#zululand

Battle of Isandlwana: The Zulu Victory over the British Empire

By 1878, the British were determined to create their federation of Southern Africa, but one serious obstacle remained: the Zulu Kingdom. The British were wary of a well-organised state so close to their frontiers, but the Zulus had, in fact, shown no signs of hostility to their European neighbours. The British insisted that the Zulu king, Cetshwayo, disband his army, hand over a number of Zulu warriors accused of entering British territory, pay a fine of 500 cattle, permit Christian missionaries in his territory, and allow the establishment of a British Resident. The alternative would be war. Cetshwayo ignored the ridiculous ultimatum, as the British expected. What the British did not imagine was that Cetshwayo would manage to galvanise his warriors into a formidable and unified force of men who would fight to the death for their homeland. At the Battle of Isandlwana, over 25,000 Zulu warriors attacked and destroyed a British-led force of 1,700 men.

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Portrait of Prince imperial Louis Eugene Napoléon Bonaparte in Zululand

Queen Victoria, overprint, Zululand, South Africa, 1888

Caracal

By Jon Warburton of Zululand, South Africa