# The Chronicle of Eswatini: The kingdom of the Lion and the She-Elephant, Africa's last absolute monarchy History of Eswatini: The kingdom of the Lion and the She-Elephant, Africa's last absolute monarchy. 5 eras and 19 sourced events, every claim traceable… Canonical: https://terralore.co/country/SWZ/chronicle Updated: 2026-06-13 Founding: Independence from the United Kingdom — 6 September 1968. The British protectorate of Swaziland became an independent kingdom on 6 September 1968, with King Sobhuza II as head of state under a Westminster-style constitution. Britain had administered the territory as a High Commission Territory and, despite provisions for its possible transfer, never incorporated it into South Africa. Eswatini, known as Swaziland until 2018, grew from the southward movement of Nguni-speaking peoples into south-eastern Africa and the rise of the Dlamini royal house. Tradition regards Ngwane III, in the mid-eighteenth century, as the first king of the Swazi, whose followers took the name bakaNgwane. During the upheavals of the mfecane, Sobhuza I consolidated a kingdom in the centre of the country, and his son Mswati II expanded it to its greatest extent in the mid-nineteenth century; from him the Swazi take their name. The kingdom is governed through a dual monarchy of the king, the Ngwenyama ('the Lion'), and the queen mother, the Ndlovukati ('the She-Elephant'). In the 1880s King Mbandzeni granted a flood of land, grazing and mineral concessions to Boer and British fortune-seekers, opening an era of foreign control. Administered first through the South African Republic and, after the Second Boer War, directly by Britain as a High Commission Territory, Swaziland was kept out of the Union of South Africa and gained independence from the United Kingdom on 6 September 1968 under King Sobhuza II. In 1973 Sobhuza repealed the independence constitution and ruled by decree; his successor Mswati III, crowned in 1986, presides over one of the world's last absolute monarchies, shaken by pro-democracy protests in 2021. This file carries the chronicle's sourced event record — every event with its year, summary and source keys (resolved under References below). The full reading narrative lives on the canonical page. ## Nguni Migrations and the House of Dlamini — c. 1500 – 1780 Nguni-speaking peoples move south into the region, and the Dlamini royal house gives rise to the first king of the Swazi. - from c. 1500s: **Nguni peoples move south** — Bantu-speaking Nguni groups, among them the ancestors of the Dlamini, migrate southward into south-eastern Africa over the following centuries. [wiki-history-sz, britannica-eswatini] - mid-18th century: **Reign of Ngwane III** — Ngwane III, traditionally regarded as the first king of the modern Swazi, leads his followers across the Pongola and is remembered for founding the kingdom, with a capital at Shiselweni. [wiki-ngwane-iii, wiki-history-sz, kiddle-history-sz] ## The Mfecane and the Making of a Nation — c. 1815 – 1868 Amid the upheavals of the mfecane, Sobhuza I consolidates a kingdom and his son Mswati II expands it to its height, giving the Swazi their name. - c. 1815: **Accession of Sobhuza I** — On the death of Ndvungunye, Somhlolo becomes king as Sobhuza I and soon faces the pressures of the mfecane and the Ndwandwe under Zwide. [britannica-sobhuza-i, sahistory-sobhuza-i, wiki-history-sz] - c. 1820s: **Migration into central Eswatini** — Attacked by the Ndwandwe, Sobhuza I moves his people north and establishes a kingdom centred on the Ezulwini valley, the heartland of the Swazi nation. [britannica-sobhuza-i, sahistory-sobhuza-i] - c. 1840: **Reign of Mswati II begins** — Mswati II succeeds Sobhuza I; he reorganises the army into age-regiments and expands the kingdom to its greatest extent. The Swazi take their name from him. [britannica-mswati-ii, wiki-mswati-ii, wiki-history-sz] - 1868: **Death of Mswati II** — The death of Mswati II ends the era of Swazi conquest and expansion, leaving a unified nation at its widest territorial reach. [britannica-mswati-ii, wiki-mswati-ii] Figures: - Sobhuza I (Somhlolo) (c. 1780s–1839) — King of the Swazi (Ngwenyama). Consolidated the modern Swazi