Yuhi Musinga (Yuhi V of Rwanda, 1883 – 13 January 1944) was a king of

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

who came to power in 1896 and collaborated with the

German government The Federal Cabinet or Federal Government (german: link=no, Bundeskabinett or ') is the chief executive body of the Federal Republic of Germany. It consists of the Federal Chancellor and cabinet ministers. The fundamentals of the cabinet's or ...

to strengthen his own kingship. In 1931 he was deposed by the Belgian administration because of his inability to work with subordinate chiefs and his refusal to be baptized a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

. His eldest son, Mutara III Rwanda, succeeded him.

Biography

Musinga acceded to power as a young teenager, in a palace coup which overturned the short reign of

Mibambwe IV Rutarindwa Mibambwe IV Rutarindwa (?? – December 1896, Marangara province, Nyanza, German East Africa) was Mwami of Rwanda between November 1895 and December 1896, having been made co-ruler by his father Kigeli IV Rwabugiri in 1889. Rutarindwa is someti ...

, the original successor to the powerful king Kigeri Rwabugiri (1840–95) of Rwanda. Over his reign Musinga struggled with three major issues. The first was the question of legitimacy. The overthrow of Rutarindwa was organized by members of the Bega clan, including Kanjogera, widow of Rwabugiri and Musinga’s mother. Such an accession to power brought into question the legitimacy of Musinga’s claims to kingship, claims normally defined by clear ritual protocol. The second concerned the relation of the royal court to the separate regions of the country, as following Rwabugiri’s death many areas occupied by his armies broke away, diminishing the domain of the kingdom. Third, Musinga’s accession was quickly followed by the arrival of German forces in the area, along with a powerful missionary order, the “Missionnaires d'Afrique” (the “

White Fathers The White Fathers (french: Pères Blancs), officially the Missionaries of Africa ( la, Missionarii Africae) abbreviated MAfr), are a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right (for Men) Founded in 1868 by then Ar ...

”), creating a colonial context that marked Musinga’s reign (1896–1931). During Musinga’s reign German power was used to reassert royal authority over many autonomous areas, while the court delegates served as colonial administrators, especially under Belgian rule after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The missionaries were also used to try to extend court legitimacy. However, such policies of collaboration with European actors created strong cleavages at the royal court of Musinga, as political factions competed for power and aligned themselves variously with outside actors and local allies. Four factors in particular marked Musinga's reign: World War I, and the replacement of German rule by Belgian rule; the expansion of the royal power to areas autonomous of the court; the presence of many powerful competing factions at the court; and a major famine in 1928–29.Des Forges; Jean Rumiya, ''Le Rwanda sous mandat belge (1916-1931)'' (Paris: L’Harmattan 1992). In November 1931, Musinga was deposed by the Belgian administration and replaced by his son Mutara Rudahigwa (r. 1931–59). Exiled first to Kamembe, in southwest Rwanda, and then to Kilembwe, in southeastern

Congo Congo or The Congo may refer to either of two countries that border the Congo River in central Africa: * Democratic Republic of the Congo, the larger country to the southeast, capital Kinshasa, formerly known as Zaire, sometimes referred to a ...

, Musinga died on 13 January 1944 by

disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...

Works cited

Bibliography

* Des Forges, Alison.
Defeat Is the Only Bad News: Rwanda under Musiinga, 1896-1931
' (1972; Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2011). * Kagame, Alexis. ''Un abrégé de l’histoire du Rwanda de 1853 à 1972,'' II, 129-82. (Butare: Editions Universitaires du Rwanda, 1975), 129-82. * Rumiya, Jean. ''Le Rwanda sous mandat belge (1916-1931)''. (Paris: L’Harmattan 1992).
Archive Yuhi V Musinga
Royal Museum for Central Africa {{DEFAULTSORT:Yuhi 05 Of Rwanda Rwandan kings 19th-century monarchs in Africa Rwandan exiles 1883 births 1944 deaths