A COLONIZED NATION
Lesotho was formerly known as "Basutoland" during the reign of the British Parliament and Cape Colony Administration.
King Moshoeshoe ruled Basutoland in the 1830s, and was considered the founder of the Basotho nation. The British recognized Moshoeshoe as a leader once he signed the Napier Treaty in 1843. The king was forced to secede some of his territory to the West in order to gain autonomy over rebellious tribal groups. Moshoeshoe's relationship with the British grew tense as he continued to lose more land to British annexations. This caused him to rebel against the British Crown from 1851 to 1854. The British officially annexed themselves from Basutoland in 1868. |
BRITISH RULE:
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CAPE COLONY
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The Cape Colony administration ruled from 1871 to 1884, eradicating the chiefly authority of the Basotho that was preserved by the British.
Emilie Roland, a missionary for the Paris Evangelical Mission Society (PEMS), governed the decisions to eliminate unethical, anti-Western and anti-Christian Basotho customs. The country was then divided into four administrative districts (Berea, Cornet Spruit, Leribe and Thaba Bosiu), each led by a Basotho chief and Cape magistrate. The Quthing District, a part of Cornet Spruit, was created to oversee the Baphuthi people, but their leader Moorosi rebelled against the magistrates in Moorosi's Rebellion. In 1879, the Cape requested Basotho aid in defeating Moorosi, threatening to yield Quthing to white settlement if the Basotho did not comply. Despite the agreement, the Cape fined Basutoland for war reparations and continued their plans for white settlement. The Basotho rebelled against and defeated the Cape in the Gun War from 1880 to 1881. The Cape annexed itself from Basutoland in 1883, prompting the British to return to power. |
RETURN OF THE BRITISH CROWN,
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The British crown in 1884 prevented further white settlement, though its rule remained the same as before.
Lerotholi Letsie succeeded his father Letsie I as Paramount Chief. Between the 1890s and 1903, the Basutoland National Council was established with Chief Lerotholi and other chiefs in charge, codifying 18 laws known as the "Laws of Lerotholi." These laws covered issues like future chieftain succession and land rights. It was not until October 4th, 1966 that Basutoland achieved independence from the UK, having its name changed to the Kingdom of Lesotho. King Moshoeshoe II led the Basuto National Party up until 1986 when he was exiled by the Lesotho Defense Force, which led a military rule in Lesotho until 1995, when Moshoeshoe II returned to power. His son and current leader, Letsie III, succeeded him afterwards. The first and currently active coalition government was formed in 2012 by former Prime Minister Motsoahae Thomas Thabane, who ousted current Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili due to disagreements about the implementation of a coalition government. |