Ludvonga I
King of the Swazi people
Reign1685 to 1715
PredecessorMagudulela
SuccessorDlamini III
Died1715 (1716)
SpouseLomakhetfwa, Dzambile
Issue
Dynasty Dlamini
FatherMagudulela
ReligionAfrican traditional religion

Ludvonga I was a Swazi king from c.1685 to 1715. He was the founder of the line that would establish the early modern Kingdom of Eswatini.[1]

Following his death in 1715, the kingship passed to his son Dlamini III.

Oral histories collected by the Swaziland Oral History Project note that Prince Hlubi Dlamini was the heir apparent but never ascended the throne following his father King Ludvonga I's death due to threats to his life within the royal family and his brother Dlamini III took over the reign instead.[2]

References

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  1. ^ In Pursuit of Swaziland's Precolonial Past: Kulandza Umlandvo (PDF). Manzini, Swaziland: Macmillan Boleswa Publishers. 1990. pp. 43–54. ISBN 0-333-47907-6. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  2. ^ Westcott, M.; Hamilton, Carolyn A. (1992). In the Tracks of the Swazi Past: A Historical Tour of the Ngwane and Ndwandwe Kingdoms (PDF). Manzini, Swaziland: Macmillan Boleswa Publishers (Pty) Ltd. pp. 18–20. ISBN 0-333-47908-4. Retrieved 16 December 2025.