Moshoeshoe I

Moshoeshoe (1786?-1870) was born at Menkhoaneng in the Northern part of present-day Lesotho. He was the first son of Mokhachane, a minor chief of the Bakoteli lineage- a branch of the Koena (crocodile) clan. In his early childhood, he helped his father gain power over some other smaller clans. At the age of 34 Moshoeshoe formed his own clan and became a chief. He and his followers settled at the Butha-Buthe Mountain.

Chieftain

Moshesh was born in 1787 during a famine. He was given the name Lepoqo (Lepoqo means disasters) at his birth, due to the deprived conditions into which he was born and raised. Moshesh?s parents had a large influence on the child as he grew up, teaching him about virtues and discipline in a politically inclined way. Moshesh gained his place as a leader after a punitive raid on a cattle thief, returning with hundreds of heads of cattle, earning him his name ?Moshweshwe (the shaver)? as he was said to have shaved off the beard of his adversary.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Moshoeshoe’s reign coincided with the growth in power of the well-known Zulu king, Shaka. During the early 1800s Shaka raided many smaller clans along the eastern coast of Southern Africa, incorporating parts of them into his steadily growing Zulu chiefdom. Various small clans were forced to flee the Zulu chief. An era of great wars of calamity followed, known as the Mfecane. It was marked by aggression against the Sotho people by the invading Nguni clans. The attacks also forced Moshoeshoe to move his settlement to the Qiloane plateau. The name was later changed to Thaba Bosiu or "mountain of the night" because it was believed to be growing during the night. It proved to be an impassable stronghold against enemies.

Related Topics:
Zulu - Shaka - 1800s - Mfecane

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~