Sotho-Tswana chiefdoms
Sotho-Tswana chiefdoms appears on the timeline as a people or culture of South Africa and Namibia (Central and Southern Africa) from c. 1300 to 1830 CE, a span of 530 years. Its people spoke Bantu languages (Kongo, Shona, Zulu, Swahili, Luba, Ganda).
Sotho and Tswana speakers built large stone-walled towns on the highveld, some such as Kaditshwene holding over 10,000 people by 1800. Their chiefdoms were scattered by the wars of the Difaqane in the 1820s.
See Sotho-Tswana chiefdoms on the interactive timeline
Facts
- Dates
- c. 1300 to 1830 CE
- Duration
- 530 years
- Type
- People or culture
- Region
- South Africa and Namibia, Central and Southern Africa
- Language family
- Bantu
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 Sotho-Tswana chiefdoms exist?
c. 1300 to 1830 CE, about 530 years. These dates are approximate, because the evidence for its beginning or end is uncertain.
Where was Sotho-Tswana chiefdoms?
South Africa and Namibia, in Central and Southern Africa.
What language did Sotho-Tswana chiefdoms speak?
Bantu. This family includes Kongo, Shona, Zulu, Swahili, Luba, Ganda.