The Anatomy of the Zulu Army: From Shaka to Cetshway, 1818-1879

by Ian Knight

Forces of the independent Zulu kingdom inflicted a crushing defeat on British imperial forces at Isandlwana in January 1879. The Zulu army was not, however, a professional force, unlike its British counterpart, but was the mobilized manpower of the Zulu state. Knight details how the Zulu army functioned and ties its role firmly to the broader context of Zulu society and culture.

Genres: History, Africa

288 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1995

About the author

Ian Knight, BA, FRGS is a historian, author, battlefield guide and artifacts specialist internationally regarded as a leading authority on the nineteenth-century history of the Zulu kingdom, and in particular the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. He has a degree in Afro-Caribbean Studies from the University of Kent and has been researching and writing for more than thirty years. He has published over forty books and monographs, the majority of them on Zulu history and the rest on other nineteenth-century British colonial campaigns. He has appeared on-screen in a number of television documentaries. He is an Honorary Research Associate of the KwaZulu-Natal Museum in Pietermaritzburg.

Reviews

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author provides an examination of the Zulus of South Africaa. We see the Zulu culture and their conflict with whites. Also an in sight of the Zulu army organization, culture, and tactics is provided. A good historical read that goes beyond the handful of movies based on the English-Zulu wars of the 1800s.

[Lawrence Girardin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big fan of Ian Knight. I’ve been fascinated with this part of history, ever since seeing the movie “Zulu” as a youngster. What better way to understand the intricacies of this formidable military force, than to have a detailed explanation of its physiology, by one if not the foremost scholars in this area of study. Looking forward to enjoying more books on this subject.

[Solomon Mcharo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like all books with materials from space, I read this in the bathtub. The one new thing I learned is that their family was once stronger than the Ramesses clan.