Mswati II

King Mswati II (c. 1820 – August 1868), also known as Mswati and Mavuso III, was the King of Eswatini between 1840 and 1868. He was also the eponym of Eswatini ("Mswati Land"). Mswati is remembered as one of Eswatini's great fighting kings.

Under his rule, the land of Eswatini grew larger. Mswati was the son of Sobhuza I and Tsandzile Ndwandwe (known as "LaZidze"). After Sobhuza died, Mswati became king. He inherited land that reached as far as present-day Barberton in the north and included the Nomahasha district in Mozambique.

Mswati faced challenges early on, with disagreements among his brothers Fokoti, Malambule, and Somcuba. But in the late 1850s, his military strength grew. His armies sometimes attacked other Bantu tribes to take cattle and captives. This was before trying to bring them into one group. During this time, Trekboers arrived in the area that would become the Transvaal republic. This was the first time Swazis met European settlers.

Mswati expanded Swazi land far beyond its current size. He set up military outposts and royal villages in places like Embhuleni along the upper Komati River, Mekemeke near the Mbayiyane Mountains, Emjindini in Barberton, and Malelane in Nkomazi. Mswati II died in August 1868. His death marked the end of a time when the Swazi people were growing their land and uniting into one nation.

Early life

Ingwenyama Mswati II was born to Somhlolo, also called Sobhuza I, and Queen Tsandzile Ndwandwe. Tsandzile was the daughter of Zwide kaLanga, a leader of the Ndwandwe clan. The Swazi clans, led by Sobhuza I, often fought with the Ndwandwe clan. To make peace, Sobhuza agreed to marry one of Zwide’s daughters. Tsandzile was chosen to be his wife and the mother of his successor.

After Sobhuza I passed away, Mswati had challenges with his brothers about who should be king. Because of this, Mswati and his mother became king and queen even before they were fully ready. These early challenges helped shape Mswati into a strong and determined leader. When Mswati became king, his land reached as far as modern-day Barberton in the north, Carolina in the west, the Pongola River in the south, and the Lubombo Mountains in the east.

Kingship

After becoming king in 1840, Mswati II led many raids into nearby lands. He targeted tribes north of Eswatini, using his strong regiments. These groups caused fear in many homes, even as far as Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Mswati also worked to strengthen his control within Eswatini. He built military outposts along the Little Crocodile River to protect against invaders. He moved his capital to Hhohho and worked to expand his kingdom's borders. Through these efforts, he grew his army and made his kingdom stronger. Historians compare him to a great leader of the time for his military skills.

Later life

King Mswati II passed away at his royal home in Hhohho in August 1865 when he was around forty years old. He had taken part in the special dance called incwala nineteen times during his rule. He was laid to rest at the royal burial site in Mbilaneni, close to his father, King Sobhuza I, and his great-grandfather, King Ngwane III.

After Mswati’s passing, an eleven-year-old boy named Ludvonga II became the next king, but he died in 1874 without any children. Then, Ludvonga’s older half-brother, Mbandzeni, took over and ruled as King Dlamini IV from 1875 until 1889. Before this, another brother of Ludvonga’s, named Mabhedla, was seen as a danger to the young prince and had to leave Eswatini. He moved around for a while and eventually settled near Steelpoort, west of Burgersfort, where he lived until he passed away in 1895.