ABSTRACT
Until the reign of Mswati contact with the Europeans was indirect, and its effect was more psychological than economic or political. The first Europeans entered Southern Africa before the different tribes were united into the Swazi nation. Swazi government remained apparently unchanged by the presence of Europeans in the early years of Mbandzeni's reign. Swazi were subjugated through concessions, a type of economic warfare eventually sanctioned by powerful European governments. The death of Mbandzeni was followed by a period of national unrest, intensified, yet superficially restrained, by the presence of Europeans. The European conquerors used economic pressure of a type incomprehensible to their opponents, although this economic pressure was in fact backed by the power of force. Mbandzeni saw his heritage dwindling, his domain restricted by European boundary commissions, his power questioned by European governments. Mbandzeni attempted to control the Europeans through their own institutions, and at the same time to retain his sovereignty.
