Person

Mzilikazi

c. 1790–1868 · 19th century

Mzilikazi was a nineteenth-century military leader who founded the Ndebele kingdom in south-western Zimbabwe. His Ndebele moved onto the plateau from the south around 1840, completing the occupation of the former Rozvi heartland. The Ndebele state drew in part on earlier political precedents, and its arrival marked the end of the Rozvi Empire.

Mzilikazi
Image: Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 profiles

Rozvi EmpireImpact, DeclineZulu KingdomImpact

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Ndzundza Ndebele KingdomNdebele Kingdom

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Mzilikazi. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mzilikazi
MLA
“Mzilikazi.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mzilikazi. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Mzilikazi.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mzilikazi.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Mzilikazi’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mzilikazi (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