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Matetwa Empire
In Look to the West, the Matetwa Empire, which formed in the 1750s, has in TTL replaced the OTL Zulu polity as the largest power in southern Africa during the seventeenth century. The largest difference from OTL is that during Dingiswayo's expulsion from the Matetwa Empire during his brother Mawewe's coup, he travels to Delgola Bay and finds out new ideas directly from Portugese traders (rather than Hottentot Bushmen in OTL). This leads to many stronger military and social reforms than OTL as well as being adopted much earlier.
Another large divergence is that Shaka distinguishes himself during the Matetwa-Nadwandwe Wars of the late 1790s and becomes a high level advisor in Dingiswayo's Boma (court). The Zulu tribes never becomes more than a minor tribe and is eventually subsumed into the Swazi tribe.
Dingiswayo and his aide, Shaka presided over a huge expansion. In 1805, the Nadwandwe are finally destroyed making the Matetwa the dominant power of Southern Africa. Dingiswayo also completely subsumed the Swazi and the Gaza directly into the Matetwa Empire by 1812.
List of Kings since 1768
1768-1790: Jobe
1790-1796: Mawewe
1796- : Dingiswayo