0:00:03 > 0:00:07The mountain of Isandlwana in eastern South Africa.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11On the 22nd of January, 1879, this was
0:00:11 > 0:00:14the site of one of the most humiliating defeats
0:00:14 > 0:00:16ever suffered by the British Army.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23In just three hours, over 1,200 British troops,
0:00:23 > 0:00:28armed with state-of-the-art weapons, were annihilated by an African army,
0:00:28 > 0:00:32equipped only with shields, spears, and a collection of old muskets.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42The enemy responsible captured the British imagination,
0:00:42 > 0:00:45and went down in history as one of the most fearsome
0:00:45 > 0:00:47and powerful kingdoms in Africa.
0:00:47 > 0:00:48The Zulu.
0:00:53 > 0:01:00We know less about Africa's past than almost anywhere else on Earth,
0:01:00 > 0:01:04but the scarcity of written records doesn't mean Africa lacks history.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08In this series, I'm exploring some of the richest
0:01:08 > 0:01:11and most vibrant histories in the world.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17I'm travelling across South Africa
0:01:17 > 0:01:21through some of the country's most spectacular landscapes
0:01:21 > 0:01:24to discover how a tiny ethnic group born in a period of turmoil
0:01:24 > 0:01:30could become one of the most famous and celebrated kingdoms in history.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Every February, a few thousand people
0:01:45 > 0:01:48gather to celebrate contemporary Zulu identity
0:01:48 > 0:01:52by taking part in a traditional South African ceremony.
0:01:57 > 0:02:03This First Fruits Festival is dedicated to the small, yellow marula fruit
0:02:03 > 0:02:05native to the country.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10The crowds have come here to present the first harvest of the marula
0:02:10 > 0:02:13to their leader King Goodwill Zwelithini.
0:02:13 > 0:02:19According to tradition, the king must be the first to taste the fruit
0:02:19 > 0:02:22before the people can harvest their crops.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26What's happening here is more than just a celebration of Zulu culture,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29it's an affirmation of the power of the king,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32the king who's the embodiment of the state
0:02:32 > 0:02:34and a connection to the great monarchs
0:02:34 > 0:02:36who founded the Zulu nation.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45Zulu identity was shaped by a series of powerful kings.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48According to oral tradition,
0:02:48 > 0:02:54the original Zulu chiefdom was established in the 17th century
0:02:54 > 0:02:56by the founding patriarch, Malandela.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59It was his son, Zulu, who gave his name to the people.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02Zulu means heaven.
0:03:02 > 0:03:07They became known as the Amazulu, the people of heaven.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14They settled in a region
0:03:14 > 0:03:17that would eventually become known as KwaZulu-Natal.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Bounded by the Drakensberg Mountains in the west
0:03:23 > 0:03:26and the Indian Ocean in the East,
0:03:26 > 0:03:28it's a landscape of rolling hills,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31deep river gorges, and fertile grasslands.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37I do love this bit of South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40There's something about it that feels very authentic.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44I mean, so much of South Africa is so like Europe
0:03:44 > 0:03:47but this feels really like Africa.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52At the end of the 18th century,
0:03:52 > 0:03:55the Zulu were just one of a patchwork of small chiefdoms
0:03:55 > 0:03:57that occupied this region.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01For over a hundred years, they lived in relative peace,
0:04:01 > 0:04:05raising cattle and cultivating their fields
0:04:05 > 0:04:07but then everything began to change.
0:04:14 > 0:04:19Trade was the catalyst for the transformation of the Zulu people
0:04:19 > 0:04:23from a small local chiefdom into a major regional power.
0:04:26 > 0:04:31Europeans had been trading in Southern Africa
0:04:31 > 0:04:33since the 16th century.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36On the West Coast, the Dutch and later the British
0:04:36 > 0:04:38controlled the city of Cape Town.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41While closer to Zulu territory,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44the Portuguese had a trading post at Delagoa Bay.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48In exchange for ivory, cattle and slaves,
0:04:48 > 0:04:52the Portuguese and other European traders supplied copper, brass,
0:04:52 > 0:04:54textiles and beads,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56but trouble's brewing.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59By the end of the 18th century,
0:04:59 > 0:05:03rival ethnic groups were competing more and more aggressively
0:05:03 > 0:05:06for access to trade routes that linked to Delagoa Bay.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09Trade with the Portuguese was vital for local power and influence
0:05:09 > 0:05:13but not everyone would get access.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17Small chiefdoms were in danger of being crushed by their larger rivals
0:05:17 > 0:05:21in the fight for goods to trade with the Europeans.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25The small Zulu chiefdom was suddenly vulnerable.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30But out of that turmoil would emerge a man
0:05:30 > 0:05:32who would change Zulu history forever -
0:05:32 > 0:05:35his name, Shaka.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44Shaka was a king and a soldier and a founder of the Zulu nation.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53In the space of 12 years, in the early 19th century,
0:05:53 > 0:05:57he transformed the small Zulu chiefdom
0:05:57 > 0:06:00into a large and powerful military force.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Although he became an icon of the Zulu people,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Shaka's legacy remains deeply contentious,
0:06:09 > 0:06:13something not helped by the myths that surround his biography.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16What's really frustrating about Shaka's life
0:06:16 > 0:06:20is that are hardly any contemporaneous written records.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23We have to rely on second-hand written material
0:06:23 > 0:06:25and oral testimonies, most of which is conflicting.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29The lack of reliable evidence
0:06:29 > 0:06:33has left room for multiple interpretations of Shaka,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36many of them highly romanticised.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43Respected sources suggest that he was born in the 1780s,
0:06:43 > 0:06:45the eldest son of a Zulu chief.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53For reasons unknown, he was raised in a neighbouring chiefdom
0:06:53 > 0:06:57where he learned the skills of statecraft and soldiering.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00As inter-ethnic conflict erupted,
0:07:00 > 0:07:04he returned to the Zulus, seized the chieftaincy
0:07:04 > 0:07:06and transformed the lives of his people.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17One legend portrays Shaka as a benevolent patriarch.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21As a young man, he is said to have worked as a herdsman.
