History of the Zulu War

The book History of the Zulu War by Alexander Wilmot, a Cape Town politician and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, is a highly descriptive account of the Zulu War between the British and Zulu nation in 1879. It opens with a discussion on the early history of the Zulu nation and their great chief Chaka, who is credited for the fighting skills and military prowess of Zulu warriors.

In 1874, Sir Henry Bartle Frere, the British high commissioner for South Africa, was dispatched to bring federation plans in the area to fruition. However, the presence of the independent states of the South African Republic and the army of the Kingdom of Zululand posed a challenge. Cetshwayo, the ruler of Zululand, received an ultimatum from Frere on December 11, 1878. Frere issued the impossible ultimatum on his own, without the British government’s permission, intending to start a war.

The Zulu War is significant for being a turning point in the history of imperialism in Africa and for several exceptionally bloody battles. In the end, however, the Zulu nation’s independence ended with a British victory in the war. To this day, Wilmot’s book on the Zulu War remains an indispensable resource for anyone interested in or conducting a study on the Zulu people and their proud heritage.