For many African rulers in the 19th century, Christian missionaries were more than preachers. They were teachers, interpreters, diplomats, and often the first Europeans to gain a king’s confidence. Some African leaders welcomed them in the hope of securing education, trade, or powerful allies against rival kingdoms. But in several cases, those relationships became stepping stones for European imperial expansion.
Few stories illustrate this better than that of King Lewanika, the Litunga (King) of Barotseland, in present-day western Zambia.
Born around 1842 as Lubosi, Lewanika first became Litunga in 1878. After crushing a rebellion against his rule, he adopted the name Lewanika, meaning “The Conqueror.” By the mid-1880s, he had restored order and re-established himself as one of southern Africa’s most influential rulers.
But while he had defeated his internal enemies, a far greater threat was approaching. European imperialism.
Portugal was advancing from Angola, while Cecil Rhodes was driving Britain’s expansion northward through the British South Africa Company. At the same time, Germany, Belgium, France, and other European powers were moving to consolidate their newly claimed territories following the Berlin Conference.
In December 1882, Scottish missionary Frederick Stanley Arnot arrived at Lewanika’s capital, Lealui, after crossing the Kalahari Desert. Rather than treating him as a mere visitor, Lewanika kept him at his court for about eighteen months. During this period, Arnot taught the king’s children to read, preached Christianity, and became one of the Europeans Lewanika trusted most.
While Arnot was in Barotseland, Lewanika received a proposal from the Ndebele Kingdom to form an alliance against the advancing Europeans. According to historical accounts, Arnot persuaded the king that seeking British protection would offer greater security and prosperity than resisting European expansion.
That advice would prove to be one of the most consequential decisions in the kingdom’s history.
Unlike many African rulers who tried to resist colonial rule, Lewanika sought a relationship with Britain on the advice of a missionary.
Believing that becoming a British Protectorate would safeguard his kingdom from both African rivals and European powers, he wrote to the British government asking that Barotseland be placed under the protection of Queen Victoria.
Then he waited.
Months turned into years.
No reply came.
To Lewanika, the silence was frustrating. But eventually, men arrived carrying official-looking documents and claiming they had the authority to grant exactly what he had requested.
One of the people Lewanika trusted most at the time was the French Protestant missionary François Coillard.
Coillard had established a close relationship with the king and served as his interpreter during meetings with the newcomers.
Coillard interpreted the discussions and reassured Lewanika that these men represented the British Crown and that Britain had finally accepted his request for protection.
Believing he was entering into a direct relationship with Queen Victoria, Lewanika signed the agreements in 1890. He even sent two massive elephant tusks as gifts for the British monarch.
But the reality was very different.
The men were not representatives of the British government. They were agents of the British South Africa Company, a private corporation led by Cecil Rhodes. Instead of reaching Queen Victoria, Lewanika’s ivory gifts reportedly ended up decorating the company’s boardroom.
By the time Lewanika realized he had been deceived, it was too late.
The agreements gave the BSAC enormous influence over Barotseland. Although Lewanika repeatedly appealed to the British Crown, arguing that he had intended to become a British Protectorate rather than a company possession, his protests achieved little.
Lewanika later explained the deception to British physician Dr. James Johnston.
He told Johnston that he had written directly to Britain asking for a protectorate, waited years for a reply, and then accepted the documents presented by men he believed represented the Crown.
Only afterward did he learn they were acting on behalf of Cecil Rhodes’ company.
Johnston helped Lewanika draft a formal letter of protest to the British government.
But the damage had already been done.
Although Britain later assumed more direct authority over the territory, Barotseland never regained the independent status Lewanika had hoped to preserve.
Lewanika never stopped trying to get back his independence. In 1902, he traveled to Britain for the coronation of King Edward VII. During his visit, he was granted an audience with the British monarch and held a private discussion with him, but despite the warm reception, the political reality remained unchanged. Barotseland stayed under British control, and Lewanika never recovered the sovereignty he believed he had been promised.
His story stands as one of the most tragic ironies of the colonial era. In seeking British protection, Lewanika believed he was safeguarding Barotseland’s independence. Instead, the very relationships and agreements he trusted became the foundation upon which British colonial rule was established.
Lewanika died on 4 February 1916. He is remembered as one of Africa’s most capable traditional rulers, but also as a king whose search for protection from European powers instead accelerated the loss of his kingdom’s sovereignty.
Sources:
https://henrypoole.com/individual/hm-king-lewanika-barotseland/