kingdom during the mfecane, moving north under Ndwandwe pressure to settle the Ezulwini valley and welding diverse peoples into one nation. - Mswati II (c. 1825–1868) — King of the Swazi (Ngwenyama). Greatest of the Swazi fighting kings, who reorganised the army and expanded the kingdom to its height; the Swazi nation is named after him. ## The Concessions Era and Foreign Control — 1875 – 1906 King Mbandzeni grants away land and mineral rights to European fortune-seekers, opening the way to administration by the South African Republic and then Britain. - 1875: **Mbandzeni becomes king** — Mbandzeni (Dlamini IV) ascends the throne; his reign coincides with an influx of European concession-seekers into the kingdom. [wiki-mbandzeni, encyaf-mbandzeni] - 1880s: **The concessions era** — Mbandzeni grants extensive land, grazing and mineral concessions to Boer and British fortune-seekers, ceding control over most of the kingdom's land and resources. [wiki-mbandzeni, nationsency-swaziland, wiki-history-sz] - 1894: **Protectorate of the South African Republic** — By convention the Transvaal (South African Republic) takes over the administration of Swaziland as a protectorate, while the kingdom keeps nominal autonomy. [nationsency-swaziland, wiki-history-sz, britannica-eswatini] - December 1906: **A High Commission Territory** — After the Second Boer War, control of Swaziland passes from the Transvaal governor to the High Commissioner for South Africa, making it a High Commission Territory under direct British oversight. [britannica-colonial-sz, wiki-history-sz, familysearch-sz] Figures: - Mbandzeni (Dlamini IV) (c. 1855–1889) — King of the Swazi (Ngwenyama). Son of Mswati II whose reign saw the granting of sweeping land and mineral concessions to Europeans, opening the era of foreign control over the kingdom. ## British Territory and the Road to Independence — 1906 – 1968 Kept out of the Union of South Africa, the protectorate endures decades of British rule before Sobhuza II leads it to independence. - 1910: **Kept out of the Union of South Africa** — When the Union of South Africa is formed, Swaziland remains under direct British control; despite later South African requests, the territory is never transferred. [britannica-colonial-sz, wiki-history-sz, familysearch-sz] - 1921: **Sobhuza II becomes Ngwenyama** — Sobhuza II assumes the kingship and makes the recovery of Swazi land lost in the concessions a defining cause of his long reign. [britannica-sobhuza-ii, wiki-history-sz] - 1967: **Self-government and elections** — Under a revised constitution Swaziland gains internal self-government; the king's Imbokodvo National Movement wins the elections, setting the stage for independence. [wiki-history-sz, statedept-swaziland] - 6 September 1968: **Independence of Swaziland** — Swaziland becomes an independent kingdom, free of British rule, with Sobhuza II as head of state under a Westminster-style constitution. [statedept-swaziland, britannica-sobhuza-ii, wiki-history-sz] ## Rule by Decree and the Birth of Eswatini — 1968 – present Sobhuza II repeals the constitution and rules by decree; Mswati III inherits an absolute monarchy that renames itself Eswatini and faces calls for democracy. - 12 April 1973: **Sobhuza II repeals the constitution** — King Sobhuza II repeals the independence constitution, dissolves parliament and bans political parties, ruling thereafter by decree as an absolute monarch. [wiki-constitution-sz, blackpast-sobhuza-ii, statedept-swaziland] - 1982: **Death of Sobhuza II** — Sobhuza II dies after a reign of some sixty years, among the longest in recorded history, leaving the throne to a regency. [britannica-sobhuza-ii, blackpast-sobhuza-ii] - 25 April 1986: **Coronation of Mswati III** — Aged eighteen, Mswati III is crowned king, continuing the absolute monarchy with his mother Ntfombi as Ndlovukati. [wiki-mswati-iii, wiki-history-sz] - April 2018: **Swaziland becomes Eswatini** — On the fiftieth anniversary of independence, Mswati III renames the country the Kingdom of Eswatini, reviving its siSwati name. [wiki-mswati-iii, wiki-history-sz, statedept-recognition] - June–July 2021: **Pro-democracy protests** — Pro-democracy protests