Sobhuza I of Swaziland
Encyclopedia
Sobhuza I Dlamini (ca. 1780 - 1839?) was king of Swaziland
, from 1805(?) to 1839(?). Born around 1780, his father was Ndvungunye (Mavuso II, a.k.a. Zikhodze), and his mother was Somnjalose Simelane. He was called Somhlolo, "the Wonder," upon his birth either because his father had been killed by lightning before he was born, or because of certain irregularities of his delivery, or both. Swazis celebrate Somhlolo Day every September 6 as their Independence Day.
s about Northern Nguni state formation and the rise of the Zulu Kingdom
, and placed the date of Sobhuza's death at 1839, rather than 1836 as Bryant had argued. Dating of Sobhuza's birth to ca. 1780 derives in part from his generational association with Dingiswayo
of the Mthethwa
and Zwide
of the Ndwandwe
, and in part from the fact that by the mid-to-late 1830s he was an elderly man who could not travel on foot. When Sobhuza became ngwenyama remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from 1805 to 1815.
Sobhuza's mother Somnjalose was the younger sister and inhlanti co-wife to her elder sister Lojiba Simelane, Ndvungunye's senior wife. Lojiba had no male children herself. Sobhuza, as son of her sister co-wife, was considered Lojiba's classificatory son under Ngwane royal kinship and succession principles. While Sobhuza thus became Ndvungunye's heir and successor, Lojiba rather than Somnjalose became ndlovukati (senior queen, queen mother) upon his accession. Sobhuza appears to have been fully adult at the time of his succession, since there was no regency. At some point during his reign Somnjalose succeeded Lojiba as ndlovukati (see Mswati II
).
. As Sobhuza began his reign, KaNgwane was a realm centered in territory along the Phongola River to the south of modern Swaziland, whose northern reaches encompassed today's southern Swaziland. KaNgwane was ruled by kings of the Dlamini clan (isibongo), who had earlier ruled an area in and around the Lubombo Mountains to the east. It was only under Sobhuza's grandfather, Ngwane II , ca. 1750, that the Dlamini kings conquered the area Sobhuza inherited, incorporating more than a dozen smaller chiefdoms led by chiefs from other clans.
Early in Sobhuza's reign, the Ngwane kingdom faced strong risks of conquest by the more powerful Ndwandwe and Zulu kingdoms to the south in the 1810s and 1820s. Sobhuza moved the main royal centers northward into what is now central Swaziland, with many of his followers relocating as well. The former royal centers in Shiselweni became southern outposts.
After moving the center of Dlamini royal power to the north, Sobhuza led the conquest of many local chiefdoms. KaNgwane became a kingdom comparable in scope and power to those of the Zulu, the southern Sotho, or the Pedi. Thus, although kingship held by Dlamini royalty long predated him, in many respects Sobhuza I was the founder of modern Swaziland, along with wife Tsandzile Ndwandwe
and their son Mswati II, from whom the country's name comes.
Sobhuza I had three wives, the first of whom, Tsandzile laZidze, bore him Mswati II
and Mzamose Dlamini. (Zidze was the siSwati version of the name of the Ndwandwe king Zwide
, and laZidze means "daughter of Zidze").
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
, from 1805(?) to 1839(?). Born around 1780, his father was Ndvungunye (Mavuso II, a.k.a. Zikhodze), and his mother was Somnjalose Simelane. He was called Somhlolo, "the Wonder," upon his birth either because his father had been killed by lightning before he was born, or because of certain irregularities of his delivery, or both. Swazis celebrate Somhlolo Day every September 6 as their Independence Day.
Biography
Few of the dates concerning Sobhuza I's life are secure, being based on interpretations of oral tradition. The Rev. A. T. Bryant, whose Olden Times in Zululand and Natal (1929) was the standard reference on Northern Nguni oral historical tradition until the late 1970s, dates Ndvungunye's accession to kingship to 1797, suggesting a birth date for Sobhuza at about that time. However, Bryant derived that date from his view that Ndvungunye died and Sobhuza succeeded in 1815, from which he mechanistically counted back eighteen years, which he had set as an arbitrary standard average length of a royal reign. Modern scholarship has pushed estimated dates of Sobhuza's birth and accession to the kingship backward in line with general reinterpretations of oral traditionOral tradition
Oral tradition and oral lore is cultural material and traditions transmitted orally from one generation to another. The messages or testimony are verbally transmitted in speech or song and may take the form, for example, of folktales, sayings, ballads, songs, or chants...
s about Northern Nguni state formation and the rise of the Zulu Kingdom
Zulu Kingdom
The Zulu Kingdom, sometimes referred to as the Zulu Empire or, rather imprecisely, Zululand, was a monarchy in Southern Africa that extended along the coast of the Indian Ocean from the Tugela River in the south to Pongola River in the north....
