What was the Prazo system?
The prazo system was a system of slavery that saw men and women being forcibly attached to the farms. Men were forcibly conscripted into the armies of the prazeros. These armies were known as the chikunda forces. These prazos became powerful and independent.
How did the Portuguese gain control of the Mutapa?
The Portuguese gained control of Mutapa by helping to overthrow their rulers and replace him with a ruler that the Portuguese themselves could control. This conquest signaled the increased European interference in African affairs.
Why did the mutapa empire decline?
Prospering thanks to its local resources of gold and ivory, the kingdom traded with Muslim merchants on the coast of East Africa and then the Portuguese during the 16th century CE. The kingdom went into decline when it was weakened by civil wars, and the Portuguese conquered its territory around 1633 CE.
What led to the decline of mutapa state?
The exhaustion of minerals like gold. The coming of imperial European powers who competed to control the state. Portuguese interference for example the installation of puppet rulers like Mavhura Mhande. The Portuguese also supplied weapons to rival chiefs and often interfered in civil wars.
What is the meaning of mutapa?
lord of metals
The chiefs or kings of the Shona held the royal title Mwene Mutapa, meaning either ‘lord of metals’ or ‘master pillager’ and they were, too, the religious head of the kingdom. They wore or carried as their badge of office a hoe and spear made of gold and ivory.
Why was Kilwa an important center of trade?
Kilwa became an important center of trade because of its rich trade port which was located in south Africa. Trade flourished in the geostrategic location. The Muslim slave trade took place on the East African Coast. Slaves were brought to Persia and Arabia to be sold in the markets; 1,000 slaves were traded a year.
Did the mutapa empire thrived on the trade of diamonds?
The Mutapa Empire thrived on the trade of diamonds. The system that banned social contact between blacks and whites and segregated schools and neighborhoods was called integration.
What factors might have led to the decline of Great Zimbabwe?
Causes suggested for the decline and ultimate abandonment of the city of Great Zimbabwe have included a decline in trade compared to sites further north, the exhaustion of the gold mines, political instability, and famine and water shortages induced by climatic change.
Why did the Kingdom of mutapa fall?
The Portuguese & Decline Around 1633 CE the Portuguese chose a more aggressive policy to control the region’s resources and cut out their great rivals, the Swahili merchants. They attacked and conquered the kingdom of Mutapa, which was already weakened by damaging civil wars, causing its internal collapse.
How did the Mutapas support the Prazo system?
The Mutapas got military assistance and support in return. Other prazeros used dubious means to acquire the lands they used as prazeros however. The prazo system was deeply rooted in the feudal system practised in Europe (Portugal) and was transported to parts of Africa and Brazil by the Portuguese.
What was the effect of the Prazo system?
These were some of the effects of the Prazo system: It led to Portuguese controlling more land. The Chikundas soldiers used by Portuguese to guard their land and supplies) became extremely powerful. Slavery and slave trade began. It led to de-Africanization of the African society. African chiefs lost their political powers to the prazeros.
When did Siti Kazurukamusapa take over the Prazo system?
When Mavhura died in 1653 he was replaced by Siti Kazurukamusapa who was on the Portuguese payroll. He allied with the Dominicans and was given the name Domingos after he had been baptized. He faced a rebellion in 1654 which was put down with the help of the Portuguese. However by 1663 the state was ungovernable.
What was the purpose of the prazo estate?
A prazo was a large estate leased to colonists, settlers and traders in Portuguese Africa to exploit the continent’s resources. Prazos operated like a semi-feudal system and were most commonly found in the Zambezi River valley.