Editing Buganda (section)

===Sphere of Influence===
Buganda was by far the most powerful kingdom/empire in the Great Lakes region of Africa with the most advanced and sophisticated state institutions. Most neighboring kingdoms paid tribute to the Ganda kings; even the powerful Bunyoro-Kitara kingdom sent their tribute with Kabaka Mutesa boasting of Mukama Kumurasi of Bunyoro paying tribute to him. Unlike Bunyoro, which validated tribute from other states via claims from myth and traditional history, Buganda subjugated its neighbors by using violence or the threat of violence to terrorize their neighbors into sending tribute.<ref name="jstor.org">{{cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/178221|title=Ecological Variables in the Origin and Evolution of African States: the Buganda Example|page=359|jstor=178221 |last1=Kottak |first1=Conrad P. |journal=Comparative Studies in Society and History |date=1972 |volume=14 |issue=3 |doi=10.1017/S0010417500006721 |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Christopher Wrigley |year=2002 |title=Kingship and State: The Buganda Dynasty |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nWKAFW9oVJcC |publisher=University of Cambridge Press |pages=66 |isbn=9780521894357}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/nyorostate0000beat/mode/2up|title= The Nyoro State|date= 1971|page=254|isbn= 978-0-19-823171-4|last1= Beattie|first1= John|publisher= Clarendon Press}}</ref>

Beyond Buganda's borders, there was a wide domain of influence and depredation. Kabakas launched regular raids and interfered in succession disputes to secure pliant puppet rulers. There were sizeable kingdoms to Bugandas east, but they were still not comparable to Buganda. To the west were drier grasslands where large herds of long-horned Ankole cattle were poorly defended by the [[Kingdom of Ankole]]. The Ankole kingdom would send large herds of cattle, in order to keep the peace with the kings of Buganda.<ref name="Cambridge University Press">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aUV2uQAACAAJ|title=The Baganda: An Account of Their Native Customs and Beliefs|date=2011 |page=234|publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-03139-4 }}</ref> The western and southern kingdoms were minuscule and raided unmercifully by Buganda's army. Rumanika, the king of [[Kingdom of Karagwe|Karagwe]], told [[John Hanning Speke]] that the [[Baganda]] "have been making constant raids, seizing cattle and slaves from the surrounding countries". The [[Haya people|Haya kingdoms]] on the coasts of the [[Kagera Region]] could not offer any resistance to Buganda's attacks by land and sea. Within the interior of the [[Kagera Region]], The larger [[Kingdom of Karagwe]] acknowledged Buganda's superior power and accepted its suzerainty.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nWKAFW9oVJcC
 | title=Kingship and State: The Buganda Dynasty|page=66 | isbn=9780521894357 | last1=Wrigley | first1=Christopher | date=16 May 2002 | publisher=Cambridge University Press }}</ref>

The once great kingdom of Bunyoro lay to Bugandas northwest frontier and was always on the defensive, being constantly raided by Buganda's armies. The Banyoro angrily referred to Buganda as "Mhwahwa" (land of wild dogs) due to this. Buganda assisted a rebel prince in breaking away from Bunyoro and forming the [[Tooro Kingdom]]. This was of great benefit for Buganda and gave it more secure access to strategic trade routes while weakening its rival.<ref>{{cite book |author=Christopher Wrigley |year=2002 |title=Kingship and State: The Buganda Dynasty |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nWKAFW9oVJcC |publisher=University of Cambridge Press |pages=66|isbn=9780521894357}}</ref>

Busoga supplied Buganda with slaves as a form of tribute, to palliate and strike bon accord with the Baganda.<ref name="The Slave Trade of Eastern Africa">{{cite book|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Slave_Trade_of_Eastern_Africa/DAz5AlTdJ_8C?hl=en|title=The Slave Trade of Eastern Africa|page=194}}</ref>
{{blockquote|The Basoga never entered Uganda [Buganda] without bringing large numbers of goats and cows as presents, and they often brought slaves too. The King [Kabaka] frequently demanded cattle and women of them, and thus obtained much wealth. Whenever a principal chief in Busoga died, there was much quarreling as to who should be his successor; and these disputes brought wealth to Uganda, whither each aspirant came to have his claims investigated.}}<ref name="Cambridge University Press"/>

Even areas as distant as the Kenyan border were not safe from Ganda invasions and plunder.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books/about/Revolution_in_Buganda.html?id=lTfsMgEACAAJ&redir_esc=y|title=Revolution in Buganda, 1850-1900|page=168}}</ref>