Anglo-Zulu War | 3 Minute History

In the middle of the 19th century South Africa was comprised of a few states. The Orange Free State and Transvaal, both Afrikaner Republics, British colonies Natal and Cape, and the Zulu Kingdom. Gold and other precious metals were discovered in the region, so the British wished to assert their control over all of Southern Africa and maybe turn it into a federation like Canada. So the British were eager to start a war with the Zulu Kingdom. Eventually a cause for war presented itself in the late 1870s. Two wives of a Zulu sub-chief fled from the Zulu territory and into Britain's colonies. They had feared reprisals after it had been discovered that they were adulterous. A group of Zulus pursued the women and brought them back to the chief. Then a colonial engineer and a trader were taken prisoner by a group of Zulus when they were working near the border. They were released but the Commissioner of South Africa jumped at the chance to use this border infringement to ignite a war against the Zulu. He issued an ultimatum that he knew the Zulu King Tutuayo could not accept, including allowing missionaries to convert the population and forcing the king to disband his army. The king did not respond so the British declared war in 1879. One British army marched north and took Ishawa, but a Zulu army quickly laid siege to the fort. Another British force set up camp across the border, near Ishandelwana, a hill near Buffalo River. The Zulus marched out to meet them and using a cow horn manoeuvre they were able to get within arm's reach of the British and rendered their guns useless. At the hands of the Zulus and their short spears, most of the British army was killed that day. At the start of the war King Tutuayo hoped that fighting a defensive war and inflicting heavy casualties on the British would force them to make peace. However, this battle had the opposite effect. The British public was outraged and the government and Britain, who were initially somewhat reluctant for war, sent in reinforcements to try and restore prestige. Meanwhile, in South Africa, a British held trading post on the border was attacked. The Battle of Rourke's Drift saw a small force of under 200 British troops defeat a much larger Zulu army. Once the reinforcements arrived, the British reorganised. They relieved the troops in Ishawa and crushed the Zulus at the Battle of Kambula. Then they launched their second invasion. This second invasion force included the son of Napoleon III. However, he died in a skirmish and with him the House of Bonaparte effectively ended. The force made it into the Zulu capital, Ulundi, in July 1879. And, equipped with gatling guns and heavy artillery, they were able to destroy the Zulus and raze their city to the ground. Chocho was captured and forced into exile. His kingdom was divided into smaller chiefdoms, one of which went to a white settler named John Dunne. The strongest native kingdom in Southern Africa ceased to exist and its land was eventually incorporated into the British colony of Naital. However, with the destruction of the Zulus, the Boers had no need for British protection. They therefore sought full independence and the Boer War started one year later.