Historical Experts on the Zulu under Shaka (c. 1790-1828)

Dylan McLamore, Historical Experts on the Zulu under Shaka (c. 1790-1828)

Shaka didn’t have an easy childhood which was shaped by rejection at the hands of his father, Senzangakona. Having been spurned by his father at a young age, he was forced to bounce around settlements with his mother Nandi until he was taken care of by his mentor, Dingiswayo(Robinson and Smith Document 3). Dingiswayo took Shaka under his wing and taught him how to fight. By his early 20s, Shaka distinguished himself because of his courage and self-command(Robinson and Smith Document 4). Shaka proved himself a capable leader at a young age and finally had the support of someone in power which was Dingiswayo. This relationship with Dingiswayo gave Shaka protection but it also gave him legitimacy that allowed him to contest for Chief of the Zulus when his father died. After his father’s death, Shaka assassinated his brother in his bid for chieftaincy and continued his bloody reign by killing everyone in his brother’s government(Robinson and Smith Document 6). This moment is a pivotal event in Shaka’s life and marks a shift from his childhood to his adulthood. Shaka is no longer a young kid trying to gain power and get revenge upon his family, but now he’s trying to maintain and expand this power through his role as the chief of the Zulus. 

Shaka adapted his experiences of fighting with Dingiswayo with his own ideas about warfare which included emphasizing hand-to-hand combat with short spears, a new battle formation called ‘chest and horns’ and  killing all those who resisted(Robinson and Smith Document 6). Shaka and his army had the mentality of kill or be killed. Shaka was always superstitious and took precautions in this case of being careful relaying information to avoid spies and killing his female servants who became pregnant(Robinson and Smith Document 8). In his forging of the Zulu state, Shaka shows that his only concern was his own superiority in battle and as a military tactician. Shaka took over the Mthethwa leadership after the murder of Dingiswayo by Zwide. This allowed Shaka to extend his influence and power across most of northern Nguni(Robinson and Smith Document 11). Shaka was able to use his military influence to shape the minds of the Zulu people in order to get them to buy into his ideas(Robinson and Smith Document 8). Shaka also showed the Zulu people that the easiest way to gain power was by conquering and defeating other chiefdoms in battle(Robinson and Smith Document 9). 

Shaka centralized this Zulu state based on meritocracy and acted as supreme commander to control the Zulu State(Robinson and Smith Document 12). Shaka created a new identity for this Zulu state that focused on meritocracy and being a military tactician. Zulu brought in many different peoples into his Zulu state through his military campaigns. The Zulu were transformed by these military campaigns by absorbing small chiefdoms into Shaka’s armies as well(Robinson and Smith Document 11). Shaka formed military settlements and incorporated these smaller chiefdoms in northern Nguni into the Zulu state(Robinson and Smith Document 12). Shaka was creating a new Zulu identity that incorporated many different chiefdoms and people’s under this new identity of a Zulu state. 

Shaka’s leadership was based on military dominance and power over others. He allowed for the chiefs like Mzilikazi under his rule to have autonomy as long as they didn’t pose a threat to his rule(Robinson and Smith Document 14). He was the supreme commander but delegated power to chiefs under his rule. Shaka showed a knack for leadership and exerting influence onto others through conquest and battle. He instilled fear into his enemies but earned the unconditional respect of his soldiers and the Zulu people as a whole. Shaka proved himself as a leader through his accomplishments on the battlefield and emphasized meritocracy by saying that “a chief makes himself” when talking to chiefs under his rule(Robinson and Smith Document 16). Shaka emphasized the importance of being your own man and earning your place in the world. This led him to not allow kinship to shape the future chiefs in the Zulu state. A respected chief or leader needed to earn his place under Shaka’s rule on the battlefield instead of being born into the position. Moreover, the Zulu people supported Shaka because he was a well respected leader who produced results on the battlefield, led the expansion of this new Zulu state and shaped this new Zulu identity.