The historic war between Great Britain and the South African kingdom of Zulu, also known as the Anglo-Zulu War or the Zulu War, lasted six months in Southern Africa in 1879.
The British were interested in Zululand in the second half of the 19th century for a number of reasons, including their plan to establish a South Africa federation in the region, which would eliminate autonomous African states, their desire for the Zulu population to provide labor in the diamond fields of Southern Africa, and their support of Boer land claims on Zulu kingdom territory.
In 1872, Cetshwayo became king of the Zulus. He didn’t want to follow the British and built a well-trained army of 40,000 to 60,000 men. Sir Bartle Frere, the British high commissioner for South Africa, issued Cetshwayo an ultimatum in December 1878 that was meant to be impossible to fulfill: The Zulu were also required to pay compensation for alleged insults and dismantle their “military system” within thirty days. The ultimatum was not followed as expected, and British troops led by Lord Chelmsford invaded in January 1879.
The invaders made their way into Zululand without taking the usual precautions (such as sentries and scouts) despite the rains in January making it difficult for them to travel there and the tall grasses blocking their view. Cetshwayo’s initial strategy had been to hold back his troops, remain on the defensive in this unprovoked war, and hope for a settlement.
However, on January 22, the Zulu army attacked after Chelmsford advanced, leaving a third of his force unprotected and without an encampment structure at Isandlwana. At Isandlwana, they destroyed the central British column, killing 800 British soldiers and stealing nearly 1,000 rifles and rounds.
A second Zulu force led by Dabulamanzi kaMpande, Cetshwayo’s brother, attempted to take over the British depot at Rorke’s Drift, which the Zulu referred to as KwaJimu, later that day.
The British were prepared this time because they had been warned beforehand by the few Isandlwana survivors. More than 500 Zulu fighters were shot down by 120 British soldiers during a firefight that lasted nearly 12 hours and continued into the following day. See also Rorke’s Drift and the Battles of Isandlwana.)
In a paradox, Cetshwayo’s hopes of reaching a settlement through negotiation were dashed by the Zulu victory at Isandlwana. The British government in London had not received all of Frere’s information about the planned attack on Zululand and was initially reluctant to go to war.
However, the British government launched a full-scale effort to maintain its good name when they received the news of the defeat at Isandlwana on February 11, one of the most significant blows to British prestige in the 19th century. Col. led an army Evelyn Wood lost her first battle on March 28 at Hlobane, but she won the Battle of Kambula (Khambula) on March 29 to defeat the Zulu.
More than 1,000 Zulu were killed when a British column under Chelmsford’s command defeated the Zulu at Gingindlovu on April 2. After that, Chelmsford’s troops moved on to Ulundi, one of Cetshwayo’s royal villages, where, on July 4, 1879, they defeated all of Cetshwayo’s remaining soldiers.
Since the British government had not yet considered how to incorporate Zululand into its holdings in Southern Africa when Cetshwayo himself was taken prisoner in August, the Zulu nation was at the mercy of the British government.