Lerotholi

Lerotholi succeeded his father Letsie I as paramount chief of the Basotho. His rule came during a period of increasing British colonial control and economic change in Basutoland.

Lerotholi opposed British efforts to alienate Basotho land for European settlers. He successfully resisted land sales, preserving communal land ownership for the Basotho people.

Lerotholi introduced a formal code of customary law, known as the Lerotholi Code, to codify Basotho traditions and legal practices. This code became the basis for customary law in Lesotho.