| Sobhuza II | |
|---|---|
| Ngwenyama | |
.jpg) Sobhuza II in 1945 | |
| King of Swaziland | |
| Reign | 10 December 1899 – 21 August 1982 |
| Coronation | 22 December 1921[1] |
| Predecessor | Ngwane V |
| Successor | Mswati III |
| Queen Mother | See list
|
| Born | Nkhotfotjeni Dlamini (1899-07-22)22 July 1899 Zombodze,Swaziland (nowEswatini) |
| Died | 21 August 1982(1982-08-21) (aged 83) Mbabane, Swaziland |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | 70 wives (includingDzeliwe Shongwe andNtfombi Tfwala) |
| Issue | 210 children (includingMswati III) |
| House | House of Dlamini |
| Father | Ngwane V |
| Mother | Lomawa Ndwandwe |
Sobhuza IIKBE (Swazi:[sɔbʱuzʱa]; also known asNkhotfotjeni,Mona;[2][3] 22 July 1899 – 21 August 1982) wasNgwenyama (King) ofSwaziland (now Eswatini) for 82 years and 254 days, thelongest verifiable reign of any monarch inrecorded history.
Sobhuza was born on 22 July 1899 at Zombodze Royal Residence, the son ofInkhosikatiLomawa Ndwandwe and KingNgwane V. When he was only four months old, his father died suddenly while dancingincwala. Sobhuza was chosen king soon after that and his grandmotherLabotsibeni and his uncle Prince Malunge led the Swazi nation until his maturity in 1921.[4] Sobhuza was acknowledged as King by the British in 1967, and Swaziland achieved independence in 1968. Sobhuza continued to reign until his death in 1982. He was succeeded byMswati III, his young son with InkhosikatiNtfombi Tfwala, who was crowned in 1986.
Ingwenyama Sobhuza was born in Zombodze on 22 July 1899.[5] He ascended to the throne after the death of his father,Ngwane V, as King of Swaziland on 10 December 1899, when he was only four months old.[6] He was educated at Zombodze Primary School,[7] Swazi National School and at the Lovedale Institution in theEastern Cape,South Africa, before assuming the Swazi throne as King at the age of twenty-two.[5] His grandmother,Labotsibeni Mdluli, served asregent throughout his youth, formally transferring power to theNgwenyama on 22 December 1921.[6] Before assuming his royal duties, he studied anthropology in England.[8]
Sobhuza's direct reign would endure more than 60 years (1921–1982), during which he presided over Swaziland's independence from theUnited Kingdom in 1968, after which the British government recognised him asKing of Swaziland (Eswatini).[6] Early in his reign, Sobhuza sought to address the problem of land that had been occupied by white settlers in 1907. He did so by first leading a delegation to London to meet withKing George V and petition him to restore the lands to the Swazi people.[9] He again took his case on the land issue in 1929 to theJudicial Committee of the Privy Council. He was defeated by the terms of theForeign Jurisdictions Act 1890, which effectively placed the actions of British administrations in protectorates beyond the reach of the British courts.[5] Sobhuza's role during this colonial period was for the most part ceremonial, but he still had major influence as a traditional head of the Swazi nation.[5] In 1934, he received the anthropologistBronislaw Malinowski. In 1953, he attended thecoronation of Queen Elizabeth II in London.[10]
In the early 1960s Sobhuza played a major role in events that led to independence for his country in 1968. He opposed the post-colonialWestminster constitution proposed by the British government, in which he was assigned the role ofconstitutional monarch.[5] As a consequence, acting through his advisory council, he formed theImbokodvo National Movement, a political party, which contested and won all seats in the 1967 pre-independence elections.[5] He became recognized by the British asKing of Swaziland in 1967 when Swaziland was given direct rule. Independence was achieved on 6 September 1968. Following this, Sobhuza skilfully blended appeal to tribal custom with a capacity to manage economic and social change for his kingdom.[5] On 12 April 1973, the king repealed the constitution and dissolved parliament, henceforth exercising power as an absolute ruler.[6] In 1978 a new constitution was promulgated which provided for an elaborate reversion to a tribal mode of rule involving an electoral college of eighty members chosen by forty local councils known astinkhundla, dominated by tribal elements. The Swazi economy prospered under Sobhuza's leadership. Swaziland is rich in natural resources, and much of the land and mineral wealth originally owned by non-Swazi interests was brought under indigenous control during Sobhuza's reign.[5]
