The African King that couldn't be beaten! 

Kudos for the Sesotho words, and the Nguni clicks - not easy to do. The care and respect you've put into this video (as well as your suffering in a Lesotho winter) are much appreciated.

Wow!!. Now I understand why Basotho have no wish to be part of South Africa. They fought gallantly for their independence

Oh finally!!! Someone pronounced "Xho" correctly, we've dealt with "Hosa" for a long time. Thanks for your dedications Sir.

Moshoeshoe was the greatest King not only a warrior but a diplomat, survivor, protetor of those seeking protection, he gave different tribes the right to continue with their culture and languages.

Cattle-rustlers using spears and small shields riding on ponies, living in well-defended hills reminds me very much of my Border ancestors. I wonder if they were quite as fierce as Evillwillit Sandie or Johnnie Armstrong or 'The Devil's Shaft Blade’. The history of cattle-raiding is an ancient trade, see how Celts built hill-forts to keep (stolen) cattle and they too valued very highly. The principle Irish myth 'Táin Bó Cúailnge' - often called "the Irish Iliad" - was all about a particular fetching cow!

Another superb video story , I had never heard of this war or nation ……glad to have been enlightened …..again ..loved the Cossack reference “ killingee stuff “ at 17.04 minutes in , whole video was great 🤣🤣👏👏

Basuto ponies are so hardy. My dad told me they went hiking in the Drakensberg and the mountain went misty at dusk. They were forced to pitch a tent on the trail to not fall of the mountain. It was a misty zero moonlight night. Around midnight that night they heard hoofs. They went out and saw four men with gumboots and AK47s and 6 ponies laden with dagga. They greeted them and they greeted back and they dissapeared into the night with no flash lights. The thought of those men and horses going down that mountain on an almost zero visibility night with gumboots just reminds you that that is their mountain!

I think this is a brilliant episode and educational. You learn something new everyday 👍🏻 thanks for your efforts I look forward to watching every week

Khelek! Ka thaba hakae feela banna. Nalane ea naha ea heso. ❤

It's not forgotten as us South Africans know all about it!

Basuto, great warriors, you are right, africas Cossaks. Have great ponies and great dogs until today.

I can certainly respect n appreciate anyone that tries to bring to light little known Wars and Conflicts that have existed in history. Awesome video you made, friend.

I do have several 1853 and several 1877 medals, one for the campaign against the Basuto. It's funny but I find these in the USA😅

Excellent video, I've been to Lesoto and really liked it. I travelled from Bloemfontaine to Massaru, then hiched a ride up to Seminkong water fall. When I went around 2005, horse or I should say ponies were still in widespread use, Lesoto is the only place I have been where the horse is the primary means of transport or at least they were up in the mountains. From what I remember from Lonely Planet these ponies originally came from Java via the Dutch, Java as I'm sure you know was part of the Dutch East Indies. Apparently these ponies came to Java when Kublai Khan tried to invade and failed, so these hardy little horse are of Mongoluan stock and they look it. Despite having been to Lesoto I have never hard of the fight with the British but later on due to their alliance with the Crown I believe it saved Lesoto from Apartheid. This is a very obsure conflict thanks for bringing it to our attention, is there any nation on earth the British have never fought at one time or another.

Superb episode!

I grew up in JHB and 40 years ago we learned of Moshoeshoe.

Great explanation of these battles and wonderful scenery. Thank you for your dedication

Well done Chris! My gran remembered that in WW2 (I'm from Malta) a regiment of Basuto troops were stationed here.

I have always suspected the Basuto warriors were tough! Great storytelling, and it keeps this history alive. Thank you, Chris!

Great vlog and you Can’t beat a bit of Sid James

True even shaka was afraid of them, but mzilikazi did win a battle with them

Wow, so well done. Like a hardcore history in a sweet moving picture delight. ❤

Caught me off guard with this one 😮😮😮 still knowledge is power

Can you make a playlist of all the tribal conflicts leading up to the zulu war, its easy to forget not only there were other tribes but other worthy and respectable rivals with their own agency.

What a great educational piece. Of course I had never heard of this mini-war but it sounds like one of the best wars (if there can be such a thing) in Britain's colonial adventures in southern Africa. Keep up the good work!

Imagine the soldiers that did the cooking calling out 'LUNCH IS READY!!!' to the rest of the troops. Food is a good morale booster, isn't it?

I'm sotho man. Do history about king Sekhukhune

I have never heard of this battle. Great info and well covered Chris.

