Kingdom of Butua

Kingdom in present-day Zimbabwe (c. 1450–1683)

Kingdom of Butua

Butua

c. 1450–1683

Status

Kingdom

Capital

Khami

Common languages

iKalanga

Religion

Belief in Mwari

Government

Monarchy

Mambo

History

• Abandonment of Zimbabwe

c. 1450

• Conquest by Rozwi Empire

1683

Preceded by

Succeeded by

Kingdom of Zimbabwe

Rozwi Empire

Part of a series on the

History of Zimbabwe

Ancient history

Leopard's Kopje	c. 900 – c. 1075
Mapungubwe Kingdom	c. 1075 – c. 1220
Zimbabwe Kingdom	c. 1220 – c. 1450
Butua Kingdom	c. 1450–1683
Mutapa Kingdom	c. 1450–1760

White settlement pre-1923

Rozvi Empire	c. 1684–1834
Mthwakazi	1823-1894
Rudd Concession	1888
BSA Company rule	1890–1923
First Matabele War	1893–1894
Second Matabele War	1896–1897
World War I involvement	1914–1918
Colony of Southern Rhodesia	1923–1965
World War II involvement	1939–1945
Malayan Emergency involvement	1948–1960
Federation with Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland	1953–1963
Rhodesian Bush War	1964–1979
Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI)	1965
Rhodesia	1965–1979
Zimbabwe-Rhodesia	June–December 1979
Lancaster House Agreement	December 1979
British Dependency	1979–1980
Zimbabwe	1980–present
Gukurahundi	1982–1987
Second Congo War	1998–2003
Coup d'état	2017

The Kingdom of Butua^{[pronunciation?]} or Butwa (c. 1450–1683) was a pre-colonial African state located in what is now southwestern Zimbabwe. Butua was renowned as the source of gold for Arab and Portuguese traders. The region was first mentioned in Portuguese records in 1512.

The kingdom was governed by the Torwa dynasty until 1683 from its capital at Khami. Its people were ancestors of the Bakalanga. In 1683, the kingdom was conquered by the Rozwi Empire.

The foundations of the Khami Ruins show a striking resemblance to the pattern of masonry at the base of the Zimbabwe Ruins. Hence the Kalanga are thought to have built Khami, Lusvingo, Mapungugwe and other ruins scattered across western Zimbabwe and east Botswana.

Gallery

The ruins of Khami, capital of the Butua Kingdom.
Steps leading into the ancient city of Khami
The outer wall of Khami

References

Gwinn, Robert; Norton, Peter; Goetz, Philip (1989). The New Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. p. 689. ISBN 0-85229-493-X.
Shillington, Kevin (2004). Encyclopedia of African History, Vol. 1. London: Routledge. pp. 1912 Pages. ISBN 1-57958-245-1.