The Kalonga kingdom. Origin to Decline

The Kalonga Kingdom was the other name given to the Chewa Kingdom, which was a centralized system of government established in southern Africa around 1480.

Origin of The Kalonga kingdom

• The founders of the Malawi Kingdom of Kalonga were led from the Luba Empire by Mazizi Kalonga in the 13 ^th century.
• Mazizi Kalonga died on the way and his successors took on the title of Kalonga.
• These migrants entered the area around Lake Malawi and settled alongside the Chewa hunter – gatherers and subsistence cultivators who had occupied the area earlier.
• They later formed the many different groups of the Malawi people namely the Chikunda, Chipeta, Mang’anja. Mbo, Ntumbu, Nyanja, Nyasa, Nsenga and Zimba.
• Apart from the Nsenga, the Malawi people all spoke Nyanja, the language of the lake.
• Kalonga’s people established themselves as rules over the Chewa people and introduced a good political system.
• In 1580, Lundu broke away and established the Kingdom of Bororo to the South of Kalonga.

Expansion

• During the late 16^th century, the power of the Kalonga family began to increase and they began to create a unified chiefdom.
• The most powerful of their rulers was Kalonga Masura, who ruled from 1600 – 1650 and made an alliance with the Portuguese.
• In 1608, he sent 4000 Malawi soldiers to help the Portuguese defeat Mwenemutapa Gatsi Rusere.
• In return, the Portuguese helped Masura to conquer his rival Lundu.
• Kalonga Masura then tried to take control of the gold and ivory trade in Mwenemutapa’s Kingdom but in vain.
• The Kingdom expanded through conquests. Masura built a powerful army of about 10 000 Malawi soldiers which he used to conquer the Chipeta, Mbo, Zimba and Chewa.
• The conquered tribes were made to pay tribute to Kalonga, which he used in the long distance trade.
• Masura sold ivory and slaves and obtained guns, gunpowder, beads, cloth and other luxurious goods. Control of trade to the north of the Kingdom helped him to expand his Kingdom.
• He used his wealth to reward his warriors and sub-chiefs while guns strengthened the military position of the Kingdom.
• Kalonga used his wealth to win the loyalty of his sub – chiefs and subjects. He distributed his wealth among his sub-chiefs who in turn redistributed them to their people.
• The religious factor was also important in the development of Kalonga kingdom. The Kalonga family was considered to be semi-divine and was believed to possess rain making powers.

Decline

A number of factors have been attributed to the collapse of the Kalonga Kingdom. These include:

• Kalonga failed to build a highly centralized political state, unlike most of the Luba- Lunda counterpart. The subordinate chiefs were given so much autonomy that they were able to command a following of their own.
• After the death of Masura, Undi broke away following a succession dispute and took with him close members of the Kalonga which left the ruling Kalonga with no apparent hair to the throne.
• Another contributing factor was the failure of the royal Mbona rain-cult to create unity among various Chewa people which led to further break away groups.
• Externally the kingdom suffered from Yao attacks.
• The Yao traders also traded directly with the lesser chiefs. Thus they stopped fearing Kalonga as they no longer depended on him.
• The kingdom continued to decline until the killing of the last Kalonga by the Yao in the 1860s.