The Sunday News
THERE is disagreement among historians as to the origin of the Rozvi state. The word Rozvi “means” destroyers. It seems to have been used by the Portuguese and the north Eastern Shona communities to refer to the powerful army of the ruling lineage of Changamire family who fought Mutapa and the Portuguese in the 1490s.
The state may have adopted the name for itself. Oral tradition said that the Changamire dynasty got its name from one of its founder members Changa for whom little is known about him.
There are two main theories about its origins: Some historians believed that the Rozvi came from the area in the North East of Zimbabwe Plateau between Mutapa and Torwa states. They invaded and conquered all the Torwa state in the South west. Thus, the Torwa state was taken over by another expanding Shona state (Rozvi) from the North east.
Mutapa State
The weaknesses of the Torwa had facilitated the move as well as its riches (source of attraction). The takeover by Changamire dynasty was not particularly violent and destructive but was more of mere absorption by a powerful state. It appears to have been an easy conquest e.g. intermarriages between the two cultures could have cemented the fusion process resulting in its origin that is the stronger state absorbing the weaker state.
The Changamire state or dynasty (sub-rulers) had existed within the Mutapa but following their unsuccessful rebellion against Mutapa in the 1490s it caused them to move to the South West to avoid further retaliation. This dynasty disappears from history but after 150 years later, the Changamire dynasty, quite possibly related to the early Changamire is recorded as being based on the North East plateau.
This was the area of its origin. Though the information surrounding its history is scanty, various sources of history were used to gather more information about its origin. It originated in the North East, but was not yet a state because it had no administrative boundaries but however, the military strengths of the Rozvi State greatly impressed both the Mutapa and Portuguese.
Other traditions of history suggest that the Rozvi State was a continuation from a Torwa state probably under a new ruling lineage but certainly under a new name after 1680.They refer to great conflicts between different ruling lineages over who should rule Torwa centred at Khami and a new capital was built at Danan’ombe in South West but however, not much is known about these events.
Reasons for its Rise
Weaknesses of Mutapa and Torwa states — civil wars and succession disputes within these states — this enabled the emerging powerful Rozvi army to take advantage of this. Portuguese involvement in the Mutapa was an added advantage to the Rozvi army — the Mutapa State was shrinking while Rozvi state was growing since the two were competing for geographical space. Charismatic nature of the first Changamire-military genius — who raised a huge army which he used to carve territories out of Mutapa and Torwa states and used this army to eject the Portuguese. Environmental factors such as rich soils which encouraged farming and the area had enough rainfall and free from tsetse flies thus promoting keeping of large herds of cattle. The area had a lot of gold and ivory, salt for trade. The impact of Maravi invasion and rebellions of its political provinces was an added advantage for the rise of Rozvi State.
Rozvi domination in the 17th and 18 century AD
The Rozvi power grew in the late 17th and 18th AD during the period of great confusion and violence. It was a period when Portuguese were attempting to conquer the Mutapa and Torwa states. The Rozvi army of the Changamire was very strong enough to make war in areas far beyond the direct authority of the Changamire for example Portuguese trading post at Dambarare was overrun by Rozvi army and were forced to abandon it and remained confined to the town of Sena and Teve.
Throughout the 18th century, the relation between Portuguese and Rozvi was tense but peaceful e,g Portuguese paid tribute to Changamire. It must be noted that the Portuguese traders were not allowed in the Rozvi state but interaction between the two cultures was through the vashambadzi.
Changamire’s policies conflicted with those of the Portuguese because like any other Shona leader, he was aware of the harmful consequences of the Portuguese presence for example during the battle of Maungwe 1684 — Portuguese were defeated. In 1693, another war broke out because the Portuguese refused to pay tribute — Portuguese were defeated and vacated the area. The Rozvi State was growing at the expense of Mutapa state that is while growing Mutapa was shrinking due to Portuguese influence for they were competing for geographical spaces.
The Rozvi armies are said to have been famous throughout central Africa at the height of its power — operating as far as Zumbo along the Zambezi valley to the north as far Manyika to the East. In the South West, many Kalanga communities as far as Soshangane Hills in Botswana paid tribute to Rozvi until the 19th century.
Most of the Shona chiefdoms living in the plateau must have been tributary at one time to the Rozvi ruling class built did not mean that Mambo ruled all over the Shona chiefdoms for example some powerful chiefdoms refused to pay tribute to the Rozvi. The Rozvi power or influence was not constant but sometimes it was at its peak, sometimes at its lowest but however, the fact remains that it was the largest and most powerful to many Shona chiefdoms throughout this period.
Its power was likely to have been extended by force rather than a common culture/lineage for example young men from different chiefdoms and lineages may have been encouraged to join the Rozvi armies by rewards in cattle captured by raids. One wonders why Rozvi State offered the least resistance to Nguni incursion having ascribed as a powerful state in the region for example between 1743 and 1781, the Portuguese requested to Rozvi protection against other groups in Zimbabwe as they wanted to create favourable trading conditions for themselves, a situation which continued up to the 1830s when Rozvi power was destroyed by the Nguni groups.
Thus, the Rozvi dominance of the period in question cannot be denied but what we do not know at present is how local and regional histories tie up to produce “a Rozvi past which has either been exaggerated that is they were sometimes presented as empire builders or mere collection of Karanga dynasties united under the authority of Changamire. Rozvi power forced the Portuguese to change their destructive trading tactics in the interior and they eventually accepted Rozvi power for example important victories of Changamire against Portuguese ( 1680-1690) — Mutapa Maungwe and Manyika, their conquests of Guruuswa (Torwa state)
Dr Manners Msongelwa is the president of History Teachers of Zimbabwe and a teacher at Camelot College in Kwekwe.
