Nelson Mandela was married three times – his wives were called Evelyn, Winnie and Graca.
Originally it was expected that Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela would marry young. His family had been a respected one with royal connections, but had become much poorer. Nelson Mandela was able to go to school and afterwards to Fort Hare University, but did not finish his degree as, even at this early age, he was actively involved in politics and was expelled for joining a student protest. So after this, the senior members of his family decided it would be best for him, and a cousin who was also involved in the rebellion, to settle down near his family (in the Transkei region of South Africa) and have an arranged marriage, rather than taking any more money for education.
However, Mandela and his cousin were determined to avoid marriage and a settled life at this point, so they stole a pair of oxen, sold them and used the money to help pay for a law course in Johannesburg; this started Mandela on his career of working for the anti-apartheid struggle.
In fact his first marriage took place about 4 years after this, in 1944 when Mandela was 26. He married Evelyn Mase, a nurse from a family who were also involved in political activism, though she herself wasn’t very interested in politics. They had four children, two boys and two girls, but one of the girls died young. Over the years the marriage came under strain as Mandela became more and more involved in politics, especially after joining the ANC (African National Congress). Eventually Evelyn divorced her husband in 1958, citing adultery as the reason – he was by this time involved with Winnie Madikizela who would later become his second wife. Evelyn brought up the children herself, eventually dying in 2004.
Nomzamo Winfreda Madikizela was born in 1936, making her much younger than her husband who was born in 1918. She was and is politically active in her own right, and when she first met Mandela in 1957 had completed a degree in social work. They began an affair almost at once and married soon after his divorce from Evelyn in 1958. In the next two years they had two daughters, but their married life effectively ended in 1963 when he was imprisoned by the South African government, in a sentence that would eventually last for 27 years.
In those years Winnie Mandela acted as her husband’s spokesperson and representative as well as becoming a famous anti-apartheid campaigner in her own name. There were a number of controversies associated with her campaign, as she was often accused of using violent tactics. She and her colleagues were even accused of murder, and she did receive a jail sentence at one time, but didn’t serve it and most charges were dropped.
When Nelson Mandela was released in 1990, the marriage, which had survived his imprisonment, did not last long and they divorced in 1992. They continued to be friends and Winnie has also been on friendly terms with Mandela’s third wife.
He married Graca Machel in 1998. Born in 1945, she is a politician from Mozambique, and mainly continued to live there throughout their marriage. She is now Minister for Education in Mozambique. Although there was a big difference in age and the couple had to spend a lot of time apart due to their work, the marriage is said to have been a very happy one. At Nelson Mandela’s funeral his second and third wives were seen hugging and comforting each other.
You can read more about Mandela’ public and private life here.