The Obituary
The Zulu Kingdom emerged from the upheavals of early 19th-century southern Africa, when Shaka transformed a small chiefdom into a formidable military state through disciplined regiments and new tactics. By the time of his death in 1828 the Zulu dominated the region. The kingdom’s most famous moment came in 1879, when, resisting British invasion, Zulu warriors annihilated a British column at Isandlwana. But British numbers and firepower prevailed within months. The victors broke the kingdom into rival chiefdoms, and in 1897 it was formally absorbed into the British colony of Natal.
Worth remembering
- Shaka is credited with reforming Zulu tactics with the short stabbing spear (iklwa) and the 'horns of the buffalo' encirclement.
- At Isandlwana in 1879 the Zulu inflicted one of the worst defeats a British army ever suffered against an indigenous force.
Sources
A graveyard tradition: leave a stone to show you came, and remembered.