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King Shaka
ISilo Samabandla Onke
1824 European artist's impression of Shaka with a long throwing assegai and heavy shield. No drawings from life are known.[1]
King of the Zulus
Reign
1816–1828
Predecessor
Senzangakhona kaJama
Successor
Dingane kaSenzangakhona
Born
c. July 1787 Mthethwa Paramountcy (today near Melmoth, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa)
Died
22 September 1828 (age 41)[2] KwaDukuza, Kingdom of Zulu
Burial
KwaDukuza
Names
Shaka Sigidi kaSenzangakhona
Regnal name
iLembe
House
House of Zulu
Father
Senzangakhona kaJama
Mother
Nandi
Religion
Zulu religion
Cause of death
Assassination (fratricide)
Resting place
KwaDukuza, South Africa 29°20′24″S31°17′40″E / 29.34000°S 31.29444°E / -29.34000; 31.29444
Shaka kaSenzangakhona (c. 1787–22 September 1828), also known as Shaka Zulu (Zulu pronunciation:[ˈʃaːɠa]) and Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828. One of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu, he ordered wide-reaching reforms that reorganized the military into a formidable force.
King Shaka was born in the lunar month of uNtulikazi (July) in the year 1787, in Mthonjaneni, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The son of the Zulu King Senzankakhona kaJama, he was spurned as an illegitimate son. Shaka spent part of his childhood in his mother's settlements, where he was initiated into an ibutho lempi (fighting unit/regiment), serving as a warrior under Inkosi Dingiswayo.[3]
King Shaka further refined the ibutho military system with the Mthethwa Paramountcy's support over the next several years. He forged alliances with his smaller neighbours to counter Ndwandwe raids from the north. The initial Zulu maneuvers were primarily defensive, as King Shaka preferred to apply pressure diplomatically, with an occasional strategic assassination. His reforms of local society built on existing structures. Although he preferred social and propagandistic political methods, he also engaged in a number of battles.[4]
King Shaka's reign coincided with the start of the Mfecane/Difaqane ("upheaval" or "crushing"), a period of devastating warfare and chaos in southern Africa between 1815 and 1840 that depopulated the region. His role in the Mfecane/Difaqane is highly controversial. He was ultimately assassinated by his half-brothers, King Dingane and Prince Mhlangana and Mbopha kaSithayi.
^Johanneson et al. 2011, p. 150.
^Morris 1994, p. 107.
^"History of Shaka (Tshaka), King of the Zulu". bulawayo1872.com. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
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