Robert Mugabe rose from humble beginnings as a peasant herd-boy through stages as a teacher, political prisoner and guerrilla leader.
An intellectual who initially embraced Marxism as he worked his way through six university degrees, he was hailed as a liberator when he won 1980 elections which ended white-minority rule.
But as he entrenched himself in power over the following decades he faced growing opposition, induced by the perception that he ran a ruthless and corrupt government which enriched itself while the people became poorer.
Born on February 21st, 1924, at Kutama Mission north-west of Harare, Robert Gabriel Mugabe had a Jesuit education and as president regularly lectures his people on questions of morality. He has spoken against homosexuality. He qualified as a primary school teacher at 17 but took his first steps to politics when he left teaching to attend Fort Hare University in South Africa.
There, before graduating in 1951, he came into contact with many of southern Africa's future black nationalist leaders.
He embarked on a political career in 1960 as an official in a series of banned black nationalist political parties. He was detained with other leaders in 1964. He used the next 10 years to study and to consolidate his Zimbabwe African National Union position. He emerged from prison in 1974 as ZANU leader.
Mugabe then left for neighbouring Mozambique, from where his banned party had begun launching guerrilla attacks into Rhodesia.
After coming to power he announced a policy of reconciliation with the country's white minority, but now regularly blames it for many of Zimbabwe's problems. In the early years he was widely credited with improving health and education.
He began free-market reforms in 1991, but the IMF has suspended aid because the reforms are not on track.