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King of Eswatini
Arms of His Majesty the King of Eswatini
Incumbent
Mswati III
Details
StyleHis Majesty
Heir apparentNone
First monarchNgwane III
Formation1750s
Part of a series on
Orders of succession
Monarchies

In Eswatini, no king can appoint his successor. Instead, the Liqoqo, an independent traditional council, decides which of the wives shall be "Great Wife" and "Indlovukazi" (She-Elephant / Queen Mother / Doctor). The son[further explanation needed] of this "Great Wife" will automatically become the next king.[1]

The "Great Wife" is chosen after the death of the king and must be of good character. Her character affects her child's chances of ascending to the status of king. According to Swazi culture, a son cannot be the heir if his mother is not of good standing. She must not bear the maiden name of Nkhosi-Dlamini as Dlamini is the name of the Royal House of Eswatini[further explanation needed] and she must not be a ritual wife (see next paragraph).[2]

The king currently has 11 wives, (2 have permanently left him and 2 are deceased) 39 children and 13 grandchildren.[3] A Swazi king's first two wives are chosen for him by the national councillors. These two have special functions in rituals and their sons can never become kings. The first wife must be a member of the Matsebula clan, the second of the Motsa clan. These wives are known as tesulamsiti.

A royal fiancée is called liphovela, or "bride". They graduate from being fiancées to full wives as soon as they fall pregnant, when the king customarily marries them. However, the traditional marriage, known as “Ludvendve” (marriage to the king) only follows later.[4]

In traditional Swazi culture, the king is expected to marry a woman from every clan in order to cement relationships with each part of Eswatini. This means that the king must have many wives.[2]

Inkhosikati LaMbikiza
Sikhanyiso Dlamini at the 2006 Umhlanga

References

  1. ^ Kuper, Adam. "Rank and Preferential Marriage in Southern Africa: The Swazi". Man. Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 1: 567–579.
  2. ^ a b Wayua, Muli. "A king, his culture, his wives," Daily Nation (Nairobi, Kenya). December 7, 2002.
  3. ^ a b Sapa-AFP (September 17, 2013). "Swaziland's King Mswati takes pageant contestant as 15th wife". Times Live. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  4. ^ a b Swazi royal family thrown into sordid disarray IOL
  5. ^ United Nations Development Programme: "UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Her Royal Highness Inkhosikati LaMotsa, speaks at the launch of the MDGs at Matsanjeni," Archived September 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine 2007.
  6. ^ eSwatini King attends son’s graduation in Taiwan Taiwan News. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  7. ^ Los Angeles Times
  8. ^ a b Ndiweni, Sikhumbuzo Ndiweni. "Swazi queens revolt," 24News.com. July 4, 2004.
  9. ^ Swazi king’s wife took overdose News24
  10. ^ Mswati’s 6th wife leaves palace IOL
  11. ^ "Swazi King Mswati takes 12th wife". The Namibian. June 14, 2005. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2009.
  12. ^ https://www.instagram.com/p/BuyazLbhX96/Instagram [dead link]
  13. ^ "Swazi king picks young new wife". BBC News. September 26, 2005. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  14. ^ Dlamini, Welcome (August 31, 2014). "King marries Liphovela lafogiyane". Swazi Observer. Swazi Observer. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
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