Shaka zulu children
Another decisive battle eventually took place on the Mhlatuze river, at the confluence with the Mvuzane stream. In a two-day running battle, the Zulu inflicted a resounding defeat on their opponents. Shaka then led a fresh reserve some kilometres 70 mi to the royal kraal of Zwide, ruler of the Ndwandwe, and destroyed it. Zwide himself escaped with a handful of followers before falling foul of a chieftainess named Mjanji, ruler of a Babelu clan.
Shaka zulu history
He died in mysterious circumstances soon afterwards. Zwide's general Soshangane of the Shangaan moved north towards what is now Mozambique to inflict further damage on less resistant foes and take advantage of slaving opportunities, obliging Portuguese traders to give tribute. Shaka later had to contend again with Zwide's son Sikhunyane in Shaka granted permission to Europeans to enter Zulu territory on rare occasions.
In the mids Henry Francis Fynn provided medical treatment to the king after an assassination attempt by a rival tribe member hidden in a crowd see account of Nathaniel Isaacs. To show his gratitude, Shaka permitted European settlers to enter and operate in the Zulu kingdom. Shaka observed several demonstrations of European technology and knowledge, but he held that the Zulu way was superior to that of the foreigners.
Dingane and Mhlangana, Shaka's half-brothers, appear to have made at least two attempts to assassinate Shaka before they succeeded, with perhaps support from Mpondo elements and some disaffected iziYendane people. Shaka had made enough enemies among his own people to hasten his demise. It came relatively quickly after the death of his mother, Nandi, in October , and the devastation caused by Shaka's subsequent erratic behaviour.
According to Donald Morris, Shaka ordered that no crops should be planted during the following year of mourning, no milk the basis of the Zulu diet at the time was to be used, and any woman who became pregnant was to be killed along with her husband. At least 7, people who were deemed to be insufficiently grief-stricken were executed, although the killing was not restricted to humans: cows were slaughtered so that their calves would know what losing a mother felt like.
Shaka was killed by three assassins sometime in ; September is the most frequently cited date, when almost all available Zulu manpower had been sent on yet another mass sweep to the north. This left the royal kraal critically lacking in security.
It was all the conspirators needed—they being Shaka's half-brothers, Dingane and Mhlangana, and an iNduna called Mbopa. A diversion was created by Mbopa, and Dingane and Mhlangana struck the fatal blows. Shaka's corpse was dumped by his assassins in an empty grain pit, which was then filled with stones and mud. The exact location is unknown.
A monument was built at one alleged site. Shaka's half-brother Dingane assumed power and embarked on an extensive purge of pro-Shaka elements and chieftains, running over several years, in order to secure his position. The initial problem Dingane faced was maintaining the loyalty of the Zulu fighting regiments, or amabutho.
He addressed this by allowing them to marry and set up homesteads which was forbidden during Shaka's rule and they also received cattle from Dingane. Loyalty was also maintained through fear, as anyone who was suspected of rivaling Dingane was killed. He set up his main residence at Mgungundlovu and established his authority over the Zulu kingdom.
Dingane ruled for some twelve years, during which time he fought, disastrously, against the Voortrekkers, and against another half-brother, Mpande, who, with Boer and British support, took over the Zulu leadership in , ruling for some 30 years. Some older histories have doubted the military and social innovations customarily attributed to Shaka, denying them outright, or attributing them variously to European influences.
More modern researchers argue that such explanations fall short, and that the general Zulu culture, which included other tribes and clans, contained a number of practices that Shaka could have drawn on to fulfill his objectives, whether in raiding, conquest or hegemony.
Shaka zulu biography and history
Some of these practices are shown below. Shaka is often said to have been dissatisfied with the long throwing assegai, and is credited with having introduced a new variant of the weapon: the iklwa , a short stabbing spear with a long, broad, and sword-like spearhead. Though Shaka probably did not invent the iklwa.
He outsourced from Nzama, who later had a feud with him because Shaka did not want to pay for the spears. According to Zulu scholar John Laband, the leader did insist that his warriors train with the weapon, which gave them a "terrifying advantage over opponents who clung to the traditional practice of throwing their spears and avoiding hand-to-hand conflict.
It is also supposed that Shaka introduced a larger, heavier version of the Nguni shield.
Furthermore, it is believed that he taught his warriors how to use the shield's left side to hook the enemy's shield to the right, exposing the enemy's ribs for a fatal spear stab. In Shaka's time, these cowhide shields were supplied by the king, and they remained the king's property. Different coloured shields distinguished different amabutho within Shaka's army.
Some had black shields, others used white shields with black spots, and some had white shields with brown spots, while others used pure brown or white shields. The story that sandals were discarded to toughen the feet of Zulu warriors has been noted in various military accounts such as The Washing of the Spears, Like Lions They Fought, and Anatomy of the Zulu Army.
Implementation was typically blunt. Those who objected to going without sandals were simply killed. Shaka drilled his troops frequently, in forced marches that sometimes covered more than 80 kilometres 50 mi a day in a fast trot over hot, rocky terrain. He also drilled the troops to carry out encirclement tactics.
Shaka zulu biography for kids
Historian John Laband dismisses these stories as myth, writing: "What are we to make, then, of [European trader Henry Francis] Fynn's statement that once the Zulu army reached hard and stony ground in , Shaka ordered sandals of ox-hide to be made for himself? Laband also dismissed the idea of an kilometre 50 mi march in a single day as ridiculous.
They spent two whole days recuperating in one instance, and on another they rested for a day and two nights before pursuing their enemy. This Zulu nation ruled a large area of southern Africa , between the Phongolo and Mzimkhulu rivers. His leadership and his energy make him one of the greatest Zulu chieftains. However, there were also brutal and cruel things that happened when he was in charge.
While the central group took on the bulk of the enemy army, the flanking regiments would circle around and attack from the back, preventing any from escaping. The military style that Shaka invented proved to be successful long after his death. At the Battle of Isandlwana , British general Lord Chelmsford and his men accidentally stumbled upon 20, Zulu warriors who were resting on the day of the new moon.
Chelmsford and his forces were completely overwhelmed by the bull horn formation and retreated, after losing over 1, soldiers. The Zulus still hold on to some of these warrior rituals to this day. Groups of them perform traditional warrior dances dressed in full regalia but with smaller ornamental shields:.
King shaka zulu biography
You can see a traditional Zulu warrior dance on the YouTube video below. Note: Zulu women did not wear tops, so the women in the video are topless. There is nothing whatever sexual about it, but I did want to tell you beforehand. One of the most widely used instruments of war was the Zulu shield. Shaka designed the original shield himself, lengthening it to cover the entire body so that warriors could engage in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy.
In the image below, you can see that the shields were designed so that warriors could carry their weapons directly behind them into battle. We decided to make some Zulu shields of our own with drawing paper and cardboard. To keep the colors authentic, we used neutrals and tans to evoke the cowhide that Zulu warriors used for their shields.
Shaka zulu movie cast: Shaka was a famous leader and warrior of the Zulu people. He created a great Zulu empire in southern Africa in the early s. The empire covered the northeastern part of what is now the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
How did he do it? Reading his life story will help you understand the traits of a true leader. Would you like to unite peoples when you grow up? Then be inspired by biography book for kids age 9 to