history

The history of the Zulu people began in the late 17th century with the Bantu people living in small family groups and partly nomadic Nguni clans in the eastern region of Africa. Because they needed to search for food and pastureland for their cattle they expanded to the southern region of Africa, today’s Natal. There they lived in loose groups each ruled by a head for about a century.

By the 19th century the Zulu people consisted of 1.500 members and were descended of the big Mthethwa group who had settled south the Umfolozi-River. The illegitimate first born son of the Zulu leader named Shaka was sent to another tribe because he was denied the position of the heir so he tried to assert himself by joining the army of the Mthethwa group. While he served there he developed new fighting tactics and weapons which brought him recognition because they were totally different from any up until then known or used by the tribes.

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After his father died and his brothers were defeated by the Ndwandwe tribe Shaka became the leader of the Zulu people and united the Mthethwa, the Zulu and other local beaten tribes which made them one of the ruling tribes in South Africa and the Zulu empire was built.

Furthermore he introduced new military laws, trained male Zulu his tactics and fighting skills and began a brutal expansion outwards by vanquishing smaller tribes and integrating their women and kids. As a result the Zulu tribe grew bigger and bigger so that Shaka dared to challenge the leader of the Ndwandwe tribe. With their new tactics the Zulu crushed the Ndwandwe and their victory circulated around other tribes. Some joined the Zulu because of their overall success but there were also tribes who adopted Zulu techniques and copied their brutal way of fighting which led to a bloody period of war named Mfecane or the crushing and over a million of deaths amongst the tribes.

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Shaka was murdered by his half-brother Dingane in 1828 who became the new king of the Zulu tribe and relaxed the strict military laws introduced by Shaka. With that the Zulu tribe wasn’t a big thread for other tribes anymore and the inner conflict also relaxed. But a new problem came up: the dutch settlers who conquered the south-eastern regions of Africa. At first they had a friendly relationship but then Dingane ordered to massacre dutch tracks (the reason for that can only be guessed). This led to the Battle of Bloody River in 1838 in which the Dutch slaughtered thousands of Zulu and took down Dingane with the help of Dinganes brother Mpande who became the next Zulu king.

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Mpande didn't want to fight but rather to negotiate. Thereupon the Zulu made concessions to the Boers (which were the dutch settlers) so Zulu territory was restricted and added to the land of the Boers. However that alliance was made difficult due to the British. To define the border of the British and the Zulu territory they had made a treaty. Therefore any new concessions to the Boers were interpreted by the British as a violation of that treaty. In 1842 the conflict escalated and the British triumphed over the Boers so Mpande turned away from the Boers. Many Zulu saw a weak king in Mpande because he couldn't assert the Zulu over the settlers thus they fled to nearby land with their cattle. Mpande tried to get them back by invading Swaziland but the British ordered him to withdraw what he did in the end.

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Meanwhile gained Mpandes second son Cetshwayo influence through killing his older brother along with his supporters. He took over his fathers reign little by little and became with the death of Mpande in 1872 officially the Zulu king. He also intended to maintain the balance between the British and the Boers like his father first did but without making concessions.

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Unfortunately Britain focused and extended its control on South Africa especially because of the ongoing diamond rush. The attempts of oppression of the native people and the demands to disband the Zulu army resulted in the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879. At first the Zulu had a major victory in the Battle of Isandhlwana which was a huge embarrassment for the British. But they returned about half a year later with a larger army and far superior weapons and tactics so the Zulu were finished off in the Battle of Ulundi.

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The following division of Zululand into 13 separate Kingdoms caused anarchy and civil war. Not even Cetshwayo could stabilize the situation and was killed by a rival in 1884. His son Dinuzulu tried to get the Boers to assist with their military but soon after Britain annexed the Boers territory as well as the Zululand in 1887 and Dinuzulu was sent into exile. With that the Zulu lost their independence and the Zulu empire was no more.

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Today most of the Zulu people live in KwaZulu-Natal which is a province located in former Zululand on the east coast of South Africa. Throughout the years there were still Zulu kings but they only held representative tasks.