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Mutara II Semugeshi

Type Figure Region Kingdom of Rwanda Time c. 1490–1544 Also known as King Mutara II of Rwanda

Mutara II Semugeshi was an umwami (king) of Rwanda in the traditional lineage, said by oral tradition to have reigned in the first half of the 16th c…

Timeline

  1. c. 1505–1511Kingdom of Rwanda · Kingdom of RwandaAfter succeeding to the throne of Yuhi II, he reorganized the court and clan relations, strengthening royal authority over cattle distribution and land control, laying the foundation for further expansion of the kingdom.
  2. 1511–1520Kingdom of Rwanda · Kingdom of RwandaBetween 1511 and 1520 he integrated surrounding clans through military campaigns and marriages, expanded the kingdom's control, and established the umwami's central position in the cattle economy and social hierarchy; oral tradition calls him 'Semugeshi'.
  3. 1520–1544Kingdom of Rwanda · Kingdom of RwandaIn his later years he continued policies of royal centralization, paving the way for further expansion under his successor Mutara III Ruabugiri; his reign is regarded in the Rwandan royal chronicles as a key stage in the kingdom's growth.

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