Background
The Matabele were related to the Zulu and fled north during the reign of Shaka following the mfecane ("the crushing") or difaqane ("the scattering"). Shaka's general Mzilikazi led his followers away from Zulu territory after a falling-out. In the late 1830s they settled in what is now called Matabeleland in western Zimbabwe, although claiming the sovereignty of a much wider area. The resulting kingdom was an Iron Age society in which the members of the tribe had a privileged position against outsiders whose lives were subject to the will of the king. In return for their privileges, however, the Matabele people both men and women had to submit to a strict discipline and status within the hierarchy and this set out their duties and responsibilities to the rest of society. Infringements of any social responsibility were punished with death subject to the king's seldom-awarded reprieve. This tight discipline and loyalty was the secret of the Matabele's success in dominating their neighbours.
Read more about this topic: Lobengula
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