sweep Eswatini and are met by a deadly crackdown, the most serious challenge yet to one of the world's last absolute monarchies. [commons-eswatini-protests, natgeo-eswatini] Figures: - King Sobhuza II (1899–1982) — Ngwenyama; led Swaziland to independence. Reigned for some six decades, campaigned to recover Swazi land, led the country to independence in 1968, and in 1973 repealed the constitution to rule by decree. - King Mswati III (born 1968) — Ngwenyama of Eswatini. Crowned in 1986, he rules as an absolute monarch; in 2018 he renamed Swaziland as Eswatini, and faced major pro-democracy protests in 2021. Machine-readable claims — every event above as an addressable claim ID (TL:SWZ:event::) with its sources and a ready citation string: https://terralore.co/country/SWZ/chronicle.claims.json ## References - [britannica-eswatini] Eswatini — Encyclopaedia Britannica · https://www.britannica.com/place/Eswatini - [britannica-colonial-sz] Eswatini — Colonial administration — Encyclopaedia Britannica · https://www.britannica.com/place/Eswatini/Colonial-administration - [britannica-sobhuza-i] Sobhuza I — Encyclopaedia Britannica · https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sobhuza-I - [britannica-mswati-ii] Mswati II — Encyclopaedia Britannica · https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mswati-II - [britannica-sobhuza-ii] Sobhuza II — Encyclopaedia Britannica · https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sobhuza-II - [wiki-history-sz] History of Eswatini — Wikipedia · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Eswatini - [wiki-ngwane-iii] Ngwane III — Wikipedia · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngwane_III - [wiki-mswati-ii] Mswati II — Wikipedia · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mswati_II - [wiki-mbandzeni] Mbandzeni (Dlamini IV) — Wikipedia · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbandzeni - [wiki-ndlovukati] Ndlovukati (Queen Mother of Eswatini) — Wikipedia · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ndlovukati - [wiki-mswati-iii] Mswati III — Wikipedia · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mswati_III - [wiki-constitution-sz] Constitution of Eswatini — Wikipedia · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Eswatini - [sahistory-sobhuza-i] King Sobhuza I — South African History Online · https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/king-sobhuza-i - [blackpast-sobhuza-ii] King Sobhuza II (1899–1982) — BlackPast.org · https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/people-global-african-history/king-sobhuza-ii-1899-1982/ - [encyaf-mbandzeni] Mbandzeni (Dlamini IV) — Encyclopaedia Africana · https://encyclopaediaafricana.com/mbandzeni-dlamini-iv/ - [nationsency-swaziland] Swaziland — History — Nations Encyclopedia · https://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Swaziland-HISTORY.html - [familysearch-sz] Eswatini History — FamilySearch · https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Eswatini_History - [statedept-swaziland] Background Note: Swaziland — U.S. Department of State · https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/swaziland/116104.htm - [statedept-recognition] A Guide to the United States' History of Recognition: Eswatini — U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian · https://history.state.gov/countries/swaziland - [kiddle-history-sz] History of Eswatini (facts for kids) — Kiddle · https://kids.kiddle.co/History_of_Eswatini - [commons-eswatini-protests] Pro-democracy protests in Eswatini — UK Parliament, House of Commons Library · https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9316/ - [natgeo-eswatini] Africa's last absolute monarchy is shaken as protestors defy Eswatini's king — National Geographic · https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/africas-last-absolute-monarchy-shaken-as-protestors-defy-eswatini-king - [wikipedia-eswatini] Eswatini — Wikipedia · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eswatini Citation template: Terralore, "The Chronicle of Eswatini: The kingdom of the Lion and the She-Elephant, Africa's last absolute monarchy", terralore.co/country/SWZ/chronicle, retrieved .