0:07:22 > 0:07:27One day he was out in the fields when he was distracted.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30As a result he lost his herd.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34The shame he felt had a profound effect according to the story.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Shaka learned from his early experience as a herdsman
0:07:37 > 0:07:41that it was important to look after every single member of your flock.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45He spent the rest of his life trying to compensate, making sure
0:07:45 > 0:07:50that security and discipline were the central focus of Zulu life.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57To explore one view of how Shaka built the Zulu kingdom
0:07:57 > 0:08:00I'm meeting a descendent of Shaka himself.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03Before Shaka there was no Zulu empire.
0:08:03 > 0:08:10Shaka, through his intelligence, is the one who created the Zulu empire.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15After he came to the throne, he said, "OK, now what I'm going to do
0:08:15 > 0:08:17"I will go from glen to glen.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21"I will approach each and every chief
0:08:21 > 0:08:25"and I will just unite people using the spear.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29"I united them in order for me to establish the great Zulu empire."
0:08:31 > 0:08:33But were people scared of him
0:08:33 > 0:08:36or did they respect him, or was there a mixture of the two?
0:08:36 > 0:08:39A mixture of the two. Some feared him.
0:08:39 > 0:08:44It was for those who refused to join his faction,
0:08:44 > 0:08:49you know, they knew very well what would happen to them,
0:08:49 > 0:08:51a spear would be put into you.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54There are so many people who said "We can not tolerate this,
0:08:54 > 0:08:56"we can not live under your control."
0:08:56 > 0:09:00But there must have been good reasons why people stayed
0:09:00 > 0:09:02within the Zulu nation.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07What was so attractive about the Zulu state that Shaka was building?
0:09:07 > 0:09:10What were the wonderful things that he was giving to the people
0:09:10 > 0:09:12that they didn't have before?
0:09:12 > 0:09:16Well, the thing that people never had, they were not united.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18They were, like, having small glens here and here.
0:09:18 > 0:09:24He was emphasising unity, no separation, no isolation,
0:09:24 > 0:09:25no, nothing.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28He was trying to unite the people.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32He was trying to create our identity as Zulu people.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Many Zulu today venerate Shaka as a protector
0:09:40 > 0:09:43and defender of the people.
0:09:46 > 0:09:47They give him credit
0:09:47 > 0:09:52for reforming an institution that shaped Zulu identity
0:09:52 > 0:09:55and transformed its fortunes, the army.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15These warriors are members of a ceremonial Zulu regiment.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Today, they perform on formal occasions
0:10:21 > 0:10:25but in Shaka's time, regiments were the backbone of Zulu society.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32When Shaka assumed the throne in 1816,
0:10:32 > 0:10:36he decided to build upon recent innovations of local chiefs.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38He introduced a system of conscription,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41divided his soldiers into regiments called Amabutu
0:10:41 > 0:10:45and these were to revolutionise Zulu society.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50Under the Amabutu system, young men left their families
0:10:50 > 0:10:55around the age of 14, to work and fight in regiments.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Separating young men from the rest of Zulu society
0:11:00 > 0:11:02was a way of shifting their loyalty
0:11:02 > 0:11:07from local chiefs to the Amabutu and their king.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14One of the leaders of the regiment is Ungu Mizi.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04So the military system, it's actually part of the culture
0:12:04 > 0:12:08and the culture is part of the military system that,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11in a way, it's absolutely fundamental to Zulu culture.
0:12:11 > 0:12:12Yes.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24Under Shaka, young men in the Amabutu were not allowed to marry
0:12:24 > 0:12:27and set up their own homesteads.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32Marriage rights could only be earned once soldiers had reached maturity
0:12:32 > 0:12:34and distinguished themselves in battle,
0:12:34 > 0:12:37normally around the age of 35.
0:12:37 > 0:12:42By making marriage a reward for military service,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44Shaka ensured the loyalty of his men.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52Shaka's also credited with introducing new fighting techniques,
0:12:52 > 0:12:56including a new battle formation that proved brilliantly effective.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59It became known as The Horns Of The Buffalo.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04Simon, could you tell me about the battle formation that the Zulu used?
0:13:04 > 0:13:07'Regiment leader Simon is giving me a demonstration.'
0:13:07 > 0:13:09So this is the enemy, here?
0:13:09 > 0:13:12How would the horns of the buffalo actually work,
0:13:12 > 0:13:16if that was the enemy that was approaching the Zulu line?
0:13:16 > 0:13:18- Can I draw it down? - Yes, please do.
0:13:18 > 0:13:25Yes. The buffalo, whole shape, it's like this.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32What, they would engage with this group here?
0:13:32 > 0:13:33This is the chest...
0:13:33 > 0:13:35This is the chest.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39..of the warriors, were the very strong
0:13:39 > 0:13:42and the strongest men, used to standing.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46All these youngsters, all this, round left and right,
0:13:46 > 0:13:51they surrounded enemy and then the enemy will be in the middle now.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53They will kill them dead.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57To illustrate the battle technique more clearly,
0:13:57 > 0:14:02Simon's arranging his warriors into the attack formation.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04This is what I'm talking about.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08So this is the strategy that Shaka actually invented?
0:14:09 > 0:14:12They would form the horns of a buffalo.
0:14:12 > 0:14:13Yes.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17At the actual head are the strongest men
0:14:17 > 0:14:20and that they would hit the enemy really hard.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22Hit the enemy really hard.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25And then whilst the enemy's trying to deal with these big guys,
0:14:25 > 0:14:30- the two horns come round and they enclose you.- Yes.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32- And they finish you off. - They finish off.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35This how he conquered so many tribes
0:14:35 > 0:14:39and make it one big tribe - Zulu nation.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41WARLIKE CHANTING
0:14:44 > 0:14:46So they're actually singing
0:14:46 > 0:14:51"We are the bull, but we will destroy you."