, and placed the date of Sobhuza's death at 1839, rather than 1836 as Bryant had argued. Dating of Sobhuza's birth to ca. 1780 derives in part from his generational association with Dingiswayo
Dingiswayo
Dingiswayo was a Mtetwa chief, best known for his mentorship over a young Zulu general, Shaka Zulu, who rose to become the greatest of the Zulu kings.He was born Godongwana, son of Mthethwa chief Jobe...
of the Mthethwa
Mthethwa
Mthethwa could refer to the:* Mtetwa Paramountcy* Nathi Mthethwa, South African minister of police from 2008...
and Zwide
Zwide
Zwide kaLanga was the chief of the Ndwandwe clan from about 1805 to around 1820. He was the son of Langa KaXaba, a Ndwandwe Chieftain. Legend has it that Zwide's mother, Queen Ntombazi was a sangoma.- Political life :...
of the Ndwandwe
Ndwandwe
The Ndwandwe clan are a subgroup of the Nguni people who populate sections of Southern Africa.The Ndwandwe, with the Mthethwa, were a significant power in present-day Zululand at the turn of the nineteenth century...
, and in part from the fact that by the mid-to-late 1830s he was an elderly man who could not travel on foot. When Sobhuza became ngwenyama remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from 1805 to 1815.
Sobhuza's mother Somnjalose was the younger sister and inhlanti co-wife to her elder sister Lojiba Simelane, Ndvungunye's senior wife. Lojiba had no male children herself. Sobhuza, as son of her sister co-wife, was considered Lojiba's classificatory son under Ngwane royal kinship and succession principles. While Sobhuza thus became Ndvungunye's heir and successor, Lojiba rather than Somnjalose became ndlovukati (senior queen, queen mother) upon his accession. Sobhuza appears to have been fully adult at the time of his succession, since there was no regency. At some point during his reign Somnjalose succeeded Lojiba as ndlovukati (see Mswati II
Mswati II of Swaziland
Mswati II was the king of Swaziland between 1840 and 1868. He was also the eponym of Swaziland. Called by the anthropologist Hilda Kuper "the greatest of the Swazi fighting kings," Swaziland reached its greatest territorial extent under Mswati II Mswati II (otherwise known as Mswazi, Mavuso or...
).
Preservation and consolidation of the Ngwane state
The reign of Sobhuza I marked a crucial phase in the history of SwazilandHistory of Swaziland
According to tradition, the original followers of the present Dlamini clan of the Swazi country migrated south before the 16th century to what is now Mozambique. Following a series of conflicts with people living in the area of modern Maputo, the Ngwane, as they then called themselves, settled in...
. As Sobhuza began his reign, KaNgwane was a realm centered in territory along the Phongola River to the south of modern Swaziland, whose northern reaches encompassed today's southern Swaziland. KaNgwane was ruled by kings of the Dlamini clan (isibongo), who had earlier ruled an area in and around the Lubombo Mountains to the east. It was only under Sobhuza's grandfather, Ngwane II , ca. 1750, that the Dlamini kings conquered the area Sobhuza inherited, incorporating more than a dozen smaller chiefdoms led by chiefs from other clans.
Early in Sobhuza's reign, the Ngwane kingdom faced strong risks of conquest by the more powerful Ndwandwe and Zulu kingdoms to the south in the 1810s and 1820s. Sobhuza moved the main royal centers northward into what is now central Swaziland, with many of his followers relocating as well. The former royal centers in Shiselweni became southern outposts.
After moving the center of Dlamini royal power to the north, Sobhuza led the conquest of many local chiefdoms. KaNgwane became a kingdom comparable in scope and power to those of the Zulu, the southern Sotho, or the Pedi. Thus, although kingship held by Dlamini royalty long predated him, in many respects Sobhuza I was the founder of modern Swaziland, along with wife Tsandzile Ndwandwe
Ndwandwe
The Ndwandwe clan are a subgroup of the Nguni people who populate sections of Southern Africa.The Ndwandwe, with the Mthethwa, were a significant power in present-day Zululand at the turn of the nineteenth century...
and their son Mswati II, from whom the country's name comes.
Sobhuza I had three wives, the first of whom, Tsandzile laZidze, bore him Mswati II
Mswati II of Swaziland
Mswati II was the king of Swaziland between 1840 and 1868. He was also the eponym of Swaziland. Called by the anthropologist Hilda Kuper "the greatest of the Swazi fighting kings," Swaziland reached its greatest territorial extent under Mswati II Mswati II (otherwise known as Mswazi, Mavuso or...
and Mzamose Dlamini. (Zidze was the siSwati version of the name of the Ndwandwe king Zwide
Zwide
Zwide kaLanga was the chief of the Ndwandwe clan from about 1805 to around 1820. He was the son of Langa KaXaba, a Ndwandwe Chieftain. Legend has it that Zwide's mother, Queen Ntombazi was a sangoma.- Political life :...
, and laZidze means "daughter of Zidze").