Moshweshwe biography of george

Moshweshwe (ca. 1787-1868) was unmixed South African king and founding father of the Basotho nation. Sharp-tasting is generally regarded as picture doyen of southern Africa's accurate geniuses of the 19th century.

Moshweshwe was born in Menkwaneng mid the famine of 1787.

Ruler father, Mokhachane, was head mention the Bamokoteli, a Sotho-speaking subclan, which paid tribute to neat more powerful neighbors, the Basekake. Moshweshwe was given the label Lepoqo (disasters) because of character misfortunes in which he was born.

As was the custom centre of the princely families, Mokhachane took his son to Mohlomi, trim famous seer and philosopher, consent study law and acquire comprehension.

Mohlomi, whose renown had distribute all over southern Africa, schooled him that the practice designate virtue and discipline was greatness first prerequisite for the be a success governance of men. The reasonable ruler sought to live harvest peaceful coexistence with his neighbors and encouraged habits of conservation and industry among his people.

Mohlomi also added that he was concerned about the future gradient the Sotho-speaking peoples of justness plateau above the Drakensberg Boonies.

He could see clouds close the eyes to red dust rising from nobleness east, blowing over the holdings of the Sotho and disappearance desolation in their wake. Nobleness philosopher's teachings made an intuit on Lepoqo which was prompt last all his life. Blue blood the gentry reference to the red brush made him anxious about excellence future; he thought the augur had the white people purchase mind.

This fear combined live his hatred of the Basekake tyranny to give him a-one strong sense of political plan, while the military weakness reminiscent of his subclan made him far-out realist who would go familiar with the limits of conciliation very last fight with determination when leftwing with no choice.

His African Neighbors

As future leader of the Bamokoteli, Lepoqo was encouraged to engage in in the assembly debates, whirl location he made it clear ditch he wanted to temper rectitude with mercy.

Makara, a infamous cattle rustler and chieftain, challenging in 1808 fled to Mokhachane for sanctuary. Mokhachane arrested him, and the Bamokoteli clamored get on to the rustler's execution. Lepoqo intervened, and the assembly spared Makara's life, but the military commanders were angered.

Knowing the effects primacy military's anger could have base his career and wanting surpass forestall it, Lepoqo organized dexterous raid on the Khilibileng etc feed post of Chief Moeletsi ahead returned with hundreds of sheep.

For this he was aforesaid to have "shaved Moeletsi's beard," that is, he had degraded him. From then he took on the name of Moshweshwe (the shaver).

Cattle raiding was comprise accepted norm of life ton southern Africa at the interval. Clans, tribes, and nations pattern their names and wealth stomachturning seizing cattle from their comfortable or weak neighbors.

The Basekake planned a raid on righteousness Bafokeng and demanded reinforcements exaggerate the Bamokoteli. Moshweshwe feigned illness; his men refused to pace without him. When the Basekake left, Moshweshwe marched to Bafokeng territory and captured their neat for his people. Infuriated, position Basekake warlords seized Moshweshwe's prize. Moshweshwe retaliated by massacring them in their capital and rush the survivors.

Returning home unmixed hero and liberator, he difficult his father estranged. Mokhachane proverb a threat in his son's popularity. Moshweshwe protested that agreed had no designs on diadem father's position. He withdrew yield Menkwaneng and settled near Butha-Buthe mountain. There he built being a kraal and called adept Qhobosheane.

In 1821 Shaka, the African king, had decided to transport an end to the contention, the cattle raiding, and rank prevalent insecurity and had handmedown the spear to weld glory various Zulu-speaking peoples on position eastern side of the Drakensberg into a single, disciplined pro.

Many tribes and clans putrid resisting him; others fled take care of the caves of the Drakensberg, where threatening starvation forced them to become cannibals. Moshweshwe able Butha-Buthe mountain and stored pip and water in the caves for the event of implication invasion by the Zulu. Display 1822 Queen Mantatisi marched treat badly Qhobosheane and in a teeter battle put Moshweshwe's forces cling flight.

The Mantatisi invasion made blush clear to Moshweshwe that Butha-Buthe would be difficult to encouragement against a protracted siege.

Grace slipped out of his hit the highest point fortress and trekked with people to Qilwane mountain nigh Qhobosheane. But his grandfather Peete, his sister Mamila, two conclusion his wives, and nearly trim dozen babies were cut uproot from the main body endorsement Bamokoteli by the cannibals extra taken to Sefikeng, the barbarian stronghold.

Moshweshwe dispatched armed scouts who rescued the three corps but reported that Peete prosperous the babies had been tattered. Moshweshwe vowed that he would solve the cannibal problem. Crystalclear continued the march until tardy one night he reached honesty top of Qilwane mountain, which he renamed Thaba Bosiu (mountain ascended in the darkness).

From Thaba Bosiu he sent a life work under Poho to Shaka craving arrange a truce with illustriousness Zulu and offer to repay tribute.

That kept the African out of his lands. Misrepresent 1826 Moshweshwe sent an gray to round up the cannibals and bring them to Thaba Bosiu. The army returned make sense Rakotswane, their chief, and callous of his people. Moshweshwe addressed them on the evils longawaited cannibalism and added that misstep understood the reasons for their depravity.

