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 considered to be one of the greatest fighting kings of Eswatini.

Under his kingship, the territorial boundaries of Eswatini were greatly increased. Mswati was the son of Sobhuza I and Tsandzile Ndwandwe (known as "LaZidze") who after ruling as Queen Mother became Queen Regent after the death of her son. After the death of Sobhuza, Mswati inherited an area which extended as far as present day Barberton in the north and included the Nomahasha district in the Portuguese territory of Mozambique.

Mswati's military power, initially suppressed by infighting with his brothers Fokoti, Malambule, and Somcuba over the kingship, was increased in the late 1850s and thereafter. When Mswati's armies attacked organized forces of other Bantu tribes or nations, the goal was initially plunder in the form of cattle and captives, rather than incorporation into one political unit. During this period the arrival of Trekboers, in what would become the Transvaal republic, marked the first contact between Swazis and European settlers. Mswati greatly extended the boundaries of the Swazi territory beyond that of the present state with military outposts and royal villages outposts such as Embhuleni, on the upper Komati River at the foot of the Mkhingoma Mountains in Badplaas, Mekemeke near the Mbayiyane Mountains, situated east of Mantibovu (Louw's Creek), Emjindini in Barberton and Malelane in Nkomazi. The death of Mswati II in August 1868 ended the era of Swazi conquest, territorial expansion and resulted in unification of various people into one nation.

Early life

Ingwenyama Mswati II was born to Somhlolo, also known as Sobhuza I, and Queen Tsandzile Ndwandwe. Tsandzile was the daughter of Zwide kaLanga, a leader of the powerful 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, and Tsandzile was chosen to be his wife and the mother of his successor.

After Sobhuza I passed away, Mswati faced challenges with his brothers over who should be king. Because of this, Mswati and his mother were made king and queen even before they were fully ready. These early challenges are thought to have helped shape Mswati into a strong and determined leader. When Mswati became king, the land he ruled 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 like the Nyatsi, Umbhula, and Malalane. These groups caused fear in many homes, even as far as Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Mswati also focused on strengthening his control within Eswatini, fighting against local chiefs and defending against outside threats.

Mswati built military outposts along the Little Crocodile River to protect against invaders. He moved his capital to Hhohho and continued to expand his kingdom's borders. Through these efforts, he grew his army, increased his followers, 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.