Sobhuza II.
King Sobhuza II (* July 22, 1899 - August 21, 1982 ) was the head of Swaziland from 1899 to 1968 , after Swaziland's independence from Great Britain he ruled the country as king until 1982 .
At the age of four months, the son of Nggwane V was proclaimed ruler; his grandmother Labotsibeni Gwamile Mdluli took over the reign. They handed over the rule to him on December 22, 1921. On January 1, 1964, a new constitution was enacted in the Westminster system , which weakened his position. A referendum he initiated against the constitution failed, but in the same year he was instrumental in founding the monarchist Imbokodvo National Movement party , which won all parliamentary elections until 1972. When Swaziland was granted independence from Great Britain on September 6, 1968, it was directed against the liberal constitutional approach of the British. After the Ngwane National Liberatory Congress had received three of the 24 seats in 1973 , he declared a state of emergency, abolished parliament and all parties , and ruled as absolute ruler. He died in his palace in the Embo State House in Lobamba .
If you count his youth, he was king for 83 years and thus had the longest term of office of all historically established rulers. His wife Dzeliwe followed him as regent.
King Sobhuza II was married to 70 women and had about 210 children.
See also
Web links
- Story of Sobhuza II at www.sntc.org.sz (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ report at sahistory.org.za (English), accessed on June 6, 2012
- ↑ Swazi culture at sntc.org.sz (English), accessed on July 14, 2014
Sobhuza II. | Dzeliwe 1 | Ntombi 1 | Mswati III.
1 regent
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Sobhuza II. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swaziland King of Swaziland |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 22, 1899 |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 21, 1982 |