Salem Press

Great Events from History: The 19th Century

Great Events from History: The 19th Century
January 22-August, 1879: Zulu War

British expansion and consolidation of South Africa led them into direct conflict with the strongest native African power, the Zulu nation, in the late 1870's. The defeat of the Zulu ended major resistance to white domination and assured the ascendance of British imperial might in South Africa.

Also Known As: Anglo-Zulu War, Zulu-British War

Locale: South Africa
Categories: Wars, uprisings, and civil unrest; expansion and land acquisition

Key Figures
Cetshwayo (c. 1826-1884), king of the Zulu, r. 1872-1879
Sir Bartle Frere (1815-1884), governor of the Cape Colony
Sir Theophilus Shepstone (1817-1893), administrator of native affairs in Natal
Sir Frederick Thesiger (1827-1905), general for the British in the war
Sir Garnet Joseph Wolseley (1833-1913),lieutenant governor
of Natal and high commissioner of Southeast Africa Mpande
(1798-1872), predecessor to Cetshwayo as king of the Zulu, r. 1840-1872

Summary of Event
The discovery of diamonds and gold at Kimberley and Witwatersrand altered forever Britain's previous policy of nonintervention in South African affairs. By the 1870's, British colonial officials had initiated steps toward their long-term objective to unite South Africa as a federation under British rule. By doing so, the British could ensure the safety of the precious minerals that had already begun to draw large amounts of British investment. Sir Theophilus Shepstone, a Natal politician, was ordered by the British government to convince the Afrikaners in Transvaal to accept British rule; if that was not possible, he was simply to annex Transvaal. The Afrikaners showed reluctance to accept British hegemony, so Shepstone announced the annexation of the Transvaal in 1877. All the Afrikaners could do was protest. At this point, only the Zulu stood in the way of British domination of South Africa.

Since the 1838 Battle of Blood River, in which Afrikaner trekkers devastated the Zulu, the Zulu had slowly recovered from their defeat under the peaceful rule of Mpande. He died in 1872, leaving no clear heir. His position would soon be filled by Cetshwayo, who strived to continue peaceful relations with the British. In 1873, Shepstone crowned Cetshwayo, recognizing him on behalf of Britain, but also attempted to place him under the authority of the British. With the annexation of the Transvaal, Britain adopted the land disputes between the Afrikaners and Zulu and used these disputes to further its own imperial objectives. In the eyes of British schemers, subduing the Zulu nation would ease the way to a South African confederacy by eliminating the primary native threat to Natal and Transvaal. Furthermore, the British believed that such an action would increase their acceptance among Afrikaners and provide needed labor for the mines. In 1878, the British decided to act on these ideas.

Sir Henry Frere, governor of the Cape Colony, began to seek a pretext for war with the Zulu. The dispute between the Afrikaners and Zulu over land near Blood River appeared to be the perfect opportunity. The Afrikaners claimed Mpande had ceded them land, a claim to which Cetshwayo objected. Frere and Shepstone, illustrating the new British stance, supported Afrikaner claims. However, the conflict was arbitrated and a court ruled in favor of Cetshwayo, actually giving more land to the Zulu. Frustrated, Frere searched for another excuse for war. When a Zulu chief crossed into Natal to retrieve two women running from punishment for infidelity, Frere used the incident as an opportunity to instigate conflict. Citing border violations and inhumane acts, the colonial government pressed the issue. Cetshwayo, in an attempt to avoid conflict, offered payment for his perceived offense, but the British wanted war. With Frere's consent, Shepstone presented Cetshwayo with an ultimatum including several demands: Cetshwayo was required to turn over the men responsible for the border violation and provide compensation. Additionally, the Zulu army was to be dismantled and Cetshwayo was to accept British missionaries and officials into his land.

