Rain Queens Family Tree

Most historical monarchies favored male rulers. Some excluded women entirely, while others allowed women to inherit only when no eligible male heir was available.

France historically prohibited women from reigning as monarchs. Under its traditional succession rules, the French throne passed through male heirs, and France never had a reigning queen in her own right.

The United Kingdom traditionally followed male-preference succession. A son could inherit ahead of an older daughter, although women could become monarchs when no eligible brothers existed.

Elizabeth II became queen because her father, George VI, had no sons. Under a strictly male-only succession system, the crown would instead have passed through her uncle's male line. The presenter argues that this alternative succession would eventually have produced a monarch called Richard IV.

Britain eventually introduced gender-equal royal succession. Under the revised rules, an older daughter no longer loses her place in the succession because she has a younger brother.

Applying gender-equal succession retrospectively would have transformed Britain's royal history. Queen Victoria's eldest child was a daughter, also named Victoria. Had absolute primogeniture applied, she would have succeeded as Victoria II instead of her younger brother becoming Edward VII, producing an entirely different subsequent royal lineage.

The Balobedu Rain Queens represent a rare monarchy organized around female succession. Unlike monarchies that merely permit female rulers, the Rain Queen institution was traditionally designed to pass royal authority through women.

The Rain Queens are hereditary rulers of the Balobedu people of South Africa. The Balobedu live in Limpopo province, in the northern part of South Africa near Zimbabwe.

The origins of the Rain Queen dynasty are surrounded by competing legends. The presenter explains that the surviving accounts disagree about exactly how the institution began, making it difficult to establish a definitive founding story.

The origin legends share two recurring elements: rainmaking powers and banishment following a serious transgression. Although the circumstances differ between versions, the establishment of the female royal line is associated with both a promise of supernatural authority over rainfall and some form of exile or punishment.

The Rain Queens trace their ancestry to a chief associated with the Kingdom of Mutapa. The various origin traditions agree on this broader ancestral connection, even though they disagree about the events that produced the female dynasty.

The Kingdom of Mutapa existed approximately from 1432 to 1760. It emerged as a successor state to the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe, connecting the Rain Queen tradition to a much older history of political authority in southern Africa.

The exclusively female line of Rain Queens began around 1800. Its founder was Maselekwane Modjadji I, who established the succession tradition approximately two centuries before the video's production.

Modjadji is the hereditary title shared by the Rain Queens. The presenter translates the title as “ruler of the day.” Successive rulers are distinguished by Roman numerals, beginning with Modjadji I.

The early Rain Queens lived in extreme seclusion. Ordinary people were forbidden from seeing or speaking to them, and access was restricted to a small group of trusted advisers.

The secrecy surrounding the early queens left major gaps in the historical record. The presenter could find no reliable visual representations of Modjadji I or Modjadji II, making their appearances unknown.

The Rain Queen's traditional authority was closely connected to the ability to produce rainfall. Her religious and ceremonial role distinguished her from monarchs whose authority rested primarily on political or military power.

A special rainmaking ceremony was traditionally performed every November. According to the belief described in the episode, the queen's participation guaranteed sufficient rain for the coming year.

Traditional succession involved the reigning queen's ritual suicide. Near the end of her life, a Rain Queen was expected to end her life ceremonially, allowing her eldest daughter to assume the royal position.

The female succession system also required alternatives when a queen had no daughter. Although succession normally followed a mother-to-daughter pattern, the dynasty could continue through another eligible female relative.

The Rain Queens influenced British popular literature during the reign of Modjadji II. British novelist H. Rider Haggard wrote She, a novel loosely inspired by the mysterious African monarchy.

Haggard's novel portrayed a powerful female ruler of a lost African kingdom. Its central character, known as “She-who-must-be-obeyed,” was portrayed as a mysterious woman who exercised extraordinary authority over her subjects.

The fictional queen differed substantially from the real Rain Queens. In the novel, she is revealed to be a roughly 2,000-year-old white woman of Arabian origin possessing supernatural powers, including an extraordinarily prolonged life.

The novel helped inspire South African leader Piet Joubert to seek an encounter with the actual Rain Queen. Fascinated by the mysterious ruler, he became determined to meet Modjadji II personally.

Piet Joubert surrounded the residence of Modjadji II and demanded an audience. His actions challenged the established custom that prohibited outsiders from seeing the queen.

The confrontation lasted three days before an elderly African woman was brought outside. She was carried on a litter and presented to Joubert, apparently satisfying his demand for an encounter.

The identity of the woman presented to Joubert remains uncertain. The presenter emphasizes that there is no way to establish whether she was genuinely Modjadji II or another woman presented in her place to preserve royal secrecy.

