953
• 6 February 1893 John Jestyn Llewellin, 1st Baron Llewellin
  John Jestyn Llewellin, 1st Baron Llewellin
  Colonel John Jestyn Llewellin, 1st Baron Llewellin GBE, PC, MC, TD was a British army officer, Conservative Party politician and minister in Winston Churchill's war government.-Background:...
  
  , Governor-general of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland
  Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland
  The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation , was a semi-independent state in southern Africa that existed from 1953 to the end of 1963, comprising the former self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia and the British protectorates of Northern Rhodesia,...
  
   from September 1953 to January 1957
• 1897 - Henry Bredon Everard, three times acting President of the Republic of Rhodesia
• 1898 - Peveril William-Powlett
  Peveril William-Powlett
  Vice Admiral Sir Peveril Barton Reiby Wallop William-Powlett KCB KCMG CBE DSO was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic Station.-Naval career:...
  
  , Governor of Southern Rhodesia from November 1954 to December 1959
• 1899 - Robert Clarkson Tredgold
  Robert Clarkson Tredgold
  Sir Robert Clarkson Tredgold was a British barrister and judge who held a number of political posts in Rhodesia....
  
  , acting Governor of Southern Rhodesia from November 1953 to November 1954 and acting Governor-general of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland from January to February 1957

Deaths

• 1894 - Lobengula Kumalo
  Lobengula
  Lobengula Khumalo was the second and last king of the Ndebele people, usually pronounced Matabele in English. Both names, in the Sindebele language, mean "The men of the long shields", a reference to the Matabele warriors' use of the Zulu shield and spear.- Background :The Matabele were related to...
  
   dies
• 1898 - Nehanda
  Nehanda Nyakasikana
  Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana was a svikiro, or spirit medium of the Zezuru Shona people. As one of the spiritual leaders of the Shona, she provided inspiration to the Hwata Dynasty for their revolt against the British South Africa Company colonisation of Mashonaland and Matabeleland .She was a Hera...
  
   and Kaguvi
  Kaguvi
  Kaguvi or sometimes, Kagubi , was a nationalist leader in pre-colonial Zimbabwe Shona Rebellion against European rule in 1896-1897.The name is also given to a man who claimed to be the original Kaguvi's spirit's medium, called Gumboreshumba...
  
  , two spirit mediums are hanged