0:14:51 > 0:14:53I mean, that metaphor of cattle,
0:14:53 > 0:14:57it's obviously so deeply infused to the Zulu
0:14:57 > 0:15:00and it's just amazing to see it brought to life
0:15:00 > 0:15:01in these kinds of performances.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Shaka also transformed Zulu weaponry,
0:15:10 > 0:15:14preferring a short-handled stabbing spear, used like a dagger,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17to the older, long-handled throwing spear.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25What is so much better about this than what went before?
0:15:25 > 0:15:28Why is this such a good piece of weaponry?
0:15:28 > 0:15:33Before, they used the long spears.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36When they just throw these long spears like that,
0:15:36 > 0:15:38it was a waste of energy,
0:15:38 > 0:15:42because while they throw, missing an enemy,
0:15:42 > 0:15:47the enemy will take those spears and face you again.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49It was a waste.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Now that's why Shaka invented these.
0:15:52 > 0:15:53Money where your mouth is, Simon.
0:15:53 > 0:15:54Are you ready for this?
0:15:54 > 0:15:56Yes, I'm ready.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59'Shaka's warriors were instructed
0:15:59 > 0:16:01'to fight their enemies to the death.'
0:16:01 > 0:16:04'If they lost their spears, they weren't only vulnerable
0:16:04 > 0:16:09'to the enemy, they were treated by their own leaders as cowards.'
0:16:09 > 0:16:11This your spear - it's your life.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16If you lose your short spear, you dead.
0:16:17 > 0:16:18What you can say?
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Where is your spear?
0:16:20 > 0:16:22You lost it running?
0:16:22 > 0:16:26You must be taken to the place called Kwa Nkata.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30What would happen to you at Kwa Nkata?
0:16:30 > 0:16:35If someone has done wrong, like you lost this short spear,
0:16:35 > 0:16:36that's a serious case.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39You'll be taken by the very strong men -
0:16:39 > 0:16:43you'll be struck in the head, dead.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49In that place, always the vultures are turning around that place.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52As soon as you has been killed,
0:16:52 > 0:16:57the vultures will get into you, take some eyes out, you know?
0:16:57 > 0:16:59It's how is.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10With the creation of his powerful army,
0:17:10 > 0:17:14Shaka had transformed the Zulu people from a small chiefdom
0:17:14 > 0:17:17into a powerful, militaristic state.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21The army became the focus of Zulu life.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27And, as chiefdoms started fighting each other
0:17:27 > 0:17:29for access to the trade routes,
0:17:29 > 0:17:31Shaka's soldiers prepared for conflict.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42The early Zulu kingdom wasn't like a European kingdom
0:17:42 > 0:17:47with palaces, crown jewels and a civil service.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51Rather, it was a web of small communities ruled by the king
0:17:51 > 0:17:53through a network of local chiefs.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59It was these communities that Shaka's army was defending.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05They lived in clusters of small houses
0:18:05 > 0:18:08whose layout has changed little since King Shaka's time.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16This is the Nkana Valley in the heart of KwaZulu-Natal.
0:18:17 > 0:18:22This whole area is peppered with traditional Zulu homesteads.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24I'm about to visit one.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29'While the designs have changed over the years,
0:18:29 > 0:18:33'the homestead remains the focal point of Zulu society.'
0:18:33 > 0:18:36'I've been invited to meet the lady who lives here.'
0:18:36 > 0:18:37Hello?
0:18:40 > 0:18:43DOGS BARK, CATTLE LOW
0:18:43 > 0:18:44What a welcome!
0:19:05 > 0:19:07It's a beautiful place you have here.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11How many people live in a homestead of this size?
0:19:30 > 0:19:32'The layout of the homestead
0:19:32 > 0:19:36'reflects the structure of Zulu society as a whole.'
0:19:36 > 0:19:39How beautiful. Just look at this.
0:19:39 > 0:19:45'Zulu culture was patriarchal and polygamous.'
0:19:45 > 0:19:49'Each house in the homestead functioned like an individual room,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52'with the married man's house at the rear
0:19:52 > 0:19:56'surrounded on both sides by those of his wives,
0:19:56 > 0:19:58'children and extended family.
0:20:00 > 0:20:05'This domestic structure was the same throughout Zulu society,
0:20:05 > 0:20:09'making the homestead the smallest building block of Shaka's empire.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14'And at the centre of the homestead is its most important feature.'
0:20:15 > 0:20:19This is a traditional Zulu cattle corral
0:20:19 > 0:20:24and they were usually placed right in the centre of a Zulu village
0:20:24 > 0:20:26and that was partially for security,
0:20:26 > 0:20:29but it's also a measure of the importance of cattle.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32They are the central focus of Zulu society.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35They were actually used as part of the Zulu economy
0:20:35 > 0:20:38and they were also used for bartering.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Traditionally, a man who wished to marry
0:20:44 > 0:20:48had to provide his bride's father with a gift of cattle
0:20:48 > 0:20:51to compensate him for the loss of his daughter.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56The distribution of cattle was both a source of conflict
0:20:56 > 0:21:00and one of the ways in which warring factions made peace.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05Only men were allowed in the cattle pen
0:21:05 > 0:21:09and the pen itself had a spiritual status within the homestead.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16The circular shape of both the cattle pen and the homestead
0:21:16 > 0:21:18is not an accident.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22It's a design that's both protective and defensive,
0:21:22 > 0:21:24embodying the promise of security
0:21:24 > 0:21:29and belonging upon which the Zulu kingdom was founded.
0:21:36 > 0:21:42But for Shaka, it wasn't enough just to protect his own people.
0:21:42 > 0:21:43The Zulu were just one
0:21:43 > 0:21:45of a number of chiefdoms
0:21:45 > 0:21:46competing for power
0:21:46 > 0:21:48in a period of turmoil.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52For many, it was a case of conquer or be conquered.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59With his powerful new army, Shaka was able to set about
0:21:59 > 0:22:02turning his Zulu chiefdom into an empire.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04For four years,
0:22:04 > 0:22:08Shaka then embarked on a period of aggressive regional expansion.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12He annihilated his enemies and forced people off of their land.
