Anglo-Zulu War
Invasion of Zululand and kingdom destruction
The 1879 British invasion of Zululand sought to destroy an independent African military kingdom bordering Natal. After the defeat at Isandlwana and the later burning of Ulundi, Britain partitioned Zululand and opened the way for further dispossession.
Damage
Britain invaded Zululand in 1879, broke the kingdom after Isandlwana and Ulundi, and imposed partition rule.
Lives lost
Tens of thousands Zulu dead including civilians and warriors (order-of-magnitude)
Value lost
Land, cattle, and political independence of the Zulu kingdom
Record Points
- An ultimatum designed to be refused triggered the invasion.
- Isandlwana showed Zulu military capacity; British reprisals intensified.
- Ulundi and subsequent operations broke centralized royal power.
- Partition into chiefdoms under British supervision followed conquest.
- The war sits beside later Boer and Union dispossession of African land.
Perpetrator(s)
Victims
ZuluSouth Africa