Props on your great effort at pronunciation 🎉

Great stuff as always Chris, keep up the good work!

Absolutely love your work my brother ❤

Wonderful history and amazing details

Please do Maqoma, The Xhosa chieftain/General who resisted the British, defeated them on multiple occasions, leading to protests in London because Britons were being taxed heavily to finance the never ending Kaffir/Xhosa wars. Maqoma inflicted defeats on the British in the war of 1834, he would go on to inflict more embarassing defeats on the British in the Xhosa war of 1850-1853, and that led to Sir Harry Smith getting recalled as a British General and being replaced by George Cathcart. Smith returned to England embarassed, his military career ended in shame, having been defeated by "savages" as my ancestors were called by the British.

Excellent history lesson👏

Southern Africa Unite 💪🏾

Dude 😎That was awesome !

The best My king 👑

As a Mosotho can't say any further

Brilliant 👏

As a Mosotho, we all know of this war as a Battle of Berea not as a War of Soldiers. Morena Mosheshoe thought he could reason with the British but underestimated how deceitful the British could be. These treacherous acts by the British killed Moshoeshoe in 1870 two years after agreeing to become a British subject hoping that all the Basotho's territory would be protected. Moshoeshoe was betrayed by the British after fighting 3 wars (War of Senekal, Seqiti War ( Battle of Canons) and the Third Basotho War) with the Boers over the Basotho territory and the British gave the Basotho territory. History books tell us that Basotho lost battles against the Boers or the British but all these wars ended with an armistice from the Boers or the British. Morena Moshoeshoe agreed to make Basotho a subject of the British Empire because he believed that war affected his people not that he couldn't continue fighting but was tired of killing something foreign to the Europeans at the time based on history.

1852 Battle of Berea was 'inconclusive' against the orange free sovereignty. (Free State-Basotho Wars) from 1858-1868 were the orange free state took much land in many incursions is why the Basotho kingdom later Basotholand was placed under the British crowns protection with Moshoeshoe I voluntary abdication. (1851 Expedition into Basotholand) is often called the (battle of Viervoet) though it wasn't technically speaking as it was an ambushed expedition. Major Henry Douglas Warden after the (Battle of Boomplaats) in 1848 was no longer under British administration as the major joined the Orange River Sovereignty which was a sperate administration to Britain. (Orange River Sovereignty) mainly occupied by Dutch Boer's would become (Orange Free State) in 1854. Warden was appointed Major of this state in in 1848 with the states haphazard creation after the previously mention (Battle of Boomplaats) then in 1949 warden became the civil commissioner & so was technically no a military officer but a politician till July of 1852 when said state was succeeded by the Orange free state. I do not intend to detract from Moshoeshoe 1st but to explain that he did not fight Britain as such but a colony that consisted more of Boers & allied African tribes to the state rather then British men. The orange free sovereignty politically was considered a model republic though it had an aspect of frontierism & anarchy. The real story is so much more confusing & filled with intrigue among petty squabbles. The orange free sovereignty gave lip service to the Cape of good hope but was really independent from the start. This is why the Dutch Boer's had such an easy time to usurp the British funded endeavour. Think of the orange free sovereignty as an unintentionally British funded Dutch colony. British management for you being worth less then a cheese sandwich ah? King Moshoeshoe 1st should be considered a diplomat 1st & commander 2nd. He managed to play the mess that was in the region well to keep his kingdom for a time of about 2 decades give or take! It did ensure his peoples survival, relative peace & security.

Love this!

Here in Zambia we are aware of this,its part of our school curriculum.

15:59 Lancers gap is where the British were ambushed, you are right

Do a video about Maqoma, the Xhosa King who fout over 20 British generals. He was King and also the General of hos army. Very interesting

Where the ..... Did the horses come from?

Please create a video about Lebengula

It was lesotho Swazi and bechuena land that requested protection

Great episode. Eat more Beef!

Yes Basotho fought but again they were protected by British after requested

Without MaNtsopa the history of these skirmishes or battles is incomplete. Often overlooked in coverage of our African history and wars is the role of spirituality and intel collection.

Please do one on the tongan resilience against the fleet colonising super powers that could not defeat tonga nor colonise Tonga 🇹🇴

Take a look at Batlokoa people...

Do you live in South Africa?

Research everything you hear.

and 'sappers' were there

Why Cossacks?

Are you still around?

