Kilindi dynasty
| Kilindi Mwene wa Kilindi | |
|---|---|
| Royal house | |
Shambaa kingdom map late 1800s. | |
| Country | Shambaa Kingdom |
| Place of origin | Vugha |
| Founded | 1730 AD (294–295 years ago) |
| Founder | Mbegha |
| Final ruler | Kimweri Mputa Magogo |
| Titles |
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| Dissolution | December 1962 |
The Kilindi dynasty (c. 1730s – 1962), (Mwene Kilindi in Shamabaa), (Ufalme wa Kilindi, in Swahili) was a pre-colonial, Shambaan royal house that has reigned over the Shambaa Kingdom of the Usambara Mountains of north-west Tanga Region for most of the 18th to 20th centuries in modern-day Lushoto District and Bumbuli District.
The dynasty was founded by king Mbegha, who settled in the Usambara Mountains and united the Shambaa people in the first half of the 18th century. Its most prominent member was king Kimweri ye Nyumbai (died 1862). The Kilindi kings of the Shambaa were known as Simba Mwene, which means Lion King. The last Lion King to be recognized as having authority was Kimweri Mputa Magogo (1914–2000). The Kilindi District of Tanga was named after the famous ruling dynasty.
Prior to the establishment of the Kilindi dynasty, the most notable Moanrch in the Usambara region was King Tuli, who ruled in Vugah, located in the West Usambaras. The arrival of Mbegha, the first ruler of the Kilindi dynasty, around AD 1740, marked a significant turning point, occurring amidst a civil or tribal conflict. Mbegha hailed from the Nguu Mountains, situated south of the Usambaras, and his kingdom encompassed the West Usambaras.
In 1790, Mbegha's son, Bughe, ascended to leadership in Vuga, ushering in a period of peaceful development. By AD 1800, Bughe’s successor, Shebughe, expanded the kingdom southward into Wazigua territory and successfully conquered the East Usambaras. This expansion was furthered by his son, Kimweri ye Nyumbani, who extended the kingdom’s influence to encompass the entire coastline below the Usambaras by AD 1835.
The kingdom reached its greatest extent under Kimweri ye Nyumbai. After he died in 1862 a civil war broke out over the succession, fueled by competition for the new wealth that the caravan trade in the Pangani valley had brought to the region.
Under colonial rule (first German then British) the dynasty continued to have some authority, but in 1962 the then Tanganyika government removed all power from the hereditary chiefdoms. Kimweri ye Nyumbai's descendant Kimweri Mputa Magogo (died 2000) was the last Usambara King.