Modjadji II died without female offspring. Because she had no daughter to inherit the throne, the normal mother-to-daughter succession could not operate.

Modjadji II was succeeded by her niece, Modjadji III. Following the second queen's ritual suicide, authority passed to a daughter of one of her sisters, preserving the female royal lineage despite the absence of a direct daughter.

Modjadji III, Khesetoane Modjadji, ruled until the late 1950s. Her unusually long life meant that photography existed during her reign, allowing a visual record of the dynasty to survive.

Modjadji III is the earliest Rain Queen for whom the presenter could locate a photograph. From her reign onward, he was able to find photographs of every subsequent reigning queen discussed in the episode.

Modjadji IV, Makoma Modjadji, succeeded her mother, Modjadji III. This restored the more straightforward pattern of succession from a reigning queen to her daughter.

Modjadji IV married a man named Andreas Maake. The marriage is a significant recorded personal detail because the earlier queens had been associated with strict traditional customs and seclusion.

Modjadji IV and Andreas Maake had several children. Their children included the daughter who eventually inherited the Rain Queen title, allowing the dynasty to continue through the maternal line.

Mokope Modjadji became Modjadji V in 1981. She was the eldest daughter of Modjadji IV and succeeded her mother as the fifth ruler of the female dynasty.

Modjadji V was a contemporary of Nelson Mandela. The presenter reports that the two apparently maintained a good relationship, although he does not provide detailed evidence about their interactions.

Rare television footage of Modjadji V survives. The presenter identifies footage available through a South African television channel on YouTube, providing an additional historical record beyond photographs.

The expected successor to Modjadji V was her eldest daughter, Princess Makhaele. Under the normal succession arrangement, Makhaele would have become Modjadji VI after her mother's death.

Princess Makhaele died just two days before Modjadji V. The extremely close timing of the two deaths unexpectedly disrupted the planned succession.

The death of Princess Makhaele transferred the succession to her daughter. Rather than passing directly from Modjadji V to her eldest daughter, the throne was set to pass to her granddaughter, Makobo Modjadji.

Makobo was approximately 23 years old when she became the next eligible successor. Her grandmother's death and her mother's earlier death placed her in line for the throne at a relatively young age.

The Balobedu traditional leadership delayed Makobo's coronation for approximately two years. According to the presenter, the leaders waited until she reached 25 before formally installing her as the sixth Rain Queen.

Makobo Modjadji became Modjadji VI in 2003. Her accession continued the established female royal line despite the unexpected deaths of both her mother and grandmother.

Modjadji VI died after reigning for only about two years. Her death in 2005 ended one of the shortest reigns in the Rain Queen dynasty.

Makobo died at approximately 27 years of age. The presenter describes her death as sudden and resulting from a mysterious illness, emphasizing the uncertainty surrounding the circumstances.

The death of Modjadji VI generated considerable controversy. Questions about her illness and the circumstances of her death became entangled with disagreements over her conduct as queen.

Makobo was the first Rain Queen to receive a formal education. Her educational background distinguished her from earlier rulers, whose lives had been governed by more restrictive traditional arrangements.

Modjadji VI was also the first Rain Queen described as openly adopting a modern lifestyle. Her personal choices departed from the older image of a secluded monarch whose public and private life were tightly regulated by custom.

Makobo maintained a romantic relationship with a commoner. Her partner did not possess royal status, making the relationship controversial among those who favored more traditional expectations for the monarchy.

Makobo had a daughter with her commoner partner. That child, Masalanabo Modjadji, became central to the dynasty's future because she represented the next generation of the female royal line.

Some people suspected that Makobo might have been murdered because of her unconventional lifestyle. The presenter reports the suspicion that opponents of her modern approach may have wanted a more traditional queen, but presents no proof that she was killed.

The murder allegation remains speculation within the episode. The reported illness, Makobo's controversial personal choices, and the dissatisfaction of traditionalists do not establish that anyone deliberately caused her death.

The Balobedu monarchy was left without a reigning Rain Queen after 2005. Makobo's death created a prolonged vacancy because her daughter was still a child.

Makobo gave birth to Masalanabo shortly before her death. The existence of a daughter preserved the possibility of returning to the established female succession system without selecting a descendant from another branch.

Masalanabo Modjadji was approximately 14 years old when the video was recorded. The presenter describes her as the expected future monarch rather than an already installed queen.

A special ceremony held in South Africa in the year preceding the video publicly identified Masalanabo as the next Rain Queen. The ceremony represented an important step toward resolving the succession vacancy that had existed since 2005.

Masalanabo's accession was expected to become official when she turned 18 in 2023. This was the succession timetable presented in the episode, not a report of an event that had already occurred.

Masalanabo was expected to reign as Modjadji VII. Her succession would continue the numerical sequence of female monarchs established by Maselekwane Modjadji I.