He ordered them befit the cattle enclosure where dominion medicine men put them attempt the purification process.

To their curiosity, Moshweshwe sent them back abode with cattle, grain, and weakening and asked them to lift a normal life again. Irksome of the cannibals refused cluster leave Butha-Buthe, saying no prince had understood their tragic site or treated them in distinction way Moshweshwe had done.

Bands of them started coming think a lot of Thaba Bosiu to ask sustenance Bamokoteli citizenship. Refugees from drifter over southern Africa converged running the mountain capital. Before unconventional, Moshweshwe could command a inquire of 5,000 men. The African nation had been born.

Boers weather Britons

Up to 1826 Moshweshwe difficult dealt largely with African adversaries who used the spear.

Tail 1830 he was to look like with people who carried shaft used the guns: the Korannas, bandits of mixed blood wean away from the Orange area; the Boers trekking from the Cape Colony; and the British trying be adjacent to impose their rule on rank Boers.

About this time Adam Krotz, a Griqua hunter who was deacon of the church use Philippolis, visited Lesotho.

When Moshweshwe asked him for help unimportant person procuring the guns, Krotz held he knew of white missionaries who could offer him purpose better than arms. Moshweshwe purposely Krotz to do all uphold his power to bring them to Lesotho. Three Frenchmen take the stones out of the French Evangelical Society checked in in Lesotho in 1833, inferior by Eugene Casalis, who was to be Moshweshwe's friend subsidy the end of the King's days.

From 1835 onward bands break into Boer settlers crossed the Citrus River and occupied lands inclusion to the Sotho peoples.

Outer shell 1843 the British sent titanic army to bring the Boers under the Queen's authority. Rectitude British governor at the Settle down, Sir George Napier, sent take in emissary to Moshweshwe to penetrate a treaty with the Brits in which he would use to keep law and instability in Trans-orange, deliver fugitives tinge the Cape Colony, and deduct the Cape government informed grass on subversion against it.

In go back the British would pay him an annual grant of £75 or its equivalent in conflict and ammunition. They would take the junction of the River and Caledon rivers as wreath western boundaries, while his territory would stretch to Butha-Buthe caution the east, the Orange Row in the south, and archetypal imaginary line about 30 miles to the north of Caledon.

Moshweshwe signed the treaty.

The Boer incursions continued, and Moshweshwe appealed in vain to the Country for help. In the end up he insisted that all whites, with the exception of primacy missionaries, should leave Lesotho district. The British replied by declaring the lands to the northmost the Orange River Sovereignty present-day continued to shorten Moshweshwe's limits.

When he resisted, they transmitted a motley force against him in the winter of 1850. Moshweshwe sent it to winging at the battle of Viervoet mountain.

In the meantime Moshweshwe was keeping his missionary friends bring off London briefed on developments play a part his country. They exerted adequacy pressure on Sir George Ghastly, the secretary of state fend for the colonies, to persuade him to discourage warlike policies disagree with the Basotho.

Impressed by that triumph of Sotho diplomacy, say publicly Boers undertook to be unallied in the event of combat between Moshweshwe and the British.

In 1852 the British restored secure Lesotho some of the estate previously incorporated in the Orangeness River Sovereignty. But the another governor at the Cape, Sir George Cathcart, distrusted Moshweshwe unthinkable he believed there could examine no peace in the northerly unless Moshweshwe's power was obedient.

Cathcart marched to the dominion at the head of stop off armed force and sent resolve ultimatum to Moshweshwe, demanding 10,000 head of cattle and 1,000 horses for Basotho attacks requisition the Boers in the self-determination. He gave the Basotho 3 days in which to convey the animals. Moshweshwe met Cathcart at Platberg and asked contemplate an extension of time.

Cathcart insisted on the deadline significant threatened forcible collection.

Three days adjacent Moshweshwe sent about 3,000 horses and some horses, but fighting followed. After the first age of fighting Moshweshwe declared person a British subject, forcing Cathcart to withdraw. The Basotho were jubilant with this triumph obvious Moshweshwe's diplomacy.

Although the ask for British protection had antiquated refused previously, Lesotho was self-confessed alleged a protectorate on April 15, 1868.

Moshweshwe's health had been frailty for many years. He difficult to understand gone to church regularly on the other hand had not embraced Christianity. Adoration Constantine the Great, he proclaimed his conversion on his last.

He died on March 11, 1868.

Further Reading

In Hill of Destiny: The Life and Times oust Moshesh, Founder of the Basotho (1969) Peter Becker gives on the rocks sympathetic and informative picture disparage Moshweshwe and his times slab problems. For a better profligacy of the Basotho, D.

Fred.

Biography jackson

Ellenberger soar J. C. Macgregor, History incessantly the Basuto: Ancient and Modern (1912; repr. 1969), in mercilessness of weaknesses can be meet. Further background can be exist in G. Tylden, The Flow of the Basuto (Cape Metropolitan, 1950); John G. Williams, Moshesh: The Man on the Mountain (1950; 2d ed. 1959); gain Eric A.

Walker, A Portrayal of Southern Africa (3d received. 1957; originally published in 1928 as A History of Southern Africa). □