0:22:12 > 0:22:17It was a period that became known as "Mfecane" - the crushing.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25Shaka built the Zulu nation by conquering these chiefdoms
0:22:25 > 0:22:28and incorporating them into the larger Zulu kingdom.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33Those who refused to co-operate had two options -
0:22:33 > 0:22:35death or exile.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38As the Zulu kingdom expanded southward,
0:22:38 > 0:22:42many fled to the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains
0:22:42 > 0:22:44on the fringes of Zulu territory.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51Here, in this remote landscape, archaeologist Benjamin Smith
0:22:51 > 0:22:55has traced the impact of Shaka's conquests.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00This is on the periphery of the Mfecane main area
0:23:00 > 0:23:04and what happened is that many groups fled the Mfecane
0:23:04 > 0:23:07and came out into the mountains as places of refuge
0:23:07 > 0:23:09to get away from Zulu imperialism
0:23:09 > 0:23:14and the domination of the Zulu royal family.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18And so chiefs that still wanted to retain independence
0:23:18 > 0:23:21or were kicked out for some reason or another
0:23:21 > 0:23:23ended up in these kind of areas
0:23:23 > 0:23:26and they would come here for security and safety
0:23:26 > 0:23:29and to get away from the things that are happening
0:23:29 > 0:23:32in the main centre of Mfecane activity.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36But before the refugees of warfare came here,
0:23:36 > 0:23:39this region was already inhabited.
0:23:39 > 0:23:44It was home to hunter-gathers known as the sand people.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Hardly any traces of the Mfecane remain,
0:23:49 > 0:23:53but one remarkable piece of evidence survives.
0:23:54 > 0:23:59Benjamin's taking me to see a tiny fragment of a sand rock painting
0:23:59 > 0:24:04depicting a warrior, perhaps a refugee, from Shaka's conquests.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07OK, so here we are.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09There is the...
0:24:09 > 0:24:13great painting of a man carrying a shield.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15It's beautiful.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19Probably painted in the 1810s or, reflecting on things, from 1810-1820,
0:24:19 > 0:24:20exactly the time of the Mfecane.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23What are we actually seeing here, Benjamin?
0:24:23 > 0:24:27You can see here a human figure - back leg, front leg.
0:24:27 > 0:24:32In his left arm, you can see a long spear with a long metal tip.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35In his right arm, he's holding a slightly exaggerated shield
0:24:35 > 0:24:39and what's noticeable about it is it's not the classic Zulu shape -
0:24:39 > 0:24:42a lozenge - but it's slightly indented in the middle
0:24:42 > 0:24:45and one of the things that we recognise now
0:24:45 > 0:24:47is this is not a typical Zulu shield.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50It's probably someone escaping from the Zulu kingdom
0:24:50 > 0:24:54and coming into no-man's-land as a place of refuge.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57So the person who created this may well have lived
0:24:57 > 0:25:00- in the period of Shaka? - Very, very likely.
0:25:00 > 0:25:05One of these groups is fleeing from the direct rule and might of Shaka.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12The Mfacane transformed southern Africa.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16It was swift and uncompromising and, as a result, the Zulu nation
0:25:16 > 0:25:21expanded from around 3,000 people to over quarter of a million.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27For those who didn't resist, Shaka offered security,
0:25:27 > 0:25:28a collective identity
0:25:28 > 0:25:32and the promise of a future for their children.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38But around the Zulu kingdom, southern Africa was changing.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46In 1824, a group of British traders
0:25:46 > 0:25:52landed in a small lagoon on the east coast of southern Africa.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56Today, it's Durban, the largest city of KwaZulu-Natal.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02The traders established a base
0:26:02 > 0:26:05and quickly made contact with King Shaka.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09Their arrival would have profound consequences for the Zulu kingdom.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14This is Francis Farewell Square,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17the location of Britain's first trading post in the town.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20From a collection of huts on this site,
0:26:20 > 0:26:24Britain traded with the Zulu in textiles and metals
0:26:24 > 0:26:28and they exchanged those goods for animal hides and ivory
0:26:28 > 0:26:30and those first traders' accounts
0:26:30 > 0:26:34would shape the reputation of Shaka for decades.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42Shaka continues to be remembered by many Zulus
0:26:42 > 0:26:44as a heroic warrior statesmen
0:26:44 > 0:26:48whose military conquests created a proud nation.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53But 19th century British accounts of Shaka offer a darker view.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58They wrote of a brutal despot who maintained internal control
0:26:58 > 0:27:01by terrorising his own people.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04While these accounts of Shaka are savage,
0:27:04 > 0:27:08they may have been an alibi for Britain's colonial ambitions.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12They cast a long shadow over his reputation.
0:27:12 > 0:27:17To explore that legacy, I'm visiting the Killie Campbell Library
0:27:17 > 0:27:20to meet historian, Siyabonga Mkhize.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24In the early 20th century,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27a British colonial official named James Stuart
0:27:27 > 0:27:30recorded oral testimonies from Zulu elders,
0:27:30 > 0:27:34many of them first- or second-hand accounts of Shaka's life.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39They provide some of the most important historical evidence
0:27:39 > 0:27:40of Shaka's biography.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45Siyabonga, could you explain to me a little about James Stuart
0:27:45 > 0:27:46in these archives?
0:27:46 > 0:27:51Yeah. Most of the informants of James Stuart, erm,
0:27:51 > 0:27:55were people who have seen Shaka or people that have seen people
0:27:55 > 0:27:58that were living during Shaka's time.
0:27:58 > 0:28:03For example, if you can find that we go to the information
0:28:03 > 0:28:06that was given by Baleka.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10Baleka was a man from the Qwabe glen.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13"Shaka did many evil things to people.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17"Seeing a woman who was pregnant, though she'd done him no harm,
0:28:17 > 0:28:20"he ordered her to be caught, killed and cut open
0:28:20 > 0:28:24"so that it could be seen in what position her child was lying."
0:28:25 > 0:28:29It's shocking. Are there other negative accounts?
