kingdom · Central and Southern Africa

Maseko Ngoni Kingdom

1870 CE – 1896 CE (approx.)

The Ngoni kingdom of the Maseko in the Dedza highlands of Malawi, whose king Gomani was executed by the British in 1896.

Origins

The Maseko Ngoni left the Zulu region in the 1820s and crossed the Zambezi under their leader Ngwana. They moved as far north as the Songea area of southern Tanzania under Mputa before being driven south again, settling around 1870 in the highlands southwest of Lake Malawi under Chidiaonga.

Rule and society

The Maseko kept the Nguni regimental system and ruled over many Chewa and Nyanja villages, whose men were drawn into their regiments. Raiding for cattle and captives, and tribute from subject peoples, supported the royal villages. A long civil war in the 1870s and 1880s divided the kingdom.

Decline and legacy

Gomani I resisted British demands for labour and stopped his people from working for planters. He was defeated and executed in 1896, and the kingdom was absorbed into the British Central Africa Protectorate.

Connections (1)

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