The area of what now is Swaziland has been inhabited by various different groups of people for a very long time, in eastern part Swaziland human remains dating back 100,000 years belonging to the oldes homo sapiens have been discovered. The Bushman was as is evident from the large number of San (Bushman ) cave paintings amoung the first inhabitants of this region. The Swazi themselves arrived relativly late in history.

The Swazis have their origins in East Africa around the great lakes, speaking siSwati having its origin predominantly in the Nguni group of Languages.

In the late 15th century as part of the general southward expansion of the Nguni the Swazi's crossed the Limpopo river to settle in southern Tongaland ( Now part of Mozambique.) Under their Chief Dlamini I they remained here for about 200 years, until they moved, still ruled by a Dlamini Chief (Dlamini III), into the fertile Pongola valley (now part of South Africa).

Here economic pressure and land shortages soon resulted in a number of skirmishes and battles with the neighbouring Ndwandwe clan, which ultimately resulted in a further migration of the Swazis into what is now central Swaziland. From here the Swazi' s by way of absorption and conquest of Soho and baPedi peoples build up a large Kingdom, covering an area about three times the size of modern Swaziland.

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Ngwane III established his headquarters in Zomboze. His grandson Sobhuza further expanded the Kingdom of Swaziland by absorbing Sotho, Tsonga and Nguni chiefdoms. His rule was marked by the "Mfecane" when the Zulu under Shaka threatened the entire sub region. Sobhuza met Shaka's advances with diplomacy, giving two of his daughters to the Zulu King. He outlived Shaka and brought peace and prosperity to all his subjects. The Swazis under Sobhuza went on to defeat the Zulu's under Dingane at Hlatikulu. Sobhuza the First is regarded as the founder of pre-colonial Swaziland. Sobhuza I is also credited with bringing Maize (now the staple food for southern Africa) from the Portuguese to the subcontinent.

At the death of Sobhuza I, the mother of Mswati II a son of Sobhuza, became Queen regent until Mswati became of age. Mswati II upon ascension to the throne formed close relations with the British and the Boer's as a political power base against the still strong Zulus. His influence and power gradually grew to envelope the area from the Limpopo in the north the Pongola river in the south and the crocodile river in the west. In 1863 Mswati attacked Lorenco Marques were the Portugese had a garrison of soldiers. This brought the power of the Portuguese to a collapse. The Swazis were the dominant power in the region for a period of 15 years. In 1865 when Mswati died he left a strong , aggressive nation which thereafter became Swaziland, ruled by a cohesive ruling class. King Mswati was to be the last truly independent ruler of Swaziland for the next 100 years.

A period of peace followed under the Queen regent prior to the reign of Mbanzeni. At this time the relationship between the Swazi People and the arriving white settlers was friendly and co-operative. Swazi's treated both British and Boers as allies. However both groups of whites had their own agenda. The Boers were looking for both arable land and a rout to the sea where they could establish a port of their own - thereby avoiding the hated British. The British in return was reluctant to lose the trade provided by the Boers. To aggravate matters gold was found in Swaziland in 1882, leading to hundreds of European settlers rushing to Swaziland. Although Mbanzeni frequently asserted the sovereignty of the Swazis, he had no control over the whites and he was coherced into granting land concessions and prospecting rights. These often clashed with the rights of customary land usage. In the 1881 Pretoria Convention Swaziland was guaranteed its independence but also its borders were difined, independence meant that Swaziland lost large parts of its teritory and that the British and the Boers could administer thier various interests within Swaziland.

King Mbanzeni died in 1889 and was succeeded by King Ngwane V also known as King Bunu.

In 1894, without consulting the Swazi, the two white powers concluded a convention whereby the Boer republic of Transvaal was granted control over Swaziland. Swaziland ceased to be a Independent State. After the Anglo-Boer War(1899-1902) Britain made Swaziland a protectorate and the Transvaal became part of the Union of South Africa, taking with it two-thirds of Swaziland.

Thus Swaziland became an economical and political backwater. Two thirds of the land in Swaziland was under direct British control and most of the landowners were absent. The other one-third was reserved for usage by Swazi's. The British made no attempt at identifying the traditional Swazi administration with the central administration of the protectorate. Government was in effect by dual control rather than indirect rule. At the death of King Ngwane in 1899 the wife of King Mswati II Labotsibeni Mdluli took over the reign.

  In 1922 King Sobuza II was installed as Paramount chief of Swaziland and King to the Swazi nation. He took over from his grandmother Gwamile, who had been Queen regent whilst he was underage. His first task was to contest the concessions granted by Mbanzeni. After an initial protest failed the nation sent him (1922 ) to appeal to the Privy Council in London. The Swaiz nation lost the appeal on a technicality. In 1941 after further petitions the British purchased a number of freehold's and together with Crown land handed it over to the Swazi nation. Thereby increasing the land held by Swazi' s from one-third to just under half. In the 1960 the Swazi monarchy was still largely intact, with its political institutions of chiefs and headmen appointed by the King and organised into district councils (tinkundla) under the Swazi National Council.The King porposed the creation of a legislative council to be composed of Europeans elected along european ways and a Swazi national council formed in accordance to Swazi culture.

King Sobuza II and the Swazi National Council had strong support from the majority of Swazi's. King Sobuza formed his own political Party the Imbokodvo( Grindstone) for the elections in 1964. As foreseen he won an overwhelming majority in the elections. In 1966 the British oficialy recognised King Sobuza as King of the Swazi and handed the control and responsibility for National land and mineral rights in his personal trust.

In 1967 Swaziland became a selfgoverneing protectorate. Swaziland gained its independence from Britain in September 1968. King Sobhusa II was handed the instruments of independance during the independance ceromony at the Somhlolo National Stadium in Lobamba Swaziland (see pic)The King's Imbokodvo movement had an overwhelming majority of votes in the legislature. In 1973 King Sobuza II abolished the Westminster style constitution that Swaziland had inherited from the British colonial masters. He had in mind to develop a uniquely Swazi system of government, in which no political parties featured.

King Sobhuza abolished Parliament completely in 1977, it was to be replaced by the tinkundla system of government. The new parliament (libandla) made up of elected tinkundla members and Kings appointees was opened in 1979. King Sobuza died in 1982 after 60 years on the throne, he died as the longest reigning monarch.

King Mswati III ascendet the throne in 1986 at the age of 18. He is the youngest reigning monarch in the world.

In 1993 the electoral system was changed to increase the number of directly elected persons to the house of Parliarment. And a constitutunal review comission set up to gather input and suggestion for a futer constuitution of the Kingdom from the general populace. This process has reacently been completed and presently members of the CRC are working on the draft constitution.

Political parties are still illegal in the country however they opperate without great difficulty in the country. None of them can be said to enjoy any great support amoung the population of Swaziland. It can safely be assumed that the King of Swaziland is assured of overwhelming support by his people.

At present the King has summoned the nation to discuss the future constitution every adult Swazi has been invited to submitt his or her views on the draft constitution so as to see if this draft does in fact represent the aspiratons of the Swazi peoples. It is expected that the constitution will be oficialy adopted by parliament in october 2004.