Sobhuza celebrated his Diamond Jubilee in 1981. At this time, he had successfully restored and indeed strengthened the monarch's role as the chief arbiter of decision-making in his kingdom.[5] In the early 1980s King Sobhuza attempted to acquire control overKaNgwane, aBantustan set up by theSouth Africangovernment in an attempt to reunite all Swazi people separated by the colonial boundary. He died on 21 August 1982 at Embo State house at the age of 83.[11]
Sobhuza's official incumbency of 82 years and 254 days is the longest precisely datedmonarchical reign on record and the world's longest documented reign of any sovereign since antiquity. OnlyMin Hti of the BurmeseKingdom of Arakan,Pepi II Neferkare ofAncient Egypt andTaejo of the ancient Korean kingdom ofGoguryeo are claimed to have reigned longer, though these claims are disputed.[citation needed]
Known by the honorific "Bull of the Swazi" by virtue of his numerous progeny,[12] King Sobhuza continued the tribal practice of maintaining many consorts, including his favorite,Pauline Fikelephi Masuku.[13][14] According to the Swaziland National Trust Commission, King Sobhuza II had 70 wives, who gave him 210 children between 1920 and 1970. About 180 children survived infancy, and 97 sons and daughters were reported living as of 2000. At his death he had more than 1,000 grandchildren.[15]
Sobhuza died in 1982, having appointedPrince Sozisa Dlamini to serve as 'Authorized Person', advising aregent. Selection of a successor was confirmed only after King Sobhuza's death, a regent being necessary if the heir remained under age at that time. By tradition, the regent would be one of thequeens consort who had borne the late king a son.[6] The first regent was QueenDzeliwe, but after a power struggle Sozisa deposed her and she was replaced by QueenNtfombi. Ntombi reigned on behalf of her young son by King Sobhuza,Prince Makhosetive Dlamini, who was designated asCrown Prince orUmntfwana. He wascrowned King Mswati III in 1986.[citation needed]
One of Sobhuza's sons-in-law was the lateGoodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu, King of the Zulus ofSouth Africa, who married the Swazi king's daughter, PrincessMantfombi (born at Siteki in 1956, betrothed in 1973), atNongoma in June 1977.[6] Another in-law isZenani Mandela, the daughter of former South African PresidentNelson Mandela, who belonged to acadet branch of theThembu dynasty which reigns as paramount chiefs in theTranskei. She wed Sobhuza's son, Prince Thumbumuzi Dlamini, who, although an older half-brother of Mswati and Mantfombi,[6] did not inherit the Swazi throne, instead launching, with his wife, an enterprise in the United States.[citation needed]
Grand Master of theRoyal Order of the King Sobhuza II (Kingdom of Swaziland, 1975).[citation needed]_Ribbon.png)
Honorary Knight Commander of theOrder of the British Empire, Civil Division (KBE) (United Kingdom,1 January 1966).[16]
Honorary Commander of theOrder of the British Empire, Civil Division (CBE) (United Kingdom, 8 June 1950.)[17]
Honorary Officer of theOrder of the British Empire, Civil Division (OBE) (United Kingdom, 11 May 1937).[18]
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Supreme Companion of theOrder of the Companions of O. R. Tambo [posthumous] (Republic of South Africa, 20 April 2006).[19]
{{cite book}}:|last= has generic name (help)| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by Labotsibeni Mdluli (Queen Regent) | King of Swaziland 1899–1982 | Succeeded by Dzeliwe Shongwe (Queen Regent) |
| Pre-modern Swaziland (until 1745) |
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| Modern Swaziland (1745–1906) |
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| Paramount Chiefs under British rule (1903–1968) |
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| Kings of Swaziland (1968–2018) |
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| Kings of Eswatini (2018–present) |
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| tiNdlovukati (Queen Mother/Doctor) |
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