Lerotholi
Encyclopedia
Lerotholi Letsie was the paramount chief
of Basotho
(modern Lesotho
) from November 20, 1891 to August 19, 1905.
. He remained leader until his death in 1905. His son Letsie II then became leader of the Basotho.
Paramount chief
A paramount chief is the highest-level traditional chief or political leader in a regional or local polity or country typically administered politically with a chief-based system. This definition is used occasionally in anthropological and archaeological theory to refer to the rulers of multiple...
of Basotho
Basotho
The ancestors of the Sotho people have lived in southern Africa since around the fifth century. The Sotho nation emerged from the accomplished diplomacy of Moshoeshoe I who gathered together disparate clans of Sotho–Tswana origin that had dispersed across southern Africa in the early 19th century...
(modern Lesotho
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
) from November 20, 1891 to August 19, 1905.
Leadership of Basotho
Lerotholi became leader after his father's death in 1891. In 1898, he fought and defeated his uncle somewhere near Thaba BosiuThaba Bosiu
Thaba Bosiu is a sandstone plateau with an area of approximately 2 km2 and a height of 1,804 meters above sea level. It is located between the Orange and Caledon Rivers in the Maseru District of Lesotho, 24 km east of the country's capital Maseru....
. He remained leader until his death in 1905. His son Letsie II then became leader of the Basotho.