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See also: Barotse and subject tribes occupying the greater See also: part of the upper See also: Zambezi See also: basin, was the twenty-second of a long See also: line of rulers, whose founder invaded the Barotse valley about the beginning of the 17th century, and according to tradition was the son of a woman named Buya Mamboa by a See also: god
.
The See also: graves of successive ruling chiefs are to this See also: day respected and See also: objects of pilgrimage for purposes of ancestor worship
.
See also: Lewanika was See also: born on the upper Kabompo in troublous times, where his father—Letia, a son of a former ruler—lived in exile during the interregnum of a See also: foreign dynasty (Makololo), which remained in possession from about 1830 to 1865, when the Makololo were practically exterminated in a See also: night by a well-organized revolt
.
Once more masters of their own country, the Barotse invited Sepopa, an See also: uncle of Lewanika, to See also: rule over them
.
Eleven years of brutality and licence resulted in the See also: tyrant's expulsion and subsequent assassination, his place being taken by Ngwana-Wina, a See also: nephew
.
Within a See also: year abuse of power brought about this chief's downfall (1877), and he was succeeded by Lobosi, who assumed the name of Lewanika in 1885
.
The early years of his reign were also stained by many acts of See also: blood, -u1>lil in 1884 the torture and See also: murder of his own See also: brother led to open See also: rebellion, and it was only through extreme presence of mind that the chief escaped with his See also: life into exile
.
His See also: cousin, Akufuna or Tatela, was then proclaimed chief
.
It was during his brief reign that See also: Francois Coillard, the eminent missionary, arrived at Lialui, the capital
.
The following year Lewanika, having collected his partisans, deposed the usurper and re-established his power
.
Ruthless revenge not unmixed with treachery characterized his return to power, but gradually the strong
See also: personality of the high-minded Francois Coillard so far influenced him for See also: good that from about 1887 onward he ruled tolerantly and showed a consistent See also: desire to better the condition of his See also: people
.
In 1890 Lewanika, who two years previously had proposed to place himself under the See also: protection of See also: Great Britain, concluded a treaty with the See also: British See also: South See also: Africa See also: Company, acknowledging its supremacy and conceding to it certain See also: mineral rights
.
In 1897 Mr R . T . Coryndon took up his position at Lialui as British See also: agent, and the country to the See also: east of 25° E. was thrown open to settlers, that to the west being reserved to the Barotse chief
.
In 1905 the See also: king of
See also: Italy's award in the Barotse boundary dispute with See also: Portugal deprived Lewanika of See also: half of his dominions, much of which had been ruled by his ancestors for many generations
.
In 1902 Lewanika attended the See also: coronation of See also: Edward VII. as a See also: guest of the nation
.
His recognized heir was his eldest son Letia
.
See BA ROT SE, and the See also: works there cited, especially On the See also: Threshold of Central Africa (See also: London, 1897), by Francois Coillard
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Dear author/s of the article It is a nice article, however, few historical facts are missing. You said Lewanika fled into exile in 1884. Where is this exile? Apart from John Macdonald the Scottish trader,Who else helped Lewanika to win back his throne in 1885? Please, if you have answers let me know. Shiremo
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