kingdom · Central and Southern Africa

Tembe Kingdom

1550 CE – 1895 CE (approx.)

A Tsonga kingdom on Delagoa Bay that traded ivory with Europeans for three centuries before its lands were split between Portugal and Britain.

Origins

The Tembe dynasty ruled the southern shore of Delagoa Bay from at least the mid-16th century, when Portuguese shipwreck survivors recorded its chiefs. In the 18th century a branch, the Maputo or Mabudu, became dominant south of the bay and expanded towards the Lubombo mountains.

Rule and society

Tembe kings drew wealth from controlling the ivory trade of Delagoa Bay, dealing with Portuguese, English, Dutch and Austrian merchants, and from cattle and farming. Under Makasana in the late 18th and early 19th centuries the kingdom was a strong regional power, but it later paid tribute to the Zulu Kingdom and contended with Swazi and Gaza Nguni pressure.

Decline and legacy

The 1875 MacMahon arbitration awarded Delagoa Bay to Portugal. In the 1890s the kingdom was divided along the new border, with the south (Maputaland) joining British Zululand and the north conquered by Portugal in 1895.

Connections (1)

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