King Senzangakhona kaJama (c. 1762 – 1816) was the king of the Zulu Kingdom, and primarily notable as the father of three Zulu kings who ruled during the period when the Zulus achieved prominence, led by his oldest son King Shaka.

Biography

His father was chief Jama kaNdaba and his mother was Mthaniya Sibiya. He succeeded on his father's death. During the chieftaincy of Senzangakhona, the Zulus were a small clan in the

Mthethwa Mthethwa may refer to: * Mthethwa Paramountcy, a Southern African state that arose in the 18th century south of Delagoa Bay and inland in eastern southern Africa * Nathi Mthethwa Emmanuel Nkosinathi "Nathi" Mthethwa is a South African politician ...

confederation which was ruled by

Dingiswayo Dingiswayo () (c. 1780 – 1817) (born Godongwana) was a Mthethwa king, well known for his mentorship over a young Zulu general, Shaka Zulu, who rose to become the greatest of the Zulu Kings. His father was the Mthethwa king, Jobe kaKayi. ...

. Senzangakhona’s name is derived from the Zulu

word A word is a basic element of language that carries an objective or practical meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no conse ...

meaning "he who acts with a good reason". Although the Zulus practised ritual circumcision, the practice was slowly dying out. Senzangakhona and Shaka were not circumcised, marking this trend in Zulu culture. Glyn Charles Hewson. 1970. ''Shaka's kingship and the rise of the Zulu state, 1795-1828'', page 67. University of Wisconsin--Madison.

Wives and children

Senzangakhona married at least sixteen women by which he had fourteen known sons. His daughters were not recorded. Nandi kaBhebhe eLangeni (Nandi, daughter of Bhebhe, from eLangeni district), bore him his first son

Shaka Shaka kaSenzangakhona ( – 22 September 1828), also known as Shaka Zulu () and Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828. One of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu, he ordered wide-reaching reforms that ...

, said to have been conceived during an act of ''ukuhlobonga'', a form of ''

coitus interruptus ''Coitus interruptus'', also known as withdrawal, pulling out or the pull-out method, is a method of birth control in which a man, during sexual intercourse, withdraws his penis from a woman's vagina prior to ejaculation and then directs his ej ...

'' without penetration allowed to unmarried couples at a time known as "the fun of the roads" (amahlaya endlela), but the lovers became carried away.E. A. Ritter, ''Shaka Zulu: The Rise of the Zulu Empire'', Longmans Green, London, 1955, pp.11-14. Nandi and Shaka were initially accepted into Senzangakhona's kraal, and she was treated as a lesser wife. As she was not his Great Wife, Shaka was not the heir. Senzangakhona was unwilling to acknowledge Nandi as his chief

consort __NOTOC__ Consort may refer to: Music * "The Consort" (Rufus Wainwright song), from the 2000 album ''Poses'' * Consort of instruments, term for instrumental ensembles * Consort song (musical), a characteristic English song form, late 16th–earl ...

, an important status symbol among the amaZulu. He did have another child with her, Shaka's sister Nomcoba. Mkabi, the Great Wife, did, however, treat Nandi well. Nevertheless, Nandi's relationship with Senzangakhona eventually deteriorated, so she and Shaka were forced to leave the kraal. His official heir was his son Sigujana. Bhibhi kaSompisi Ntuli was one of Senzangakhona's wives. However, Sigujana's reign was short as Shaka with the help of his ally

and his half brother Ngwadi had Sigujana assassinated. Shaka then raised the chieftaincy into a

kingdom Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

and became its first king. His sixth wife, Mpikase kaMlilela Ngobese, bore

Dingane Dingane ka Senzangakhona Zulu (–29 January 1840), commonly referred to as Dingane or Dingaan, was a Zulu chief who became king of the Zulu Kingdom in 1828, after assassinating his brother Shaka. He set up his royal capital, uMgungundlovu, ...

, who took over the Zulu kingdom after assassinating his half-brother Shaka in 1828 at present-day Stanger. His ninth wife, Songiya kaNgotsha Hlabisa, bore

Mpande Mpande kaSenzangakhona (1798–18 October 1872) was monarch of the Zulu Kingdom from 1840 to 1872. He was a half-brother of Sigujana, Shaka and Dingane, who preceded him as Zulu kings. He came to power after he had overthrown Dingane in 1840. ...

, who became king when he overthrew Dingane in 1840. Mpande was the only son to bear him grandchildren. Mpande’s son

Cetshwayo King Cetshwayo kaMpande (; ; 1826 – 8 February 1884) was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1873 to 1879 and its Commander in Chief during the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. His name has been transliterated as Cetawayo, Cetewayo, Cetywajo and Ketchw ...

was in some aspects the last great king of the Zulus before the British Empire invaded their territory.

In culture

Senzangakhona is played by Conrad Magwaza in the TV miniseries ''

Shaka Zulu Shaka kaSenzangakhona ( – 22 September 1828), also known as Shaka Zulu () and Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828. One of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu, he ordered wide-reaching reforms that ...

''.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Senzangakhona Kajama 1762 births 1816 deaths Zulu kings 18th-century monarchs in Africa 19th-century monarchs in Africa History of KwaZulu-Natal