0:28:29 > 0:28:32I'm just interested to find out that side of him.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36If you can turn to this page, page ten,
0:28:36 > 0:28:40you find Baleka here still talking about King Shaka.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44"Baleka says that Shaka once asked a woman who was drawing water
0:28:44 > 0:28:47"in an earthen pot from a stream for a drink of water.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51"The woman not knowing Shaka said, 'Why don't you lap up the water
0:28:51 > 0:28:55"'as the other dogs do', thereby refusing him the drink.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57"Shaka marked her down.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00"He then directed that she was to be put to death in order
0:29:00 > 0:29:04"that he might see what kind of heart so inhospitable a person had."
0:29:04 > 0:29:06Wow!
0:29:06 > 0:29:10Sounds like quite a ruthless picture of almost a despot.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13It might be true...it might be true, it might not be true
0:29:13 > 0:29:16because, during Shaka's time,
0:29:16 > 0:29:19people were making a lot of stories about him.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23Those stories were constructed by different people
0:29:23 > 0:29:27because they wanted to find... so that others believe
0:29:27 > 0:29:32that I've seen Shaka, or I've been in Shaka's court,
0:29:32 > 0:29:36Then people will tell a lot of lies.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39But it seems like Baleka is not a fan of Shaka
0:29:39 > 0:29:41whichever way we cut it.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45These are a variety of fairly awful things
0:29:45 > 0:29:47that Baleka feels that Shaka has done
0:29:47 > 0:29:52but are there views, by contrast, that are very positive?
0:29:52 > 0:29:53Yes.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55Here.
0:29:55 > 0:30:02He talks about Shaka as a good character or as a good king.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06"My father said Shaka was a great king and very clever
0:30:06 > 0:30:11"because he defeated all the chiefs in every direction.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13"He was very resourceful."
0:30:13 > 0:30:17You remember that clans were living independently
0:30:17 > 0:30:19all over the country,
0:30:19 > 0:30:22then they managed to defeat them and make them one nation.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25I found that really fascinating.
0:30:25 > 0:30:30There's obviously a broad range of different interpretations of Shaka.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33Erm, but you know this material
0:30:33 > 0:30:36probably better than anyone.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40Who do you feel Shaka was? How do you feel about him?
0:30:40 > 0:30:43If I can say, let's bring back Shaka now,
0:30:43 > 0:30:47he can make a good politician.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49For me, that's how I see Shaka.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53It was just a game of the day that they could kill other people
0:30:53 > 0:30:58to get what they wanted to get, but he was a great politician.
0:31:07 > 0:31:12Shaka died in 1828 in his early 40s.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15He'd been assassinated by his half-brothers
0:31:15 > 0:31:17who seized the Zulu throne.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22As happens so often with historical research,
0:31:22 > 0:31:25when you get close to the subject
0:31:25 > 0:31:27they seem almost to dissolve in ambiguity.
0:31:27 > 0:31:32I mean, Shaka is a very complicated man. He's part despotic leader,
0:31:32 > 0:31:36but, at the same time, he's a very charismatic individual
0:31:36 > 0:31:38who transforms Zulu society
0:31:38 > 0:31:44and one has to think that he left huge shoes to fill.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48The legacy of this man is enormous.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54Shaka's death marked a break with the past.
0:31:57 > 0:32:02His successor King Dingane decided to build a new royal residence
0:32:02 > 0:32:05in the heart of Zulu territory - the Emakhosini Valley.
0:32:09 > 0:32:14This is uMgungundlovu - the site of Dingane's royal compound.
0:32:15 > 0:32:20When it was built in 1829, this compound would have contained
0:32:20 > 0:32:23around 1,500 small beehive-shaped houses,
0:32:23 > 0:32:27clustered eight deep around a central cattle pen.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31Between 5,000 and 7,000 people lived on this site.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36When Dingane seized control of the Zulu throne,
0:32:36 > 0:32:40he took control of a nation at its absolute zenith.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42During his 12 years of rule,
0:32:42 > 0:32:46Shaka had expanded Zulu territory from ten square miles
0:32:46 > 0:32:48to over 12,000.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51He left a standing army of more than 40,000 men
0:32:51 > 0:32:56who ruled over a population of more than 250,000 people.
0:32:56 > 0:33:01But the Zulu faced a new threat, and that was to come to a head here.
0:33:03 > 0:33:07Beginning in 1836, groups of Boer settlers -
0:33:07 > 0:33:10descendants of Dutch, German and French farmers -
0:33:10 > 0:33:14set off from the Cape colony in search of new land.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16Their leader was Piet Retief.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23In late 1837, they arrived in Zulu territory.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25After a series of skirmishes,
0:33:25 > 0:33:28Dingane agreed to give them land in exchange for cattle.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32To seal the deal, some 70 Boer farmers
0:33:32 > 0:33:34travelled to Dingane's royal residence.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41The Boers' arrival was provocative.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45They rode into the royal enclosure on horseback, firing their weapons.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48It was a display that Dingane interpreted
0:33:48 > 0:33:50as insulting and aggressive.
0:33:52 > 0:33:53Before their departure,
0:33:53 > 0:33:58the Boers were invited to Dingane's homestead for a final leave-taking.
0:33:58 > 0:34:04As was traditional, they were asked to leave their weapons outside.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07Whilst two Zulu regiments did a ceremonial dance,
0:34:07 > 0:34:12Dingane stood up, and he shouted, "Seize the wizards!"
0:34:12 > 0:34:14and the Boer were taken away,
0:34:14 > 0:34:17and one by one, they were clubbed to death.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27The Boers were executed on a hill,
0:34:27 > 0:34:29just outside the royal Zulu compound.
0:34:30 > 0:34:34Their leader Piet Retief was forced to witness their deaths.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36He was the last to die.
0:34:37 > 0:34:42The 70 Boers were buried on this site.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46The manner of the Boers' deaths only helped to reinforce their view
0:34:46 > 0:34:50that the Zulu were treacherous and barbaric.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53This was an act that would be avenged.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01Nine months after the massacre of the Boers,
0:35:01 > 0:35:05their compatriots appointed a new leader, Andreas Pretorias.
