Kigeli II Nyamuheshera

Last updated
Kigeli II Nyamuheshera
Mwami (King)
Reign17th century
Died17th century
Burial
Burenga near Shayo-Byumba
SpouseNyirakigeli II Ncendeli
Dynasty Nyiginya dynasty (3rd)
Father Mutara I Nsoro III Semugeshi

Kigeli II Nyamuheshera was a possible Mwami (King) of the Kingdom of Rwanda in the late 17th century. Jan Vansina proposed that he was fictional, and added to the royal genealogy later to complete a cycle of dynastic names. [1]

The traditions argue that he was a great warrior and expansionist. He had a strong army known as the "Inkingi" (pillar). One of his military camps, known as "Iziruguru", was attacked by a people called "Abanyabungo" from the western Kivu in the modern-day Congo. Kigeli II attacked chiefdoms in eastern Congo, including Bishugi, Kamuronsi, Gishali, Buhunde, Buzi, and Tongo (Masisi). He was stopped by thick rain forests from proceeding further into Congo. He redirected his expansionist attacks into western Uganda, around Lake Edward, and stopped at the "rock of Kabasha" (urutare rwa Kabasha) and marked it as the then border between Rwanda and Busongora. Busongora was also known as the land of the Bacwezi. It was against Rwandan customary law to attack Busongora as it was believed to be the home of the god Ryangombe.

He attacked and conquered chiefdoms of Buberuka and confiscated their drum known as "Icyungo" and attacked Kigezi and Bushengero where he came upon a unique variety of beans cultivated in Rwanda to this day and which supplanted the indigenous type that was known as "Ibiharo". He also confiscated from Bunyoro a breed of goats known as "Ihene z'Akamenesho". These goats were large and were assigned special care. A tradition of goat show and parade was introduced at the palace until the reign of Yuhi V Musinga during whose time a caretaker named Bunyereri wa Muhozi from Gishubi in Gitarama was the goats' shepherd.

During Kigeli II Nyamuheshera's reign, parts of Rwanda were under occupation by neighboring kingdoms. Some of the areas effected were the territories of Bwanacyambwe, which had been confiscated by a king known as Kimenyi II Shumbusho, and the territories of Gisaka and Ndorwa, found in modern parts of north western Tanzania and south western Uganda. Kigeli II's opportunity to attack and reclaim Bwanacyambwe and Gisaka arose when the teenage king of Ndorwa, Gahaya I Rutindageli, initiated a conflict against his cousin, the teenage king of Gisaka, Kimenyi III Rwahasha. These two kings were still too young to rule in their own right, so their mothers ruled on their behalf.

Ndorwa's queen mother, Nyiragahaya I, went to war against Nyirakimenyi III Kabonde of Gisaka on behalf of their sons. The fight took palace at Muzizi near Lake Muhazi. The Ndorwa aggressors defeated Queen Nyirakimenyi III of Gisaka. Nyirakimenyi suffered a humiliating defeat. She was captured and had her breasts cut off by her inlaw Nyiragahaya I.

Gisaka's teenage King Kimenyi III was a nephew of Bwanacyambwe's King Kimenyi II Shumbusho. After his mother's horrific defeat, the people of Gisaka and Bwanacyambwe's king Kimenyi II requested Rwandan King Kigeli II Nyamuheshera (their former nemesis) to help hide the teenage king and lend them military power to drive Ndorwa Queen Nyiragahaya I out of Gisaka.

Kigeli II agreed on condition that King Kimenyi return the territory of Bwanacyambwe to the Kingdom of Rwanda. Kimenyi II agreed to Kigeli II's condition. The two set off and launched a combined army against Queen Nyiragahaya I's army. The Ndorwa army was defeated on the first attack and the Kingdom of Rwanda regained its territory of Bwanacyambwe. At that point, Kigeli II Nyamuheshera spared King Kimenyi II & III's lives and refrained from capturing the territory of Gisaka, as it was under a boy king. It was dishonorable in Rwandan tradition to attack and conquer a kingdom whose king was still a child. Instead Gisaka became a Rwandan protectorate. It was to fully become part of Rwanda a few centuries later during the reign of Rwabugili IV.

