South African chief and son of Sobhuza I, the founder of Swaziland. Mswati was the greatest of the Ngwane kings, and the Swazi (as the Ngwane came to be called) take their name from him. He extended his kingdom northward into Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), including territory since lost by the Swazi.

Mswati became king in 1840 and established control over the Bantu-speaking peoples in eastern South Africa. Reorganizing the Ngwane along the lines of the successful Zulu regimental castes, he made them one of the most powerful nations of southern Africa. In 1860 a disputed succession in the Shangane kingdom to the north enabled Mswati to extend his influence into southern Rhodesia and Mozambique. In 1845 he ceded some territory to Boer settlers in the Transvaal, South Africa, and in 1864 he aided them in conquering the Poko. Apparently unaware of the dangers involved, Mswati encouraged contact with the Boers, though this eventually led to the loss of Swazi independence in 1894.