Moshoeshoe << moh SHWAY shway or moh SHOO shoo >> (1786?-1870) was an African king who united many Sotho peoples in southern Africa during the 1800’s. His name is also spelled Moshweshwe, Mshweshwe, or Moshesh. He gathered thousands of people belonging to many different clans and welded them into the Basotho nation. His kingdom became the basis of what is now the country of Lesotho.
Moshoeshoe was born near Butha-Buthe in what is now Lesotho. In the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, ethnic wars swept over southern Africa. Many people fled into the highlands of what is now Lesotho to escape the fighting. In the 1820’s, Moshoeshoe began offering protection to these refugees. He established a stronghold on a hill called Thaba Bosiu (Mountain of Night), about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from where the city of Maseru now stands. Thaba Bosiu had plenty of water, and Moshoeshoe’s warriors could guard its only access route.
Moshoeshoe and his people, the Basotho, withstood frequent attacks from other African tribes. The Basotho also clashed with the British and with Boers, also called Afrikaners, who were moving into Basotho territory. In an effort to stop Boer settlement, Moshoeshoe asked for British protection. In 1868, his lands became part of the British Empire, under the name of Basutoland. Moshoeshoe died on March 11, 1870. Basutoland remained under British rule until 1966.
