Moshoeshoe’s Birthday 2023: Date, History, Facts about Lesotho

Moshoeshoe Day is a public holiday observed in Lesotho on March 11 to commemorate the birth of Moshoeshoe I. Moshoeshoe I led the Basotho people as king. He contributed to the founding of the Basotho nation, which would eventually become the modern state of Lesotho. He was the nation’s first monarch and is renowned for his efforts to establish and maintain his people’s sovereignty against nearby challenges. Since his precise date of birth is unknown, Moshoeshoe Day is observed on the anniversary of his 1870 death.

The background of Moshoeshoe’s Birthday

Morena Moshoeshoe I, who was born around 1776, was Lesotho’s first monarch. Through his endeavours to unite neighbouring tribes in his region of southern Africa and to preserve the Basotho people’s independence, he is considered the father of the nation. The Basotho people have lived in what is now Lesotho since roughly the fifth century BCE. Due to regional conflicts and British colonialism, they have historically divided into distinct ethnic groups. Moshoeshoe I was instrumental in bringing these clans together to establish the Sotho nation (or “Basotholand”). Moshoeshoe I’s people did not adopt the Basotho name for themselves and their territory until 1829.
In 1822, Moshoeshoe I was crowned king and supervised the unification of southern African tribes in his region.

He utilised tribal marriage alliances and diplomacy as social cohesion instruments. In order to foster tribal unity, one of his most notable efforts to unite his people was his refusal to recognise set boundaries between Lesotho and the Free State (now located in South Africa). During his reign, he formed close ties with the colonising British, requesting their protection during the 1856 war with the Orange Free State, but he also engaged in conflict with them. Whether by the British or neighbouring states, he continued to fight any encroachment on Sotho lands, defeating the Boers and signing the Treaty of Aliwal North in 1858, which guaranteed Sotho control of the land on both sides of the Caledon River.

Moshoeshoe I was ultimately defeated by Boers supported by the British, and Basotholand was annexed by the British in 1868 at his request. As a result of his efforts to unite the Sotho people, he is still revered as a significant historical figure in Lesotho. In 1870, he passed away and was interred on the Thaba Bosiu plateau, where his fight began.

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5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT LESOTHO

The lowest elevation in Lesotho is 4,593 feet, which is the highest of any country.

Lesotho’s moniker is “Kingdom of the Sky” because it is the only independent nation above 3,281 feet.

The nation is one of only three African nations governed by a constitutional monarchy (the others being Eswatini and Morocco).

The dinosaur species Lesothosaurus was named after the country where its fossils were discovered.

Diamond mining contributes more than 9 percent to Lesotho’s gross domestic product (G.D.P.).

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MOSHOESHOE’S BIRTHDAY DATES

Year	Date	Day
2023	March 11	Saturday
2024	March 11	Monday
2025	March 11	Tuesday
2026	March 11	Wednesday
2027	March 11	Thursday