Kigeli II Nyamuheshera's reign is also marked by the death of his queen, Nyirakigeli II Ncenderi, by suicide after she suspected that she was pregnant through adultery. Queen Nyirakigeli II Ncenderi was buried at Butangampundu, a special burial place for Rwandan kings, queens, and royals that were suspected to have died as a result of suicide.

Kigeli II Nyamuheshera was buried at Burenga near Shayo in Byumba. He had a medal of honor known as "Umudende" for defeating seven foreign kings. [2]

Regnal titles
Preceded by King of Rwanda
17th century		Succeeded by

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Kingdom of Egypt</span> Period in ancient Egyptian history (c. 1550 BCE–1069 BCE)

The New Kingdom, also referred to as the Egyptian Empire, was the ancient Egyptian nation between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC. This period of ancient Egyptian history covers the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties. Through radiocarbon dating, the establishment of the New Kingdom has been placed between 1570 BC and 1544 BC. The New Kingdom followed the Second Intermediate Period and was succeeded by the Third Intermediate Period. It was the most prosperous time for the Egyptian people and marked the peak of Egypt's power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kigeli V Ndahindurwa</span> Mwami of Rwanda

Kigeli V Ndahindurwa was the last ruling King (Mwami) of Rwanda, from 28 July 1959 until the end of the UN-mandate with Belgian administration and the declaration of an independent Republic of Rwanda 1 July 1962. On 25 September 1961, a referendum voted for the abolition of the Rwandan monarchy following the Rwandan revolution.

Mutara II Rwogera was the King of Rwanda from 1845 to his death in 1867. Under his rule and that of his successor Kigeli IV Rwabugiri, the kingdom reached its pinnacle of power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Rwanda</span> Bantu state in southeast Africa from c. 15th century to 1961

The Kingdom of Rwanda was a Bantu kingdom in the modern-day Republic of Rwanda, which grew to be ruled by a Tutsi monarchy. It was one of the oldest and the most centralized kingdoms in the Central and East Africa region. It was later annexed under German and Belgian colonial rule while retaining some of its autonomy. The Tutsi monarchy was abolished in 1961 after ethnic violence erupted between the Hutu and the Tutsi during the Rwandan Revolution which started in 1959. After a 1961 referendum, Rwanda became a Hutu-dominated republic and received its independence from Belgium in 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuhi V Musinga</span> Mwami of Rwanda

Yuhi Musinga was a king of Rwanda who came to power in 1896 and collaborated with the German government to strengthen his own kingship. In 1931 he was deposed by the Belgian administration because of his inability to work with subordinate chiefs and his refusal to be baptized a Roman Catholic. His eldest son, Mutara III Rwanda, succeeded him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kigeli IV Rwabugiri</span> Mwami of Rwanda

Kigeli IV Rwabugiri was the king (mwami) of the Kingdom of Rwanda in the mid-nineteenth century. He was among the last Nyiginya kings in a ruling dynasty that had traced their lineage back four centuries to Gihanga, the first 'historical' king of Rwanda whose exploits are celebrated in oral chronicles. He was a Tutsi with the birth name Sezisoni Rwabugiri. He was the first king in Rwanda's history to come into contact with Europeans. He established an army equipped with guns he obtained from Germans and prohibited most foreigners, especially Arabs, from entering his kingdom.

The Hororo or Bahororo are a Bantu speaking ethnicity who live mainly in the north of the former Kigezi District of south-western Uganda. In 1905, they were described by a British officer as a "quiet, inoffensive people" who owned cattle. They are made up mostly of the Hima ethnic group and the Iru ethnic group. They reside mainly in Rujumbura in south-western Uganda and are related to the Banyankole, Banyoro, Batooro, Songora and Tutsi peoples respectively. Rujumbura was ruled by the BeeneKirenzi sub-clan with Omukama Karegyesa as their last king. The Bahororo speak a dialect of Nkore-Kiga, Ruhororo. They are subdivided into clans that are similar to those of the kingdom of Ankole. Unlike Ankole, which was ruled by the Hinda clan, Mpororo was led by the Bashambo clan.

