Moshoeshoe I
Wikipedia’s article on Moshoeshoe I gives his dates as about 1786 to 11 March 1870, born Lepoqo at Menkhoaneng, the eldest son of Mokhachane, a minor chief of the Bamokoteli, a sub-clan of the Bakoena (see Mokoena), and of Kholu, a daughter of the Bafokeng chief Ntsukunyane. It says he was circumcised in 1804 and took the name Letlama, and became known as Moshoeshoe, “the Shaver”, after a successful cattle raid on a chief RaMonaheng. It describes him as a skilled cattle raider, ambitious and quick-tempered. The article has hidden tags for unsourced statements (August 2025) and one inline “citation needed”, so we report it with care.
Rise and the Mfecane
The article says he succeeded his father as chief of the Bamokoteli in 1820 at about 34, formed his own clan, settled at Butha-Buthe mountain and became king in 1822, and that in the upheavals of the Mfecane he moved his people to the Qiloane plateau, later called Thaba Bosiu, a stronghold hard to attack. It says that after early raids by the Koranna in the 1820s the Basotho acquired horses and guns, so that by 1843 he had more of both than any other chief in South Africa, though many of the guns were outdated, and that Paris Evangelical missionaries including Eugene Casalis and Thomas Arbousset set up stations at his invitation in 1833. See Korana.
Treaties and wars
- 1843. The Napier Treaty with the Cape governor recognised the Basotho as allies and gave an annual grant. Our Kok page records Wikipedia’s separate statement that a Napier Treaty of 1843 between Adam Kok III and Moshoeshoe recognised Moshoeshoe’s jurisdiction over land between the Orange and Caledon rivers.
- 1848 to 1853. Governor Sir Harry Smith pressed him to accept British paramountcy north of the Orange. The article says a Basotho and Taung army defeated a mixed force at Viervoet in June 1851 and British forces were repulsed at Berea on 20 December 1852.
- 1853. It says he defeated Sekonyela’s Batlokoa and their Koranna allies at Khoro-e-Betloa and took Sekonyela’s stronghold, Jwalaboholo, after which many Batlokoa scattered or joined the Basotho. See Batlokwa and Batlokwa ba Mota.
- 1858 to 1868. Wars with the Orange Free State ended in defeat, and the 1866 Treaty of Thaba Bosiu ceded most of his arable land. It says the Basotho, his sons and the missionaries then appealed to Britain, and on 12 March 1868 High Commissioner Sir Philip Wodehouse proclaimed Basotho land a British royal dominion.
Family and death
The article says he married ‘Mamabela, a Bafokeng chief’s daughter chosen by his father, in 1810, who took the name ‘MaMohato and was his senior wife, and that their children included Letsie, Molapo, Masopha, Majara and a daughter, Mathe; that he practised polygamy, reportedly having 30 wives in 1833 and 140 by 1865; that only the children of his first marriage were regarded as the royal line; and that on his death on 11 March 1870 he was succeeded by his eldest son, Letsie I. It says 11 March is Moshoeshoe Day, a national holiday in Lesotho, that the British Museum holds about 515 objects linked to him and Lesotho has asked for their return since 2017.
What we have not read
The article cites Thompson (1975), Sanders (1975), Becker (1982), Atmore and Sanders (1971), Machobane and Karschay (1990) and Morelli (2022); we have read none of them. It does not date the move to Thaba Bosiu, and the commonly given date of 1824 is not on the page, so we do not state it. A blog on Basotho clans that appeared in search results is by a writer who says the work is biased, so we did not use it. We found no Basotho royal-house account on a page we could open.
Izithakazelo (lithoko) and totem
We found no recorded praises for Moshoeshoe that we could check, so we are printing none. If you belong to the Basotho royal house and recite his lithoko, we would like to record them, with your permission and credited to you.
Sources and further reading
Do you belong to the Basotho royal house? Tell us the history you know and we will add it, credited to you. Share what you know or WhatsApp 065 138 8213.