0:35:07 > 0:35:12He organised a commando of 470 Boers to take the fight to the Zulu.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18By the 15th of December 1838,
0:35:18 > 0:35:22the Boer party had advanced towards the banks of the Ncome River.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29They halted their wagons and set up camp.
0:35:29 > 0:35:33The day commemorated by this monument on the spot.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39What happened next would become a turning point in Zulu history.
0:35:40 > 0:35:44The Boers developed a defensive strategy for dealing with attacks
0:35:44 > 0:35:47from the indigenous population they encountered on their treks.
0:35:47 > 0:35:52They'd circle wagons and place between them wooden fences,
0:35:52 > 0:35:54and pack these spaces with straw.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57This allowed for a large space in the centre
0:35:57 > 0:36:00in which they could protect their families and livestock.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02They called this a laager.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09The Zulus attacked at dawn, but the Boers' improvised fortification
0:36:09 > 0:36:12gave them a crucial tactical advantage.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14The circular shape of the laager
0:36:14 > 0:36:18meant that the Zulus had no clear point of attack.
0:36:18 > 0:36:23In their confusion, the Zulus made a crucial tactical error.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29The left horn of the Zulu army
0:36:29 > 0:36:32attacked before the chest, or the right horn, were ready.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35They came under sustained Boer gunfire.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39They were forced to retreat, and many of them ended up in the river.
0:36:43 > 0:36:44The Boers advanced,
0:36:44 > 0:36:49and fired down onto the Zulus massing in the river bed.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52The Zulu were unable to engage in close combat
0:36:52 > 0:36:53with their short spears.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58Around 3,000 Zulus were killed.
0:36:59 > 0:37:04Their bodies filled the river bed, and turned the water red.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07The battle became known as Blood River.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15'Historian Ken Gillings has studied the impact
0:37:15 > 0:37:16'of Blood River on the Zulu.'
0:37:16 > 0:37:20So, Ken, what were the consequences of the loss here at Blood River?
0:37:20 > 0:37:23For the first time, the Zulu had now come up against
0:37:23 > 0:37:27a western method of fighting, if you like.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30Volley fire, gunfire - no longer was there that close combat
0:37:30 > 0:37:34which they were so used to, and they were successful with
0:37:34 > 0:37:38- against indigenous opponents, if you like.- So the precedent -
0:37:38 > 0:37:42the potential vulnerability - of the Zulu strategy,
0:37:42 > 0:37:47it was actually here at Blood River that that was actually found out.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49- They were found wanting. - That's correct,
0:37:49 > 0:37:53because the traditional method of Zulu attack
0:37:53 > 0:37:59was one of close combat, and here it was a fortified position,
0:37:59 > 0:38:02and it was simply impossible for them with the weaponry
0:38:02 > 0:38:06at their disposal to break into a defensive position such as this.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12The defeat at Blood River split the Zulu kingdom in two,
0:38:12 > 0:38:15and plunged it into civil war.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19Three decades of instability followed.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24The Zulu were only just recovering,
0:38:24 > 0:38:29when an event 800 miles away, deep in Boer territory
0:38:29 > 0:38:32destabilised the Zulu kingdom even further.
0:38:44 > 0:38:48In 1871, a labourer on a farm near the modern town of Kimberley
0:38:48 > 0:38:52discovered a small white stone that caused an international sensation.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58Within two years,
0:38:58 > 0:39:01tens of thousands of people had descended on the area
0:39:01 > 0:39:04to seek their fortunes.
0:39:07 > 0:39:08And this is what they came for.
0:39:12 > 0:39:16The De Beer brothers become the luckiest farmers in history,
0:39:16 > 0:39:19and their land became the largest diamond mine in the world.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28By the mid-1870s, the town of Kimberley had become
0:39:28 > 0:39:30the African equivalent of the Klondike
0:39:30 > 0:39:34filled with prospectors, speculators,
0:39:34 > 0:39:36powerful European financiers.
0:39:39 > 0:39:43Together with vast amounts of gold discovered in the 1880s,
0:39:43 > 0:39:46diamonds would transform South Africa.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06This is the big hole -
0:40:06 > 0:40:09the site of the original De Beers diamond mines.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13Before it was exhausted,
0:40:13 > 0:40:18the mine was excavated to a depth of 1,097 metres.
0:40:20 > 0:40:25The first 240 metres were dug by hand with picks and shovels,
0:40:25 > 0:40:29making this one of the world's biggest man-made excavations.
0:40:29 > 0:40:33It also meant, to accomplish this, the mine owners developed
0:40:33 > 0:40:37a near-insatiable need for one thing - labour.
0:40:40 > 0:40:45They turned to local African men, but here they encountered a problem.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51The increasingly complex mining operations
0:40:51 > 0:40:53required a consistent labour force,
0:40:53 > 0:40:56but African workers, many from traditional chiefdoms,
0:40:56 > 0:41:01tended to work in the mines for short periods and then return home,
0:41:01 > 0:41:03leaving their employers in the lurch.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08To control their black labour force,
0:41:08 > 0:41:11the mine owners introduced barrack-style compounds.
0:41:13 > 0:41:17Migrant workers had to sign up to six-month contracts,
0:41:17 > 0:41:20during which they were forced to live in the compounds,
0:41:20 > 0:41:22surrendering all personal freedoms.
0:41:24 > 0:41:28The impact on the traditional way of life was devastating.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34Young men who'd only ever experienced a barter economy
0:41:34 > 0:41:36suddenly had cash in their pockets.
0:41:36 > 0:41:40Ancient cultures that had endured for generations
0:41:40 > 0:41:42were suddenly under attack.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47Although Kimberley was 800 miles from Zulu territory,
0:41:47 > 0:41:52a number of Zulu men ended up working on the diamond fields.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56The McGregor Museum in Kimberley holds a remarkable collection
0:41:56 > 0:41:59of photographs of those Zulu migrant workers,
0:41:59 > 0:42:01dating from the earliest 20th century.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08They were taken by a compound guard and amateur photographer,
0:42:08 > 0:42:10Alfred Duggan-Cronin.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12'Robert Hart is the curator.'
