Shaka, king of the Zulus, was born in 1787, the
son of Zulu Chief Senzangakhona and his wife
Nandi. When Shaka was 26, his father died and
left the throne to a son, Sijuana. Shaka
ambushed and killed Sijuana, taking leadership of
the Zulus. He came to power around 1818.
A strong leader and military innovator, Shaka is
noted for revolutionizing 19th century Bantu
warfare by first grouping regiments by age, and
training his men to use standardized weapons
and special tactics.
He invented the “assegai,” a short stabbing spear,
and marched his regiments in tight formation,
using large shields to fend off the enemies
throwing spears. Over the years, Shaka’s troops
earned such a reputation that many enemies
would flee at the sight of them.
With cunning and confidence as his tools, Shaka
built a small Zulu tribe into a powerful nation of
more than a million people, and united all tribes
in South Africa against European colonial rule.
The Zulu nation continued to use Shaka’s
innovations in wars after his death.
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