kingdom · Central and Southern Africa

Rharhabe Xhosa Kingdom

1775 CE – 1847 CE (approx.)

The western Xhosa kingdom between the Kei and Fish rivers, which bore the brunt of the frontier wars with the Cape Colony.

Origins

Rharhabe, a son of Phalo, quarrelled with his brother Gcaleka and led followers west of the Kei, founding a separate kingdom when the Xhosa Kingdom split around 1775. His successors ruled the Xhosa closest to the advancing Cape frontier.

Rule and society

The kingdom was weakened by rivalry between the regent Ndlambe and Rharhabe's grandson Ngqika, who sought British support; Ndlambe's forces defeated Ngqika at the Battle of Amalinde in 1818. Under Ngqika's sons Maqoma and Sandile, the Rharhabe fought repeated frontier wars, losing land as the Cape pushed its border from the Fish to the Keiskamma and beyond.

Decline and legacy

After the War of the Axe, Britain annexed the territory between the Keiskamma and Kei as British Kaffraria in 1847, ending Rharhabe independence. Sandile was killed in 1878 during the last frontier war.

Lineage

Xhosa Kingdom 1600 CE – 1775 CERharhabe Xhosa KingdomBritish Kaffraria 1847 CE – 1866 CE

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