Ankole was a traditional Bantu kingdom in Uganda and lasted from the 15th century until 1967. The kingdom was located in south-western Uganda, east of Lake Edward. History Ankole Kingdom is located in the South-Western region of Uganda bordering Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The kingdom was ruled by a monarch known as the Mugabe or Omugabe. The people of Ankole are called Banyankore (singular: Munyankore) in Runyankole language, a Bantu language. Under the Empire of Kitara Before the collapse of the Empire of Kitara in the 15th century, Ankole, or as it was known back then, Karo-Karungi ‘the good millet’, was a small and remote area on the edges of the empire. Founding According to legend, the first (and semi-legendary) king of Ankole, Ruhinda Rwa Njunaki, was born as the illegitimate son of Wamara (or Ndahura), the last emperor of the Empire of Kitara. His mother was known as Njunaki and was a servant in the king's palace. During the collapse of the empire, the throne was usurped by the Bunyoro and Wamara was forced to flee to Ntusi where he formed his new capital with a group of Bahima followers. Ruhinda was left behind and disguised as the keeper of the royal drum. After a while, Ruhinda fled the capital with some regalia and joined his father in Ntusi. Eventually, Ruhinda left with a group of followers on an expedition to Buzinza and Karagwe, where he, according to some sources, conquered pre-existing agricultural authorities, establishing the Kingdom of Karagwe. While he was gone, Ntusi was raided by invaders (most likely the Bunyoro to get back the regalia), killing Wamara and most of the people living there. When Ruhinda returned, he found that only his mother and older brother were alive. He took them and escaped to what was to become Nkore. When he came to the area, he found that it was already ruled and forced the leader to flee and declared himself king, establishing the Kingdom of Karo-Karungi. The original area of the kingdom was a little larger than the modern-day Isingiro District. He then built his capital at Mweruka but later moved it to Rurama where his first son would be born. Eventually, he would entrust the kingdom to his son Nkuba, leaving with a group of followers to return to Karagwe. However, other sources say this was when he actually conquered the area