0:42:12 > 0:42:18Here's one of Duggan-Cronin's original photograph albums.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22'Rather than photograph the Zulu workers in their mining clothes,
0:42:22 > 0:42:27'Duggan-Cronin encouraged them to dress in their traditional costumes
0:42:27 > 0:42:29'and pose in elaborate tableau.'
0:42:29 > 0:42:32He took some quite startling photographs,
0:42:32 > 0:42:40for example this one, which he has called A Zulu Impi On The March.
0:42:40 > 0:42:45It's these mine workers in their traditional dress on a mine dam.
0:42:47 > 0:42:52Here's another study. This is a portrait of a Zulu warrior.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55The man's in his traditional attire.
0:42:55 > 0:42:57He's obviously a very good photographer,
0:42:57 > 0:42:59and they are beautiful things.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01Here's another one.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03"Instructions from the chief" -
0:43:03 > 0:43:06the Zulu scouts.
0:43:06 > 0:43:10Again, the most startling thing is the mine dam in the background.
0:43:10 > 0:43:15On the part of the mine owners, there was a curiosity
0:43:15 > 0:43:20for the other - they used to take visitors to see them on Sundays,
0:43:20 > 0:43:25and they used to actually ask them to dress up and do these war dances.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28But it is a bit like animals in the zoo,
0:43:28 > 0:43:31for these people, who are so fiercely independent.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35For them to then see their identity becoming something which is
0:43:35 > 0:43:39just worthy of being photographed, or captured by people
0:43:39 > 0:43:44on a Sunday afternoon as something that's exotic and wonderful.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47It must have been humiliating at some level.
0:43:47 > 0:43:51It must have been - to be reduced to a curiosity.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54Curiosity, yes.
0:43:54 > 0:43:59It's a sad story, but... beautifully illustrated.
0:44:01 > 0:44:06The colonial mindset that viewed the Zulu as a exotic curiosity
0:44:06 > 0:44:08contributed to what happened next.
0:44:11 > 0:44:13Before the discovery of diamonds,
0:44:13 > 0:44:16South Africa was an economic backwater -
0:44:16 > 0:44:20now it was a source of untold wealth.
0:44:22 > 0:44:23At the end of the 1870s,
0:44:23 > 0:44:27the lands that contained such abundant mineral resources
0:44:27 > 0:44:31were located in a patchwork of independent Boer, British
0:44:31 > 0:44:34and African-controlled territories.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36With so much money at stake,
0:44:36 > 0:44:40and with other European powers scrambling for a piece of the action
0:44:40 > 0:44:45it was a situation that British authorities were keen to regularise.
0:44:46 > 0:44:48So they hatched a plan.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52By drawing the different states of South Africa
0:44:52 > 0:44:55into a single British-controlled territory,
0:44:55 > 0:44:59the British hoped to consolidate their power, develop the economy
0:44:59 > 0:45:03and suppress the growing resistance from African chiefdoms -
0:45:03 > 0:45:05among them, the Zulu.
0:45:07 > 0:45:12In 1878, a number of minor Zulu infringements on the border
0:45:12 > 0:45:16of the colony of Natal were cited by the British authorities
0:45:16 > 0:45:20as evidence of the Zulu kingdom's aggressive intentions.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24The British mischievously hinted
0:45:24 > 0:45:27that a Zulu invasion of Natal was imminent.
0:45:29 > 0:45:32And so, on the 11th December 1878,
0:45:32 > 0:45:35under a fig tree on the banks of the Tugela River,
0:45:35 > 0:45:38the Zulu were issued with an ultimatum.
0:45:39 > 0:45:43The ultimatum comprised a number of key demands -
0:45:43 > 0:45:46the end of the Zulu army, the dismantling
0:45:46 > 0:45:51of the old regiment system, and the presence of a colonial administrator
0:45:51 > 0:45:53deep in the heart of Zulu territory.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56Effectively, these would have combined
0:45:56 > 0:45:58to mean the end of the Zulu empire.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04The new leader of the Zulu nation was Cetshwayo -
0:46:04 > 0:46:07he'd become king in 1872.
0:46:09 > 0:46:12During his reign, he'd built relationships with the British
0:46:12 > 0:46:17and reunified the Zulu nation after decades of trauma and infighting.
0:46:19 > 0:46:22By 1878, only a small number of Zulu men
0:46:22 > 0:46:25had gone to work on the diamond fields.
0:46:26 > 0:46:30The Zulu kingdom was once again a powerful military force.
0:46:31 > 0:46:36King Cetshwayo was not about to give away his empire without a fight.
0:46:44 > 0:46:49On the 11th January 1879, three columns of British soldiers,
0:46:49 > 0:46:53led by lieutenant-general Lord Chelmsford moved into Zululand.
0:46:58 > 0:47:01The invasion force consisted of around 12,000 men,
0:47:01 > 0:47:04made up of British soldiers and African support troops.
0:47:08 > 0:47:12On the 20th of January, the central column set up camp,
0:47:12 > 0:47:15deep inside Zulu territory.
0:47:17 > 0:47:21They chose a wide expanse of land beneath a rocky outcrop,
0:47:21 > 0:47:23named Isandlwana.
0:47:26 > 0:47:28The British troops remarked
0:47:28 > 0:47:33that the distinctive mountain resembled the Egyptian Sphinx.
0:47:34 > 0:47:39Lord Chelmsford believed the Zulu would employ guerrilla tactics,
0:47:39 > 0:47:42rather than engage in a single large battle,
0:47:42 > 0:47:45so he decided to take the fight to them.
0:47:46 > 0:47:47But he was mistaken.
0:47:49 > 0:47:53In what can only be described as a catastrophic mistake,
0:47:53 > 0:47:56Lord Chelmsford decided to split his troops,
0:47:56 > 0:48:00leading the bulk of his men down through that V in the mountains,
0:48:00 > 0:48:03right deep into Zulu territory,
0:48:03 > 0:48:07but what he didn't know, at that very moment,
0:48:07 > 0:48:10massing on the other side of those adjacent mountains
0:48:10 > 0:48:14were 20,000 Zulu troops.
