Sotho women

1786 - 1870

Founding Father and first King of the Basotho

King Moshoeshoe I was born as 'Lepogo' in the north of what is now Lesotho, the son of Mokhachane, a chief of the Bamokoteli sub-clan.

He gained a reputation as a young boy for daring cattle raids and in early adulthood took the name Moshoeshoe, an imitation of the sounds made by a knife during shaving that symbolized his deft skills at rustling cattle.

Moshoeshoe I became one of the most successful southern African leaders of the 19th century, his diplomacy and military actions securing his kingdom's long-term independence. He stood up to the encroaching Zulu empire, won several battles against European settlers and colonialists and managed to create a baSotho state that escaped incorporation into segregated South Africa.

During the period known as iMfecane/Difaqane in the early 1800s Moshoeshoe led his followers south to the impregnable stronghold of Thaba Bosiu ('Mountai Biography of michael jackson!