His Royal Majesty King Mswati Makhosetive Dlamini is one of the most eminent contemporary monarchs who respects the traditional values of the Kingdom of Eswatini while also managing the modern world's nuances.
As the son of King Sobhuza II, King Mswati carries on the legacy of leadership and cultural heritage with grace and vision.
Born into a royal family, King Mswati's life has been a demonstration of his commitment to the well-being and growth of his people. He was educated on leadership from an early age, which prepared him for his future role as the king of the Eswatini.
He was four years old when he convinced his father's assistant to permit him to join the Royal Swaziland Police and Royal Palace Guard, and a year later, the Defence Force, where he seemed to take his military training very seriously.
Masundvwini Royal School was the primary school where the King got his education, and Lozitha Palace School, founded in 1979, was his second home for the royal children and the youngest of the King's sixty queens. He demonstrated skill in sibhaca, a traditional Swazi dance, and put together a sibhaca dance team that participated in various events and festivals, including the University of Swaziland.
After earning merits in Mathematics and English in his Swaziland Primary Certificate Examination in 1982, the prince moved to Sherbourne, in the South of the United Kingdom, and studied English, mathematics, business studies, geography, physical science, and economics.
King Sobhuza II had deftly managed to hold rivalling power factions within the royal ruling alliance in check, and so his death in August 1982, left a power vacuum. In keeping with tradition, Makhosetive's appointment by his father was not publicly announced. Before his death the king had chosen one of his queens, the childless Princess Dzeliwe, to preside over the monarchy as regent until the prince turned 21 years of age. It was in keeping with tradition that she be childless, so that she would not involve herself in a factional struggle to advance the position of her own son. Factional quarrels broke out into the open, however, in the interregnum period, while the prince was studying abroad in the United Kingdom. Continuing disputes led members of the Liqoqo, a supreme traditional advisory body, to force the Queen Regent to resign. In her stead the Liqoqo appointed Queen Ntombi, Prince Makhosetive's mother, who initially refused to take up the position.
On April 25, 1986, the prince became King Mswati III upon his return to Swaziland at the age of 18. At the time, the King was the youngest monarch in the world. The early coronation was seen by observers as a way for the Liqoqo to validate Dzeliwe's usurpation and solidify their power gains.
Kingdom: House of Eswatini
In the mid-18th century, Ngwane III led the Swazis to establish their kingdom. The country and Swazi take their names from Mswati II, the 19th-century king under whose rule the country was expanded and unified. Its boundaries were drawn up in 1881 during the Scramble for Africa.
Artefacts have been found indicating human activity dating back to the early Stone Age, around 200,000 years ago. Prehistoric rock art paintings dating from as far back as c. 27,000 years ago to as recently as the 19th century can be found around the country.
The earliest known inhabitants of the region were Khoisan hunter-gatherers. They were largely replaced by the Nguni during the great Bantu migrations. These peoples originated from the Great Lakes region of eastern and central Africa. Evidence of agriculture and iron use dates from about the 4th century. People speaking languages ancestral to the current Sotho and Nguni languages began settling no later than the 11th century.
The Swazi settlers, then known as the Ngwane(or bakaNgwane) before entering Eswatini, had been settled on the banks of the Pongola River. Before that, they were settled in the area of the Tembe River near present-day Maputo, Mozambique. Continuing conflict with the Ndwandwe people pushed them further north, with Ngwane III establishing his capital at Shiselweni at the foot of the Mhlosheni hills. Under Sobhuza I, the Ngwane people established their capital at Zombodze in the heartland of present-day Eswatini. In this process, they conquered and incorporated the long established clans of the country known to the Swazi as Emakhandzambili.
Eswatini derives its name from a later king named Mswati II. KaNgwane, named for Ngwane III, is an alternative name for Eswatini, the surname of whose royal house remains Nkhosi Dlamini. Nkhosi literally means "king". Mswati II was the greatest of the fighting kings of Eswatini, and he greatly extended the area of the country to twice its current size. The Emakhandzambili clans were initially incorporated into the kingdom with wide autonomy, often including grants of special ritual and political status. The extent of their autonomy, however, was drastically curtailed by Mswati, who attacked and subdued some of them in the 1850s. With his power, Mswati greatly reduced the influence of the Emakhandzambili while incorporating more people into his kingdom either through conquest or by giving them refuge. These later arrivals became known to the Swazis as Emafikamuva.
Year Crowned: 1986
Title: King of Eswatini
Relationship Status: Married
Kids: 36
Date of Birth: 4/19/1968
Age: 56 years
Interests
King Mswati Makhosetive is dedicated to using the Eswatini kingdom's potential to tackle the challenges of the 21st century. His focus is on education, sustainable development, and the preservation of cultural heritage. He exhibits a keen interest in the global economic landscape, realizing how it impacts the prosperity of his people.
The goal of King Mswati Makhosetive is to leave the Eswatini Kingdom with a legacy of unity, prosperity, and resiliency. His aim is to inspire a new generation of Eswatini to contribute to their community's welfare as well as the wider Eswatini society through his leadership and preserve the cultural identity of the Eswatini people.
Social Handle:
House of African Royalty
