Shaka Zulu (c. 1787–1828) was among the most historically significant kings of the Zulus, an African tribal confederation that mounted stiff resistance to European colonization in the nineteenth century. In a series of brutal wars during his twelve-year reign, Shaka built an empire that spread over a large part of what is now South Africa and created an army capable of fighting British invasions later that century.
Hundreds of thousands of people were killed during the wars Shaka launched to build his empire. Still, he remains a folk hero, and his name is a rallying cry to Zulus, now one of South Africa’s largest ethnic groups.
Shaka was the son of a Zulu chieftain, but his mother became estranged from his father, and both mother and son were banished when Shaka was six years old. After his father’s death in 1816, Shaka returned from exile to claim the throne and unleashed a wave of death upon his opponents.
He also began subjugating neighboring tribes (Zulu means “high above,” or “heavenly”) and absorbing them into his empire. In the process, he turned the Zulu military into a formidable force, deploying new types of weapons, organizing his warriors into fighting units, and instilling a warrior ethos.
In 1828, Shaka was assassinated by his half-brother, who took over the empire Shaka had established. The Zulu kingdom lasted until 1879, when Shaka’s nephew, Cetsh-wayo (c. 1827–1884), was defeated by the British in the bloody Anglo-Zulu War.
Shaka’s memory, however, has continued to play a significant role in South Africa. During the apartheid era, Zulus formed the core of the Inkatha Freedom Party, and images of Shaka were often used as potent symbols of native power during the antiapartheid struggle.
ADDITIONAL FACTS
- In 2008, the Grammy Award–winning South African band Ladysmith Black Mambazo released a tribute album to the Zulu king, Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu.
- A made-for-TV miniseries, Shaka Zulu, aired in 1986, with South African actor Henry Cele (1949–2007) in the title role.
- The American civil rights leader and Black Panther official James Forman (1928–2005) named his son Shaka after the Zulu monarch.
