Moshveswe I

Moshveshwe was born in 1787 or 1786, during the famine, and first received the name Lepoko ("deprivation"). Parents from childhood raised Lepoko as a future leader and politician. He became a real leader when he went on a punitive raid against one cattle stealer, and successfully recaptured hundreds of cattle from him. Then he received the name Moshveshve ("barber"), because, according to rumors, he shaved off the beard of his opponent.

The reign of Moshvesve coincided with the growth of the power of the Zulus under the leadership of Shaki . At the beginning of the 19th century, Shaka began to conquer small clans along the eastern coast, including in his growing kingdom, and many leaders fled from it, which led to a period of war and unrest, known as Mfekan (or Difakan in Sesotho ). The Nguni invaders began to threaten the Soto, who lived in the interior of the country, and Moshveshwe was forced to leave Buta-Buthe and move to the Kilvan plateau. Later this place was called Taba-Bosiu , “the mountain of night,” because it was believed that it was increasing at night and decreasing during the day. Enemies could not capture this fortress.

As a diplomat, Moshveshwe was distinguished by his generosity towards the conquered. He provided them with land and protection, thereby strengthening his power over Soto, as refugees integrated into his people.

Towards the middle of the 19th century, Moshvesve strengthened the power of the Soto in Basutolend and became known as Morena e Moholo (The Great Leader) and Morena oa Basotho (King of Basuto).

Moshveshwe believed that he needed firearms (which belonged to Dutch settlers in the Cape colony , as well as the services of a white adviser: he heard a lot from other tribes about the benefits brought by missionaries. Moshveshwe negotiated with the Paris Society of the Gospel mission, choosing a state that had no claims to the lands in South Africa Soon three representatives of the Society arrived: Eugene Casalis, Constant Gosselin and Thomas Arbuss.

From 1837 to 1855, Kasalis was the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Moshveswe, helping the king establish relations with his enemies. In addition, Kasalis served as a translator for Moshveshwe in dealing with whites and described the Sesotho language ^[1] .

In the late 1830s , Boers from the Cape Colony appeared on the western borders of Basutoland and began to demand land. The leader of the first Boer settlers was Jan de Vinnar, who settled in the Matlackeng region in May-June 1830 . Arriving Boer farmers tried to capture the interfluve of the Orange and Caledon (Mojokare), claiming that the Soto left this land. When Moshveshwe heard about this, he announced that “the land they occupied belonged to me, but I didn’t mind that their herds grazed there until they could move on, and provided that they would live in peace with my people and recognize my power. ”

Kasalis later noted that the Boers, while there were not many, asked for temporary rights, but later, when they felt "strong enough to lose their mask" ^[2] , they demanded all the land for themselves.

The next 30 years became years of constant war for Moshveswe.

Moshveshwe signed an agreement with British Governor J.T. Napier . Among the terms of the agreement was the accession to the British possessions of a small piece of land inhabited by the Boers and known as the Orange River Colony. The Boers opposed this decision, but were defeated in 1848 . After that, the settlers held a grudge against both the British administration and Soto.

The war broke out in 1851 . Soto defeated the British army at Konoyana and repelled another attack the following year. Immediately after that, Moshveshve sent ambassadors to the British commander and signed a peace treaty. After defeating the tlok in 1853, Moshveshwe achieved peace on his borders.

In 1854, the British withdrew their troops from the region, which in fact led to the creation of two independent states: the Boer Orange Republic and the Soto kingdom.

In 1858, Moshveshwe won the war with the Orange Republic, but in 1865 he lost most of the western plains. The last war in 1867 ended only after the British colonial administration and Moshveshwe turned to Queen Victoria , and she agreed to make Basutoland a British protectorate . The British wanted to suspend the advance of the Boers, and Moshveshwe realized that he would not be able to stand against settlers for too long.

In 1869, Moshveshwe signed a treaty with the British in Alivale , defining the boundaries of Basutoland (later Lesotho), since then unchanged. The fertile lands west of Calendon were left behind by the Boers, which actually halved the territory of the kingdom of Moshveshwe.

• List of Kings Lesotho