Great Wife, otherwise appearing in West Africa as Senior Wife,^[1] is an honorific applied to the principal female spouse in African polygynous unions. It is widely used by contemporary royal and aristocratic wives in states throughout the modern continent as a synonym for consort (e.g., Mantfombi Dlamini of eSwatini, who once served as the chief consort of a Zulu King, bore it as a title).^[2]

History

In ancient Egypt, the pharaoh's principal consort was known as the great royal wife. She presided over her husband's harem and served a variety of priestly functions in the kingdom.^[3][4]

In Kush and other African states of the pre-colonial period, the chief royal consorts often functioned in much the same fashion.^[5][6]

Today

The practice of creating great wives, with the most senior polygynous spouses of contemporary African royals and aristocrats often being referred to as their Great Wives, has continued to the present.^[7] In addition to the queen of the Zulus, contemporary holders of the title have included the numerous bearers of the Olori Agba attribute of Yorubaland and the principal consort of the Ingwenyama of eSwatini.

When regarded as more of a generic term for a principal spouse in a polygynous household, traditions pertaining to great wives vary; In Nigerian customary law, a subordinate wife disrespecting her superior in his household has been used as a grounds for the husband divorcing her,^[8] while in Southern African customary law, the recognized superior is the one through whom inheritance is reckoned.^[9]

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