Lerotholi (politician)

Lerotholi [ leroˈtʰodi ] (* 1836 ; † 19 August 1905 ; also Lerotholi Letsie ) was from 1891 to 1905 head ( Sesotho morena e moholo , English Paramount Chief ) of the Basotho people in Basutoland , today Lesotho .

Life

Lerotholi was the first born son of Letsie I , who was morena e moholo in Basutoland from 1870 to 1891 . Nevertheless, there were disputes over the succession. In order to defuse the foreseeable dispute between his sons Letsie and Molapo , around 1869 his grandfather Moshoeshoe had established a relationship between Senate, an older half-sister of Letsie, whose mother was Moshoeshoe's main wife , and Josefa Molapo, the son of his second son Molapo. The dowry was different than usual at the man's parents. Their first-born son should thus belong to the "first house" and thus succeed them as morena e moholo . Letsie himself had a relationship with his cousin Maneella, who later became Lerotholi's main wife. When Letsie died in 1891, it was not Motšoene, the underage son of Senates and Josefa, but Lerotholi who succeeded his father. Lerotholi had distinguished himself in the Seqiti War by making courageous forays into the Orange Free State . In the Gun War from 1880 to 1881 he fought against the troops of the Cape Colony .

After his appointment as morena e moholo , Lerotholi built his seat like his father near Matsieng , since the Thaba Bosiu to which he was entitled was the seat of his uncle Masopha . Lerotholi's reign was marked by a stronger position of the morena e moholo than the local barena . The British colonial authorities under Resident Commissioner Lagden tried to centralize Basutoland and thus to control it more easily. In return, Lerotholi was harassed by close relatives and, under pressure from the British authorities, had to take action against the rebellious Masopha. He finally defeated him militarily in 1898 at Thaba Bosiu. In 1903, the Basutoland National Council (BNC; about "National Council of Basutoland") was founded, to which Lerotholi other chiefs belonged. The BNC had an advisory role, but also passed 18 laws that were supposed to regulate the life of the Basotho. They were called Laws of Lerotholi ("Lerotholi's Laws").

Lerotholi died in 1905. His successor as morena e moholo was the first-born son of his second wife, Letsie Lerotholi, as Letsie II.

Others

Crown Prince Lerotholi David Mohato Bereng Seeiso , born in 2007, was named after Lerotholi.

literature

• Scott Rosenberg, Richard W. Weisfelder, Michelle Frisbie-Fulton: Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland / Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-8108-4871-9 , pp. 161-162.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Scott Rosenberg, Richard W. Weis fields Michelle Frisbie-Fulton: Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland / Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-8108-4871-9 , p. 300.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Scott Rosenberg, Richard W. Weis fields Michelle Frisbie-Fulton: Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland / Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-8108-4871-9 , p. 161.
3. ^ Scott Rosenberg, Richard W. Weisfelder, Michelle Frisbie-Fulton: Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland / Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-8108-4871-9 , p. 162.