Mphezeni (c. 1827–1900) was warrior-king of one of the largest Ngoni groups of central Africa, based in what is now the Chipata District of

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

, at a time when the British South Africa Company (BSAC) of

Cecil Rhodes Cecil John Rhodes ( ; 5 July 185326 March 1902) was an English-South African mining magnate and politician in southern Africa who served as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896. He and his British South Africa Company founded th ...

was trying to assume control over the territory for the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

. Mpezeni was courted by the Portuguese and the BSAC sent agents to obtain a treaty —

Alfred Sharpe Sir Alfred Sharpe (19 May 1853 – 10 December 1935) was Commissioner and Consul-General for the British Central Africa Protectorate and first Governor of Nyasaland. He trained as a solicitor but was in turn a planter and a professional hu ...

in 1889, and Joseph Maloney in 1895, who were both unsuccessful. In 1897 with over 4,000 warriors, Mphezeni declared the treaties that had been signed null and void and issued a declaration of war against the British, but was eventually defeated. He signed the treaty which allowed him to rule as King of the Ngoni in Zambia's Eastern Province and

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

's Mchinji district. His successors as chief take the title Inkosi YaMakhosi Mphezeni to this day.T W Baxter
"The Angoni Rebellion and Mpeseni."
''The Northern Rhodesia Journal'' Vol I, No. 2, pp14-24 (1950). Website accessed 29 April 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mpezeni 1830s births 1900 deaths Ngoni people