Another possible successor existed within the royal family. Some Balobedu traditional leaders preferred an alternative candidate rather than Makobo's daughter.

The alternative succession involved a brother of Modjadji VI. This brother was serving as regent during the period without a reigning Rain Queen, giving him an established position within the royal administration.

The regent had married a female cousin from the traditional royal maternal line. This marriage was important because the Rain Queen institution required the monarch to descend through the female dynasty.

The regent and his cousin-wife had a daughter who could potentially inherit. Because her mother belonged to the recognized female royal line, she represented another possible candidate under the dynasty's matrilineal succession principles.

The competing succession candidates reflected different branches of the same royal family. Masalanabo claimed through her mother, Modjadji VI, while the alternative candidate's eligibility depended on her mother's descent from the female royal line.

The presenter's expectation was that Masalanabo would prevail. He considered her formal designation at the recent ceremony the strongest indication that she would become Modjadji VII, despite the alternative preferred by some traditional leaders.

Masalanabo's expected accession carried greater significance than simply restoring the dynasty. The presenter argues that she would inherit a higher level of formal recognition than several of her immediate predecessors.

The anticipated change in status was linked to the South African government's recognition of traditional monarchies. The government had revised which hereditary African rulers received official standing within the country's traditional leadership system.

South Africa is a republic, not a monarchy. The existence of hereditary African kings and queens within its borders does not make the South African state itself a monarchy.

Several South African communities maintain their own hereditary traditional rulers. These monarchs exercise authority or hold cultural status within their communities while remaining part of the wider South African republic.

Traditional recognition and government recognition are separate matters. A community may regard a hereditary leader as its legitimate monarch even when the national government does not formally recognize that person's royal position.

The Balobedu regarded the Rain Queens as monarchs before the South African government officially recognized their status. Their legitimacy within the community therefore predated formal recognition by the modern state.

The South African government recognized the Rain Queen institution in 2010, according to the episode. The presenter describes this as an addition to a short list of officially recognized traditional monarchies.

Government recognition would give the next Rain Queen formal royal standing within South Africa. Masalanabo was expected to become the first Rain Queen to take office under the recognition arrangements described by the presenter.

The new recognition would place Modjadji VII at the same formal rank as the Zulu king. The presenter identifies Goodwill Zwelithini, then the reigning Zulu monarch, as the comparison.

The presenter considers Masalanabo potentially the most powerful Rain Queen since Modjadji IV. This assessment concerns the enhanced official status of the monarchy rather than evidence that she would command greater territory, wealth, or military power.

Modjadji IV was Masalanabo's great-great-grandmother. The family connection traces through Modjadji IV's daughter Mokope Modjadji V, granddaughter Makobo Modjadji VI, and great-granddaughter Masalanabo Modjadji VII.

The succession history demonstrates that the Rain Queen institution was not always a simple mother-to-eldest-daughter arrangement. Modjadji II was succeeded by a niece because she had no daughter, while Modjadji V was succeeded by a granddaughter because her intended successor died first.

Despite interruptions, the dynasty preserved female-line royal legitimacy. The presenter distinguishes the eligibility of women belonging to the maternal royal line from the possibility of male relatives serving as regents.

The Rain Queens' historical identity combines hereditary leadership with sacred responsibility for rainfall. Their position is presented as both a royal office and a ceremonial role based on traditional beliefs about controlling the weather.

The Marvel superhero Storm is linked to the Rain Queens in the presenter's account. He identifies the real-life dynasty as an inspiration for the fictional character, whose supernatural abilities include controlling weather.

Storm's connection to rainmaking provides a modern cultural parallel to the traditional monarchy. Both the fictional superhero and the Rain Queens are associated with women possessing extraordinary power over atmospheric conditions, although the episode does not establish the precise creative history behind the character.

The presenter identifies the Balobedu Rain Queens as the only monarchy of their kind still existing at the time of the episode. His classification concerns hereditary succession reserved for women, rather than monarchies that simply allow women to reign.

The planned restoration of the Rain Queen would connect three distinct periods of the institution's history. The dynasty began with female succession around 1800, experienced a prolonged vacancy after 2005, and was expected to resume under a new system of official South African recognition.

The episode distinguishes the dynasty's legendary origins from its more documented recent history. Accounts of banishment, supernatural powers, and early succession rely heavily on tradition, while later generations can be examined through identified family relationships, photographs, television footage, and recorded coronations.

The story's central historical distinction is that female rule was the institution's defining principle rather than an exception. Whereas many European monarchies historically treated queens as substitutes when male heirs were unavailable, the Balobedu Rain Queen system developed around the succession of women and the preservation of a female royal lineage.