Cetshwayo, still eager for a peaceful solution, decided to meet those demands that did not infringe upon the sovereignty of the Zulu nation. That response did not satisfy the British; they at last had conjured a justification for war. General Sir Frederick Thesiger, second Baron Chelmsford, led seventeen thousand troops of mixed British regulars and colonial troops in an assault on Zululand. At Ulundi, the Zulu army assembled and proceeded to meet the invaders. The British, confident that a quick victory would follow, made several tactical errors in their advance. Thesiger split his troops into two groups. One group chased a small Zulu party while the others remained at Isandlwana. On January 22, 1879, at least twenty thousand Zulu soldiers attacked an ill-prepared and thinly spread British line. Despite the superior firepower of the British, the Zulu army enveloped the British and overwhelmed them. Another Zulu force not at Isandlwana attacked a small British regiment at Rorke's Rift but was handily repelled. Cetshwayo, instead of pressing the advantage, remained defensive with the hope that the British would withdraw and seek peace.

The British defeat at the hands of the Zulu shocked the world, especially policy makers in London. Some imperialists began to reevaluate the goal of a united South African confederation. Frere received the most blame and was severely castigated. Frere remained governor of Cape Colony, but a new position was created to deal with Natal and the newly annexed Transvaal. This office, High Commissioner of Southeast Africa, was extended to Sir Garnet Wolseley, effectively negating Frere's influence in Zululand.

Despite the setback, the British government believed that the only way to absolve the army's tarnished reputation was to continue the war and secure victory. As British reinforcements bolstered the ranks and marched onward, Cetshwayo repeatedly sued for peace. Zulu troops managed to win a small victory at Hlobane, but the British advance could not be stopped. The gatling gun took its toll and at Ulundi, the Zulu finally fell to the British in August, 1879. Wolseley, in an effort to avoid further Zulu resistance, divided the kingdom among thirteen chieftaincies. Cetshwayo was captured and sent into exile. He was later reinstated for a short time, but he died in 1884. The Zulu never recovered from the defeat and fell into disarray and civil war. In 1887, the British annexed Zululand, destroying for good the independent Zulu nation.

Significance
The crushing of the Zulu signified a turning point in South African history. The Zulu had been the dominant African power in the region since the beginning of the nineteenth century. The Zulu were the most obvious rallying point for African resistance to white expansion, so their defeat was a major blow to African self-determination. White dominance in South Africa was assured from that point onward. The ensuing civil war among the Zulu people only exacerbated the situation, forcing many Zulu into the hands of white employers. Therefore, the Zulus followed the path of many Africans before them, becoming a labor pool for the diamond and gold mines.

The British war of expansion against the Zulu must be placed within the context of the mineral revolution and the British desire to control the wealth issuing from it. The destruction of the Zulu kingdom was crucial for any plans to consolidate South Africa. However, the victory against the Zulu did not assure consolidation. In 1880, the Afrikaners in the Transvaal rebelled against British rule and the British abandoned the territory. The war against the Zulu serves as a fine example of the new imperial Britain--one motivated by mineral riches and expansion in the name of national pride.

Branden C. McCullough

Further Reading
Cope, Richard. Ploughshare of War: The Origins of the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. Pietermaritzburg: University of Natal Press, 1999. This study focuses on the British policies in South Africa that led to the war, though offering little on the war itself.

Guy, Jeff. The Destruction of the Zulu Kingdom: The Civil War in Zululand, 1879-1884. London: Longman Group, 1979. Provides a detailed analysis of the consequences of the Anglo-Zulu War.

Laband, John. Kingdom in Crisis: The Zulu Response to the British Invasion of 1879. New York: Manchester University Press, 1992. A focused study of the war, though from the Zulu perspective.

_______. The Rise and Fall of the Zulu Nation. London: Arms and Armour Press, 1997. A comprehensive study of the Zulu nation that provides an account of the events leading up to and after the war.

Laband, John, and Paul Thompson. Kingdom and Colony at War: Sixteen Studies on the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. Pietermaritzberg: University of Natal Press, 1990. A collection of individual essays covering specific aspects and circumstances of the war.

See Also
1811-1861: Exploration of Southern Africa; 1817-1828: Zulu Expansion; 1835-1850's: Expansion of Afrikaners into South Africa's Interior; 1854: Convention of Bloemfontein; 1865-1868: Basuto War; Jan. 22-23, 1879: Battles of Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift; 1884: Gold Is Discovered in the Transvaal; 1884: Maxim Invents the Machine Gun.

Related articles in Great Lives from History: The Nineteenth Century, 1801-1900: Cetshwayo; Sir Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell; Paul Kruger; Lobengula; Shaka.