Mzilikazi

Mzilikazi kaMashobane
King of Matebeleland
King Mzilikazi, as portrayed by Captain William Cornwallis Harris, circa 1836
Reignca. 1823 – 1868
Coronationca. 1820
PredecessorFounder (father murdered; formerly a lieutenant of Zulu King Shaka)
SuccessorLobengula
Bornca. 1790
Mkuze, South Africa
Died(1868-09-09)9 September 1868
Matebeleland, buried in a cave at Entumbane, Matobo Hills, Zimbabwe (on 4 November 1868)
Spouseseveral wives
IssueLobengula (son), Nkulumane (son), and many others
HouseKhumalo; founder of the Ndebele people
FatherMashobane kaMangethe (c. late 1700s – c. 1820s),
MotherCikose Ndiweni, a princess of the Amangwe clan
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Mzilikazi[1] Moselekatse, Khumalo (c. 1790 – 9 September 1868) was a Southern African king who founded the Ndebele Kingdom now called Matebeleland which is now part of Zimbabwe. His name means "the great river of blood".[2] He was born the son of Mashobane kaMangethe near Mkuze, Zululand (now known as KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa), and died at Ingama, Matabeleland (near Bulawayo, Zimbabwe). Many consider him to be the greatest Southern African military leader after the Zulu king, Shaka. In his autobiography, David Livingstone referred to Mzilikazi as the second most impressive leader he encountered on the African continent.

  1. ^ Lipschitz, Mark R. (1978). Dictionary of African Historical Biography. London: Heinemann. pp. 167–168. ISBN 0-435-94711-7.
  2. ^ "King Mzilikazi". South African History Online. 13 September 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2018.