Empire · 1430–1760 · Southern Africa

Kingdom of Mutapa

Also known as Mwenemutapa

According to tradition, the Mutapa state was founded around 1430 by Nyatsimba Mutota, a Shona prince who moved north from the region of Great Zimbabwe to the Zambezi valley, perhaps seeking salt and new trade. His son Matope extended Mutapa rule over much of the plateau between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers.

The ruler's title, Mwenemutapa, is usually translated as lord of the conquered lands. The kingdom grew rich by exporting gold and ivory through Swahili and later Portuguese traders on the Indian Ocean coast. Portuguese adventurers coveted its gold, and after civil wars a king accepted Portuguese overlordship in 1629. In the 1690s the rising Rozvi state drove the Portuguese from the plateau, and the Mutapa kingdom shrank to a small realm in the Zambezi valley.

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Years

1430–1760

Capital

Royal towns in the northern Zimbabwe plateau and Zambezi valley

Greatest extent

1480, about 500,000 km²

Region

Southern Africa

Rough estimate; borders were fluid and many chiefs only paid tribute. Wikipedia gives a disputed c. 700,000 km² for the 16th century