Nguni chiefdoms
Nguni chiefdoms appears on the timeline as a people or culture of South Africa and Namibia (Central and Southern Africa) from c. 1300 to 1820 CE, a span of 520 years. Its people spoke Bantu languages (Kongo, Shona, Zulu, Swahili, Luba, Ganda).
Nguni-speaking cattle herders lived in dispersed homesteads between the Drakensberg and the Indian Ocean in many small chiefdoms. Around 1800 these consolidated into rival states led by the Mthethwa, Ndwandwe and Ngwane.
See Nguni chiefdoms on the interactive timeline
Facts
- Dates
- c. 1300 to 1820 CE
- Duration
- 520 years
- Type
- People or culture
- Region
- South Africa and Namibia, Central and Southern Africa
- Language family
- Bantu
Became
Events in Central and Southern Africa during its time
- Ibn Battuta visits Kilwa
- Great Enclosure built at Great Zimbabwe
- Diogo Cão reaches the Congo River
- Kongo's king is baptised
- Vasco da Gama on the Swahili coast
- Portuguese sack Kilwa and Mombasa
- Founding of Cape Town
- Battle of Mbwila
Neighbours in Central and Southern Africa
- Swahili city-states
- Kingdom of Kongo
- Kingdom of Zimbabwe
- Zulu Kingdom
- Kingdom of Buganda
- Kilwa Sultanate
- Bunyoro-Kitara
- Portuguese Mozambique
- Portuguese Angola
- Mutapa Empire
Elsewhere in the world at the same time
- Republic of Venice
- Byzantine Empire
- Byzantine Empire
- Holy Roman Empire
- Srivijaya
- Ethiopian Empire (Solomonic dynasty)
- Khmer Empire
- Ottoman Empire
- Ottoman Empire
- Portuguese Empire
Questions
When did Nguni chiefdoms exist?
c. 1300 to 1820 CE, about 520 years. These dates are approximate, because the evidence for its beginning or end is uncertain.
Where was Nguni chiefdoms?
South Africa and Namibia, in Central and Southern Africa.
What language did Nguni chiefdoms speak?
Bantu. This family includes Kongo, Shona, Zulu, Swahili, Luba, Ganda.
What came after Nguni chiefdoms?
Zulu Kingdom.