Zulu Kingdom

By: Connor Owens, Zach Cyphers, and Francis Stine

Who• Shaka Zulu

– Shaka was from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and ruled from 1816-1828

• What facilitated the creation of the empire: – Shaka had been a solider before becoming the leader of the Zulu

chiefdom. So he knew that he the fastest way to grow there Kingdom was by conquering and controlling other tribes. He taught this to the people of his Zulu kingdom once they respected him more. One tactic that Shaka used to strengthen and toughen his military is he had them jump of thorn bushes to prove their strength. His military reform was what helped the most to expand his kingdom.

Where• KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa• Empire/kingdom changes over time:

– In 1816, Shaka won control over the Zulu kingdom and turned it into a military machine, but towards the later half of the century, Great Britain took over and took away the kingdom's independence

– Shaka was the leader of this empire for a long time, but when he was assassinated, the empire started to weaken

When

• The Zulu Empire began in the early 1800’s and it started to thrive when Shaka began to rule in 1816

What

• Key Information– Shaka had many reforms he put in place like social, political, cultural,

and military reforms; military being the most important, which helped them grow. Also, he enacted a reform which provided full equality, allowing military status to be based on merit rather than your birth status.

• Religion– Zulu Religion

• Relations with Neighbors– They were hostile with neighboring countries because they would

invade and conquer to expand their power. The neighboring countries did not like this because they were becoming the most powerful kingdom in the southern part of Africa.

What - Continued

• Relations With Europeans– They continuously clashed with the British territory after

Shaka’s death. They felt that the weaponry they Europeans used was useless to them because by the time that they could reload they would be surrounded by spearmen. So they never adopted the advanced weaponry and continued to fight using there spears and shields to fight the British.

How• Zulu Kingdom’s Rise To Power

– The Zulu Kingdom rose mainly under the rule of Shaka. Shaka created an army of warriors who defeated many of kingdoms and he established his Zulu nation. During his rule, Shaka created one of the strongest empires ever in Africa, mainly because of his very strong military

• Zulu Kingdom’s Decline– The Zulu Kingdom started to decline in the 1800’s when Great Britain invaded

their territory and divided the kingdom. During the 1900’s the Zulu kingdom was dominated by white governments and after this, the Zulu never regained their independence.

Why• Why was the empire significant?

– The Zulu kingdom forced the people of other tribes to cause a great migration.– The movement of tribes created a power shift in South Africa due to the fact that Africa

had not really had any large powerful kingdoms– The Mfecane opened up a path for new rulers to rise in Africa

• Why was it not conquered during the early era of exploration?– The kingdom had a powerful army and was a threat to colonies nearby– It had not been conquered in the early 1800’s because of how strong its military was at

the time. But Europeans soon came to the land with more advanced weapons and stronger military.

– The Mfecane crushed tribes with the powerful army that Shaka created

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