Lemonade reya leboha ntate ka moqoqo omonate

Didnt Mzilikazi kaMashobane defeat the sotho people?

Louw Weppener and his Boers defeated them. They then ran to the British.

Not really a war. More of a local skirmish.

No such thing. All of Africa (including, yes, Ethiopia) was colonized at one point or another. Quit coping.

This is not a full story of basotho

You're eating up those Sesotho words and phrases. It's as if you were born for this.😅

😂😂 its hilarious and pathetic at the same time.

😀Cossack in africa, cossack are in russia not in africa👉🏼

Mire british imperialism.

You have captured the story of my people and our great King with such grace. Thank you for telling the story of this unique African who was way ahead of his time in a period that was akin to Thomas Hobbes State of Nature. He was successful as a nation builder because he realised the power of conscientious leadership. I am very inspired to have my tiny country rise to the legacy of this great man. Moshoeshoe was a head and shoulder above his contemporaries for his strength of vision, leadership, diplomacy, love for peace and his fellow subjects.

Said before, now saying again: Your channel deserves much more visibility and subs. What a fantastic work of research.

A war I've never heard of. Thanks for bringing it up!

If I am not mistaken, we were taught about Moshoeshoe in primary school back in the 1970's and '80's, so this video starts off as revision for me, but goes deeper into the story. Thanks for that. The Basutho ponies are hardy creatures blessed with endurance, and were prized by the Boers. Denys Reitz talks about his Basutho pony and it's qualities in his book 'Commando'. (I read a lot of local South African history from a young age, so I'm not 100% certain if this WAS on the school curriculum or me taking history books from the school library. That's what age and memory do to you.)

Thank you so much, I have always loved the story of Moesheshe. Brilliant leader. ❤

ke rona bao 😊

Cossacks, My first thought was, Basuto Warriors, riding huge War Horses😁

Excellent lecture Chris👍👍👍

Great video never knew about this war 🇬🇧.

Honest story telling no propaganda thank God bless u reyaleboha

Basotho has not return even today which was cruelly taken by boers and they killed basotho cruelly the whole of free state and south of johanesburg is basotho land that should be returned to the rightfull owners

Basotho ( The brown people).

King of Politics in my humble opinion.

Big ups to your brother for taking the effort of pronouncing the languages, it's a rare effort even with white South Africans living here

Yes my ancestor😊

I can tell you're not even African but your Sesotho pronunciations are not bad at all. Nevermind the clicks 🔥🙆🏽‍♂️

You need to do the Benin Kindom in present day Nigeria. It was very tough for the british until 1876

Rhodesian Grey scouts used Basuto Ponies you could pay for to buy when i am right.

Wakanda forever

I'm actually learning about this in school in history 😅

Shaka's real name is "MLILWANA", which means "The Small Fire".😏

REspect for all who defend their families

Glad of the great subject matter... voting "dislike" because you dredged out that borderline contemptuous "that YOU'VE never heard of" crap. Nothing personal, a matter of principle. Thanks !

I agree this is one of the most interedting story from Africa during the 1800. Not new to me, I made a work for the Lesotho government in mid 1980s and bougt, and read, a biography of Mosheshe publish by Piguin books. Since then, I had been fashinated by this great king. Thank to You to telling this story for the RU-vid generation.

Bro you a G man, the only person I know touching on basotho history, you even made the effort of visiting the places thank you. Hope you enjoyed your visit ❤

“You have never heard of “ - took me out. That would be like me doing a video about Henry VII, saying “a king you have probably never heard of” but

“Wasn’t a fan of poetry” I love the low key humor.

My grate grand Mothers family who were from the Mbhele clan fled to thaba Boseho during the Mfecane wars and were taken in by King Moshoeshoe and subsequently changed their surname to Mpele to sound Sotho. Some of their clan then later moved to a place called now called De deur... And the rest is history.

Why you steal my bois opening horns, he uses it for his history channel. Another note a yt can't tell blacks about their history. Tell us where you came from

Did you voice a character on COD? like you also look like him wow

Always going to stop in the comments to endorse researchers/presenters for making the effort and research for the Nguni pronunciations and the ‘clicks’. Having lived in the region I ought to say those clicks aren’t easy to me but I also want to shout out for this guy that his pronunciation is excellent for other words. He’s made that error in the research deserves respect given many RU-vidrs just rush through and guess even easily looked European and other pronunciations.

This rural aread u people see wete supposed to be in all those farms in a basotho land called free stsate and the south of johanesburg