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The Uganda Martyrs are a group of 23 Anglican and 22 Catholic converts to Christianity in the historical kingdom of Buganda, now part of Uganda, who were executed between November 1885 and January 1887.〔(【引用サイトリンク】work=The Buganda Home Page )〕 They were killed on orders of Mwanga II, the ''Kabaka'' (King) of Buganda. The deaths took place at a time when there was a three-way religious struggle for political influence at the Buganda royal court. A few years later, the English Church Missionary Society used the deaths to enlist wider public support for the British acquisition of Uganda for the Empire.〔 The Catholic Church beatified the martyrs of its faith in 1920 and canonized them in 1964. ==Context == Publication in Britain of an 1875 letter purporting to be an invitation from the king of Buganda, Mutesa I, to send missionaries, resulted in the arrival of missionaries of the Anglican Church Missionary Society to Buganda in 1877. A group of French Catholic White Fathers appeared two years later. This was followed by a Zanzibar-based Arab attempt to introduce Islam. This effectively led to a three-way religious struggle for political influence at the Buganda royal court. By the mid-1880s, many had been converted by each of the three groups, and some of the converts held important posts at the king's court. Mutesa himself sympathized with Islam, but many prominent chiefs had become Christians.〔Mark R. Lipschutz, R. Kent Rasmussen, ''Dictionary of African Historical Biography'' (University of California Press 1989 ISBN 978-0-52006611-3), p. 164〕 Kabaka Mwanga II succeeded to the throne in 1884. He was concerned at the growing influence of Christianity and the rise of a new class of officials, distinct from the traditional territorial chiefs, who were educated, had a religious orientation, and wished to reform Ganda society.〔Mark R. Lipshutz, R. Kent Rasmussen, ''Dictionary of African Historical Biography'', University of California, 1986, p. 165〕 The German annexation of what is now Tanzania sparked further alarm. A year after becoming king he ordered the execution of Yusufu Rugarama, Makko Kakumba, and Nuwa/Noah Serwanga, who had converted to Christianity.〔 Encouraged by his prime minister, on 29 October 1885 he had the incoming Anglican bishop James Hannington assassinated on the eastern border of his kingdom. This is often taken to be the thoughtless action of a 19-year-old king, but, according to Ward, can also be interpreted as justifiable action intended to ward off any invasion.〔(Kevin Ward, "A History of Christianity in Uganda" in ''Dictionary of African Christian Biography'' )〕 Nevertheless, Mwanga did go on to appoint several Christians to important military positions.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Uganda Martyrs」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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