Mibambwe IV Rutarindwa was Mwami of Rwanda between September 1895 and December 1896, having been made co-ruler by his father Kigeli IV Rwabugiri in 1889. Rutarindwa is sometime transcribed Rutalindwa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kuba Kingdom</span> Kingdom in Central Africa (1625–1884)

The Kuba Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of the Bakuba or Bushongo, is a traditional kingdom in Central Africa. The Kuba Kingdom flourished between the 17th and 19th centuries in the region bordered by the Sankuru, Lulua, and Kasai rivers in the heart of the modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Banyarwanda are a Bantu ethnolinguistic supraethnicity. The Banyarwanda are also minorities in neighboring Burundi, DR Congo, Uganda, Tanzania

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rwandan Revolution</span> 1959–61 period of ethnic violence in Rwanda

The Rwandan Revolution, also known as the Hutu Revolution, Social Revolution, or Wind of Destruction, was a period of ethnic violence in Rwanda from 1959 to 1961 between the Hutu and the Tutsi, two of the three ethnic groups in Rwanda. The revolution saw the country transition from a Tutsi monarchy under Belgian colonial authority to an independent Hutu-dominated republic.

The Songora or Shongora are a traditionally pastoralist people of the Great Lakes region of Central Africa located in Western Region, Uganda and Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. They have distinctive customs and speak Rusongora, a Bantu language that is similar to Runyankole and Runyoro. The Basongora population in Uganda was reported at numbering 15,897 people in the 2014 census. Although various community estimates put their population at around 40,000 and 50,000 people. Some Basongora also live in Eastern Congo.

Yuhi IV Gahindiro was the King of Rwanda from 1801 to 1845. He was the head of Bahindiro clan and father of Mutara II Rwogera. His reign is remembered in Rwandan history as the most peaceful. He died with no blood on his hands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruganzu II Ndoli</span> Mwami (King)

Ruganzu II Ndoli was Mwami of the Kingdom of Rwanda from roughly 1650 until his death. He was the son of King Ndahiro II Cyamatare and Nyirangabo-ya-Nyantaba. Ruganzu II is the most renowned king of Rwanda. He was a great warrior and was alleged to have performed miracles. His life and reign pervade many legends in the history of Rwanda. His father, King Cyamatare and members of his family were brutally murdered by Nyebunga and his allies. Before his passing, the king planned and executed his son's escape plan.

Kigeli I Mukobanya was, according to tradition, Mwami of the Kingdom of Rwanda dated to 1378 C.E to 1418 C.E.

Cyilima II Rujugira was Mwami (King) of Kingdom of Rwanda from 1770 to 1786. Cyilima II Rujugira is famous for coining the phrase "Urwanda ruratera ntiruterwa".

Kigeli wa III Ndabarasa, also known as Gitakwandira, was a warrior Mwami of the Kingdom of Rwanda during the eighteenth century. Ndabarasa created fifteen royal herds. He established his royal residence in Ndorwa at Kabungo in the region of Ruhunda of Kajara. This was unheard of for a Nyiginya king at the time.

Mibambwe III Mutabazi II Sentabyo, also known as Mhwerazikamwa, was a Mwami; Umwami wimye Ingoma Habaye Ubwirakabiri of the Kingdom of Rwanda during the eighteenth century. He succeeded Kigeli III Ndabarasa. The start of his reign was supposedly marked by two eclipses (Ubwirakabiri); the most officially coinciding with his intronization being that of June 13, 1741, and another one on April 13, 1763. The chronology however seems inconsistent and the eclipses are disputed by Jan Vansina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Bugesera</span>

The Kingdom of Bugesera was an independent Bantu kingdom that existed from the 16th to 18th century in Central Africa. Around 1799, it was conquered and divided by the Kingdom of Rwanda and Kingdom of Burundi.

References

  1. ↑ Vansina, Jan. 2004. Antecedents to Modern Rwanda : The Nyiginya Kingdom. Africa and the Diaspora. Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin Press.
  2. ↑ Kagame, Alexis (1972). Un Abrégé de l'Histoire du Rwanda. Butare: Editions Universitaires du Rwanda.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.