Changamire History of Southern Africa Brit. South Afr. Company






History of the Matabele Kingdom



In 1823, the NDEBELE, an offspring of the ZULU, under King MZILIKAZI, who had quarreled with Shaka, fled the Zulu domain and invaded what is Southern Zimbabwe today and established the MATABELE KINGDOM (1826). They subjugated the surrounding Shona or Mashona. Between 1870 and 1881, the KRAAL at BULAWAYO served as the kingdom's political center.
The first protestant mission was established among the Matabele in 1861 by the London Missionary Society. In 1889, Cecil Rhodes obtained from the British government a charter for his BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA COMPANY permitting him to set up a colony in Southern Africa. Rhodes obtained a treaty from illiterate Matabele King LOBENGULA, which virtually signed the sovereignty over Mashonaland over to Rhodes. Rhodes had FORT SALISBURY established (1890) and took steps to take control of the country. An incident was provoked and the Matabele decisively defeated in 1893; King Lobengula died soon after, and the Matabele Kingdom ended. A combined Matabele/Mashona rebellion was suppressed in 1896/1897.
The Matabele, an offspring of the Zulu, were a warrior nation. They fought on foot in IMPIs, highly disciplined units, armed with an ASSEGAI - a short spear with a large, iron blade - and a shield. Their economy depended on herds of livestock, predominantly cattle.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		Matabele Battle Dress, from Know your Rhodesia and know your Nyasaland, online edition of 1956 book by N.S. Ferris
Links to the History of Zimbabwe, from Looksmart
Books on the Matabele and early Rhodesia, introduced by Books of Zimbabwe
History of Zimbabwe, from Infoplease
Ndebele, from South African Languages
The Old Bulawayo Archaeological Project
The Tati Concession Lands. The Destruction of Lobengula and the Matabele, 1880-1893, from Great Epic Books
Biography of Lobengula, from Black History Pages
Matabele Secession 1823, from Amed Conflict Events Data
DOCUMENTS
VIDEO Rhodes, 1997, cc



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2001, last revised on November 7th 2004

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