King of the Zulu Tribe, Shaka: Great Leader or Bloodthirsty Tyrant?
King of the Zulu Tribe, Shaka: Great Leader or Bloodthirsty Tyrant?
One of the most documented African tribes is that of the Zulu kingdom. The rise and fall of the Zulu kingdom, in one way or another, relates to the most famous leader of the Zulu Empire, Shaka. Shaka brought the Zulu tribe from the bottom to the top, and only until his assassination in 1828 did the Zulu kingdom see a downfall in power and organization. Based on facts presented in case studies, as well as observing theories of state formation, it will determined if Shaka’s reign of power was that of a great leader or a power hungry, bloodthirsty tyrant. To get a better understanding of the Zulu kingdom under Shaka’s rule, we must first analyze the history of the Zulu tribe and the leaders who came before Shaka. The history of the Zulu kingdom begins with the reign of Dingiswayo, who was chief of the Mthethwa tribe. Dingiswayo became began his reign in 1808. During his term, chief Dingiswayo conquered surrounding chiefdoms in hopes to end the brutal fighting between these tribes and bring them everyone under one single government. To meet his goals, chief Dingiswayo first had to restructure the way his military operated. He restructured it in a way that brought smaller armies together into one large group. This accomplished two things vital in the growth of the Mthethwa and Zulu tribes in the process of forming the Zulu kingdom: First off, this made the military strong enough, relative to surrounding tribes, to conquer other tribes with militaristic tactics that were revolutionary for its time. Secondly, it broke down the family ties that previously had influence over the ideals instilled in the citizens of the chiefdoms. The two products of revolutionizing the military would lay the base for what would be soon to come. To allow for expansion when dealing with people from different backgrounds, the separate ideals that held them together must be broken down and rebuilt up as one. Bringing the
One of the most documented African tribes is that of the Zulu kingdom. The rise and fall of the Zulu kingdom, in one way or another, relates to the most famous leader of the Zulu Empire, Shaka. Shaka brought the Zulu tribe from the bottom to the top, and only until his assassination in 1828 did the Zulu kingdom see a downfall in power and organization. Based on facts presented in case studies, as well as observing theories of state formation, it will determined if Shaka’s reign of power was that of a great leader or a power hungry, bloodthirsty tyrant. To get a better understanding of the Zulu kingdom under Shaka’s rule, we must first analyze the history of the Zulu tribe and the leaders who came before Shaka. The history of the Zulu kingdom begins with the reign of Dingiswayo, who was chief of the Mthethwa tribe. Dingiswayo became began his reign in 1808. During his term, chief Dingiswayo conquered surrounding chiefdoms in hopes to end the brutal fighting between these tribes and bring them everyone under one single government. To meet his goals, chief Dingiswayo first had to restructure the way his military operated. He restructured it in a way that brought smaller armies together into one large group. This accomplished two things vital in the growth of the Mthethwa and Zulu tribes in the process of forming the Zulu kingdom: First off, this made the military strong enough, relative to surrounding tribes, to conquer other tribes with militaristic tactics that were revolutionary for its time. Secondly, it broke down the family ties that previously had influence over the ideals instilled in the citizens of the chiefdoms. The two products of revolutionizing the military would lay the base for what would be soon to come. To allow for expansion when dealing with people from different backgrounds, the separate ideals that held them together must be broken down and rebuilt up as one. Bringing the