Mzilikazi KaMashobane (c. 1790 – 9 September 1868), also known as Mzilikazi Khumalo and recorded in some colonial sources as Moselekatse, meaning "The Great Road", was a Southern African king and founder of the Northern Ndebele, or Matabele, kingdom in what is now Southern Zimbabwe, also known as the Mthwakazi kingdom.
Born near Mkuze in present-day KwaZulu-Natal, Mzilikazi led his followers north from Zululand during the Mfecane, incorporating peoples of other tribes along the way, and established a powerful kingdom in the region later known as Matabeleland. His followers became known as the Ndebele people of Zimbabwe.
Many consider him to be the greatest Southern African military leader after the Zulu king, Shaka. In his autobiography, David Livingstone referred to Mzilikazi as the second most impressive leader he encountered on the African continent.
HistoryLayer draws the world as it was in any year from 123,000 BCE to
2026. Move the slider and the borders redraw for that year; the map
carries 23,890 events, 12,790 people, 837 wars and 13,183 cities, each
one readable in place. Signing in is optional and lets you keep what
you find.