Mutesa II (1924-1969), a monarch of Buganda, was the last traditional ruler of the Ganda people in Uganda. He was a firm defender of his right to control the destinies of his kingdom in opposition to the rising tide for democratic principles of government within Uganda.

Edward Frederick William Walugembe Mutebi Luwangula Mutesa was born on Nov. 19, 1924, the son of the reigning kabaka, or monarch, Sir Daudi Chwa II. Mutesa's early education was conducted under private auspices and then at King's College, Budo. When his father died in 1939, he was selected to succeed him as kabaka; the state remained under the control of three regents until Mutesa's coming of age in 1942. From 1943 to 1945 Mutesa studied at Makerere University College, Kampala, and from 1945 to 1948 he read history, economics, and law at Magdalene College, Cambridge University.

Mutesa II attained international prominence in 1953. In that year the British secretary of state...