The Mutapa state, also known as the Mwene Mutapa or Monomotapa state, was a medieval kingdom located in what is now modern-day Zimbabwe and parts of Mozambique. The state emerged in the 15th century and reached the height of its power in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was known for its wealth and sophisticated political and social systems.
The origins of the Mutapa state are shrouded in mystery and are the subject of much debate among historians. According to some accounts, the state was founded by a group of Shona-speaking people who migrated to the region in the 14th century and established a kingdom called Great Zimbabwe. This kingdom was characterized by a complex system of government, with a central ruler known as the Mwene Mutapa, who was assisted by a council of advisors and a system of local chiefs.
The Mutapa state is best known for its wealth and its extensive trade networks. The state was located on the lucrative trade routes that linked the Indian Ocean with the interior of Africa, and it was able to control the trade in gold, ivory, and other valuable goods. The Mutapa state also had a sophisticated system of currency and a system of weights and measures.
In addition to its wealth, the Mutapa state was known for its sophisticated political and social systems. The Mwene Mutapa was advised by a council of nobles and had the power to appoint local chiefs to govern the various regions of the kingdom. The state also had a system of law and order, with a system of courts and a system of punishments for crimes.
The Mutapa state faced a number of challenges throughout its history. It was frequently attacked by neighboring states and was also subject to the interference of European powers, who sought to control the region's trade and resources. Despite these challenges, the Mutapa state was able to maintain its power and wealth for several centuries, and it remains an important part of the history of southern Africa.
The rise of the Mutapa State and the early arrival of the Portuguese c.1450
The most important change was not so much the new building styles, but in the traditional link between land, rain and the ancestors being taken from the traditional rainmakers and assumed by the rulers at Mapungubwe. In the same way in a political context the emerging rulers from the Zimbabwe Culture would have made allies of the Musengezi chiefs, rather than seek to destroy them. Gonçalo da Silveira Gonçalo da Silveira Gonçalo da Silveira, S. Pwiti poses the question as to whether the Zimbabwe Culture settlement sites were those of autonomous or semi-autonomous chiefdoms or whether they represented shifting capitals of the Mutapa state. A possible reason for the breakaway was Dombo's dissatisfaction with the levels of Portuguese interference in the Mwenemutapa Empire's governance. His primary responsibilities centred on securing fertility of the land and the people, and defence through his court system and his army, should that be necessary.
What led to the rise of Mutapa state?
Additional factors may include overpopulation, overgrazing of the land by large cattle herds and deforestation, leading to food shortages, which were exacerbated to crisis point by a series of droughts. Matope the first Mwene? A regional trade network existed even in these early times These earliest farmers were iron-users and produced pottery — they also were familiar with copper which was one of the inter-regional trade products along with glass beads from coastal centres and ivory hunted in the interior. Why was the Mutapa state important to the Dande? Dry-stone walling was also an initial feature of the Zimbabwe Culture. Apart from graphite burnished pots falling within the Zimbabwe Culture tradition, Zvongombe South excavations yielded arrow and spear heads, a gold bead and hoe. There are three separate entrances from the lower platform where commoners probably assembled. In 1561, Goncalo da Silveira, a Portuguese Jesuit missionary managed to make his way into the Mwenemutapa's court and convert him to Christianity.
Reasons for the Rise of the Mutapa State
Contemporary and later Portuguese documents clearly show that the Mutapa state was already established and Great Zimbabwe was no longer the major centre it had been. Economic gains bonded the army to be loyal and respectful to the king. They also kept sheep and goat. The Karanga people had enjoyed a flourishing trade with the Swahili Arabs at Sofala from at least the 10 th Century and probably before that from Mapungubwe in the Limpopo river Valley. In fact, Nyatsimba Mutota was the founder of such a strong society who used his strong army to conquer and raid weaker states. The earliest known written mention of the Great Zimbabwe ruins was in 1531 by Vicente Pegado, captain of the Portuguese garrison of Sofala, on the coast of modern-day Mozambique, who recorded it as Symbaoe…. This form of political technique created wealth for the King.
Political Organisation of the Mutapa State
The different environments did not in themselves create complex stratified societies, but the social mechanisms required to support stable societies on the plateau did offer the opportunity for some descent groups to exalt themselves, using their control of important assets to gain ascendency for themselves and their clients. For example, Zvongombe appears to have become settled about 1450. Farming was for the most part subsistence and labour intensive. Mineral deposits depleted, some mines became death traps and were abandoned. Beach thought they were a myth and argued that the Mutapa state came about before the fall of Great Zimbabwe. The Complete Book of Heraldry. Who founded the Kingdom of Zimbabwe? Far from a victim of conquest, the Mutapa rulers actually invited in foreign powers to bolster their rule.
The Mutapa State
Mineral wealth, available grazing land, abundant land for crop cultivation, salt deposits and favourable climate proves beyond doubt the birth of Mutapa state. His work and conclusions, around the identity of the Mutota founder figure of the state and the link between the decline of the Zimbabwe state and rise of the Mutapa state have been questioned by other historians, including D. The Karanga states in the 16 th and 17 th Centuries comprised the Mutapa state Monomotapa with their vassal states including Quiteve Kiteve Manyika, Sabia or Sedanda and the Chikanga. They traded gold and ivory for luxury goods such as mirrors, cloth and King Ezana Batembuzi In the city-state of Axum in Ethiopia, people live along the red sea. Mutapa Empire became great due to four reasons. Mwene Mutapa is Shona for Ravager of the Lands, and was also the title held by the dynasty of kings who ruled the territory, which was between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. The early political history of the kingdom of Mwene Mutapa 850-1589.
