Anglo-Zulu War
The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, coupled with military campaigns, might lead to a ruling white minority over a black majority, which would provide a large pool of cheap labour for the British sugar plantations and mines, encompassing the African Kingdoms, tribal areas and Boer republics into South Africa. In 1874, Sir Bartle Frere was sent to South Africa as High Commissioner for the British Empire to effect such plans. Among the obstacles were the armed independent states of the South African Republic and the Kingdom of Zululand.
| Anglo-Zulu War | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
From left to right clockwise: The Battle of Isandlwana, The charge of the 17th Lancers at Ulundi, The British defence of Rorke's Drift, and the British defense of Kambula | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Zulu Kingdom | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Benjamin Disraeli Henry Bartle Frere Lord Chelmsford Garnet Wolseley |
Cetshwayo kaMpande Ntshingwayo Khoza Dabulamanzi kaMpande | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
1st invasion:
17 cannons
3 Gatling guns | 35,000–50,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
1,902 killed 256 wounded |
6,930 killed 3,500+ wounded | ||||||||
Frere, on his own initiative, sent a provocative ultimatum on 11 December 1878 to the Zulu king Cetshwayo and upon its rejection sent Lord Chelmsford to invade Zululand. The war had several particularly bloody battles, including an opening victory of the Zulu at the Battle of Isandlwana, followed by the defence of Rorke's Drift by a small British Garrison from an attack by a large Zulu force. The British eventually won the war, ending Zulu dominance of the region. The Zulu Kingdom was then made a protectorate and later annexed by the British Empire in 1887.