kingdom · Central and Southern Africa

Kingdom of Butua

1450 CE – 1683 CE (approx.) · capital Khami

The Torwa kingdom centred on Khami, heir to Great Zimbabwe in the south-west of the plateau and builder of richly decorated stone platforms.

Origins

Butua arose in the mid-15th century as the Kingdom of Zimbabwe declined, when the Torwa dynasty took control of the south-western plateau around modern Bulawayo. Its capital at Khami continued the Great Zimbabwe building tradition, and the kingdom controlled gold-bearing lands and rich cattle pastures.

Rule and society

Khami was built on terraced stone platforms faced with chequered and herringbone patterns, a style later seen at Danangombe and Naletale. Kings drew wealth from cattle and gold, trading with the Portuguese and Swahili through the Mutapa lands and the coast. Portuguese sources describe Butua as a rich gold country but give few details of its rulers or government.

Decline and legacy

In the mid-17th century a succession dispute brought in Portuguese allies and Khami was burnt. In the 1680s Changamire Dombo, a former Mutapa herder-general, overthrew the Torwa and founded the Rozvi state on the same lands.

Lineage

Kingdom of Zimbabwe 1220 CE – 1450 CEKingdom of ButuaRozvi Empire 1684 CE – 1836 CE

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