chiefdom · Central and Southern Africa

Bangwato Kingdom

1780 CE – 1885 CE (approx.) · capital Shoshong

The largest Tswana chiefdom, ruled from Shoshong and later Palapye, whose king Khama III helped keep Botswana out of Company rule.

Origins

The Bangwato branched off from the Bakwena in the 18th century and settled in what is now central Botswana. After the disruptions of the 1820s they grew under Sekgoma I, with Shoshong as their capital, absorbing many refugees and subject groups.

Rule and society

Chiefs ruled through the kgotla and ward headmen, with cattle as the basis of wealth. Shoshong became a key stop on the missionary and trade road to the north. Khama III, a Christian, became chief in 1875, banned alcohol trading, moved the capital to Palapye in 1889 and promoted the London Missionary Society church.

Decline and legacy

The Bangwato joined the Bechuanaland Protectorate in 1885. In 1895 Khama travelled to London with other chiefs to resist transfer to the British South Africa Company. His grandson Seretse Khama became Botswana's first president in 1966.

Connections (2)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Bangwato Kingdom. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bangwato-kingdom
MLA
“Bangwato Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bangwato-kingdom. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Bangwato Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bangwato-kingdom.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Bangwato Kingdom’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bangwato-kingdom (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