Born in 1924, Robert Gabriel Mugabe was educated in missionary schools and received the first of his seven degrees from South Africa's Fort Hare University.
Returning to Rhodesia in 1960 he joined Joshua Nkomo's Zimbabwe African People's Union (Zapu) but left three years later to form the rival Zimbabwe African National Union (Zanu).
Jailed without trial for 10 years he left Rhodesia for neighbouring Mozambique in 1974 and led the largest of the guerrilla forces fighting a protracted and bloody war against the Smith government.
After months of negotiations the 1979 Lancaster House agreement set the seal on a Rhodesian peace deal and Mr Mugabe returned home to a rapturous welcome from black supporters.
He initially built a coalition government with Mr Nkomo, whose Zapu forces had also fought the Smith government, but the discovery of a large arms cache at Zapu-owned houses led to Mr Nkomo's dismissal from government.
A brutal crackdown on Zapu supporters followed, leading many commentators to compare Mr Mugabe's own approach to political opposition with that during the time of white rule.
The collapse of the coalition allowed Mr Mugabe to strengthen his hold on power
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