Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
See how a small Nguni clan would conquer an empire of its own in southeast Africa, managing to inflict defeats on even the British.
➤ Support this channel with my Patreon!: patreon.com/emperortigerstar
Music used:
"Digya" and "Anglo-Zulu" by Kevin MacLeod
Notes:
- There are conflicting dates on Shaka's exact expansion past the Thembu river, so I went with the best estimates I could.
- There were conflicting dates on when Shaka took over the Mthethwe between 1818 and 1819, but 1818 made the most sense when compared with other dates.
- For the title of rulers Shaka through Cetshwayo I went with iNgonyama, but I've also seen them still referred to as just Inkosi (chief).
Sources:
- Eldredge, Elizabeth A. The Creation of the Zulu Kingdom, 1815–1828: War, Shaka, and the Consolidation of Power. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014.
- Laband, John. Historical Dictionary of the Zulu Wars. Ukraine: Scarecrow Press, 2009.
- Leśniewski, Michał. The Zulu-Boer War 1837–1840. Netherlands: Brill, 2021.
- Mbatha, Mthandeni Patric, and Mxolisi Bongumusa Cebekhulu. “Zulu Tribe or Zulu Nation? An Historical Analysis.” Indilinga African Journal of Indigenous Knowledge Systems 21, no. 2 (December 2022): 141–56. https://journals.co.za/doi/epdf/10.10520/ejc-linga_v21_2_a2.
- Mthethwa, Absalom Muziwethu. “The History of Abakwamthethwa.” University of Zululand. Thesis, University of Zululand, 1995. https://uzspace.unizulu.ac.za/server/api/core/bitstreams/54a49c14-450d-4dfe-823b-8aeeee514947/content.
See how a small Nguni clan would conquer an empire of its own in southeast Africa, managing to inflict defeats on even the British.
➤ Support this channel with my Patreon!: patreon.com/emperortigerstar
Music used:
"Digya" and "Anglo-Zulu" by Kevin MacLeod
Notes:
- There are conflicting dates on Shaka's exact expansion past the Thembu river, so I went with the best estimates I could.
- There were conflicting dates on when Shaka took over the Mthethwe between 1818 and 1819, but 1818 made the most sense when compared with other dates.
- For the title of rulers Shaka through Cetshwayo I went with iNgonyama, but I've also seen them still referred to as just Inkosi (chief).
Sources:
- Eldredge, Elizabeth A. The Creation of the Zulu Kingdom, 1815–1828: War, Shaka, and the Consolidation of Power. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014.
- Laband, John. Historical Dictionary of the Zulu Wars. Ukraine: Scarecrow Press, 2009.
- Leśniewski, Michał. The Zulu-Boer War 1837–1840. Netherlands: Brill, 2021.
- Mbatha, Mthandeni Patric, and Mxolisi Bongumusa Cebekhulu. “Zulu Tribe or Zulu Nation? An Historical Analysis.” Indilinga African Journal of Indigenous Knowledge Systems 21, no. 2 (December 2022): 141–56. https://journals.co.za/doi/epdf/10.10520/ejc-linga_v21_2_a2.
- Mthethwa, Absalom Muziwethu. “The History of Abakwamthethwa.” University of Zululand. Thesis, University of Zululand, 1995. https://uzspace.unizulu.ac.za/server/api/core/bitstreams/54a49c14-450d-4dfe-823b-8aeeee514947/content.
