Sobhuza II

Sobhuza II was born on 22 July 1899, the son of King Ngwane V (Bhunu) and Queen Lomawa Ndwandwe, and was also known as Nkhotfotjeni and Mona. He became king at four months old, after his father's death. His grandmother, Queen Regent Labotsibeni, ruled on his behalf, and arranged his education, first at the Swazi National School and then at Lovedale in the Cape.

He was installed as king in 1921. His reign is counted from 10 December 1899, and lasted until his death on 21 August 1982, a total of 82 years and 254 days, the longest verifiable reign of any monarch in recorded history. His direct rule lasted more than 60 years.

Early in his rule he took up the cause of land, seeking to recover the territory that Swaziland had lost to concessions under his predecessors. He led a delegation to London to meet King George V and petition him to restore the lands to the Swazi people, and he worked for decades to win back Swazi land. In 1953 he attended the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

In the early 1960s Sobhuza played a leading role in events that led to independence. The British recognised him as king in 1967, and Swaziland became independent on 6 September 1968, with him as head of state. He combined traditional Swazi monarchy with a modern state and a Westminster-style constitution, which he later suspended, in 1973, ruling instead by decree under a system of traditional government, a decision that remains controversial.

He was a knight commander of the Order of the British Empire. When he died in 1982 he had appointed his successor, and a regency followed until Prince Makhosetive was crowned King Mswati III in 1986. The Swazi still honour Sobhuza as Ingwenyama, the Lion, and as the king who held his country together through colonialism and into independence.