0:48:17 > 0:48:21Later that morning, a British patrol was out on the hills
0:48:21 > 0:48:23close to Isandlwana.
0:48:23 > 0:48:26They came over a ridge, and saw an astonishing sight.
0:48:28 > 0:48:33Thousands of Zulu warriors, sitting on the ground in complete silence.
0:48:38 > 0:48:42With the main body of the British army many miles away,
0:48:42 > 0:48:46the troops at the base camp were dangerously exposed.
0:48:47 > 0:48:52When the Zulu spotted the British patrol, they launched their attack.
0:48:57 > 0:48:59As the British started firing their weapons,
0:48:59 > 0:49:03the Zulu took on their traditional "horns of the buffalo" formation.
0:49:03 > 0:49:07The toughest troops in the chest took on the British infantry.
0:49:07 > 0:49:11The two horns spread out to fully surround the British positions.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15The Zulu descended in their thousands,
0:49:15 > 0:49:18using their short stabbing spears to attack the British
0:49:18 > 0:49:23in the hand-to-hand fighting style that King Shaka had favoured.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26The result was carnage.
0:49:26 > 0:49:28The British were completely overwhelmed
0:49:28 > 0:49:30and their camp was totally destroyed.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37Over 1,200 British and African support troops were killed.
0:49:39 > 0:49:43The white cairns that dot the battlefield at Isandlwana
0:49:43 > 0:49:46mark the burial places of the British soldiers.
0:49:50 > 0:49:55This man is the great-great grandson of one of the Zulu warriors
0:49:55 > 0:49:58who fought at Isandlwana.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01How does it make you feel having that personal connection
0:50:01 > 0:50:04- to what happened here? - It makes me feel proud.
0:50:04 > 0:50:08Here now the Zulus are fighting within their kingdom and also
0:50:08 > 0:50:11they are now aware that the British want to do away with their kingdom.
0:50:11 > 0:50:15They do not want to lose it. They fight and die for it.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18And do you feel that those people who died, that they died
0:50:18 > 0:50:21for something which was worthwhile?
0:50:21 > 0:50:22I think so.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25It is the only Zulu kingdom of God, nothing else.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28Losing this one, we've got nowhere to go.
0:50:28 > 0:50:32Today we're here, we're proud of what they did.
0:50:32 > 0:50:37It was not nice, but they did it for those descendants.
0:50:37 > 0:50:39Today, it's like this, we're very proud.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46Many Zulu today celebrate the Zulu military
0:50:46 > 0:50:48and remember Isandlwana
0:50:48 > 0:50:50as the kingdom's finest hour.
0:50:50 > 0:50:53The Zulu nation had been threatened with destruction,
0:50:53 > 0:50:55but its army had responded
0:50:55 > 0:50:58with focus and discipline.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01Their victory had embarrassed and shaken the British,
0:51:01 > 0:51:04but it was a victory that would be short-lived.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12Before the two horns of the Zulu army met
0:51:12 > 0:51:14and fully enveloped the British,
0:51:14 > 0:51:17a small band of survivors attempted to retreat.
0:51:19 > 0:51:23They were trying to make their way to a small British garrison
0:51:23 > 0:51:25and field hospital eight miles away.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28It was known as Rorke's Drift.
0:51:30 > 0:51:34At the time, it was occupied by around 150 British troops.
0:51:37 > 0:51:41The field hospital here at Rorke's Drift sits on the banks
0:51:41 > 0:51:42of the Buffalo River,
0:51:42 > 0:51:46in what was then the British-run territory of Natal.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49Now, Cetshwayo had expressly forbidden his troops
0:51:49 > 0:51:52from entering the British colony, but in defiance of their king,
0:51:52 > 0:51:544,000 men, the men who made up the rump
0:51:54 > 0:51:57of the earlier battle formation at Isandlwana,
0:51:57 > 0:52:01entered this area with the express idea of attacking the hospital.
0:52:01 > 0:52:05This was going to be a repeat of their earlier victory.
0:52:05 > 0:52:09The British realised there was no point in trying to flee.
0:52:09 > 0:52:11They barricaded themselves in,
0:52:11 > 0:52:14and turned their buildings into a fortification.
0:52:14 > 0:52:18In the late afternoon, the Zulu attacked.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26They laid siege for over five hours, and at one point
0:52:26 > 0:52:29actually broke through the British perimeter,
0:52:29 > 0:52:31but remarkably, the British prevailed.
0:52:34 > 0:52:36With thousands of rounds of ammunition
0:52:36 > 0:52:38and state-of-the-art weapons,
0:52:38 > 0:52:40the British were able to see off the Zulu.
0:52:42 > 0:52:47The Zulu withdrew, but not before over 500 of their men were killed.
0:52:51 > 0:52:56Rorke's Drift went down in history as a legendary British success.
0:52:56 > 0:52:5811 of the soldiers who defended the site
0:52:58 > 0:53:01received Victoria Crosses for bravery -
0:53:01 > 0:53:06the highest number ever awarded to a regiment for a single battle.
0:53:07 > 0:53:11But an event that went down in history
0:53:11 > 0:53:14as a triumph for the British was a catastrophe for the Zulu.
0:53:17 > 0:53:21Rob Caskie is an expert on the battle of Rorke's Drift.
0:53:23 > 0:53:26So, Rob, why did the Zulu fail here at Rorke's Drift?
0:53:26 > 0:53:30There are a number of factors as to why they lost here at Rorke's Drift.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33The fact that it was a prepared defensive position.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35The fact that the Zulus were over-confident
0:53:35 > 0:53:38and didn't have a battle plan as to how they would attack this place.
0:53:38 > 0:53:40When the initial attacks were repulsed here,
0:53:40 > 0:53:45I think a huge amount of the fight was knocked out of the Zulu.
0:53:45 > 0:53:48What was the Zulu's attitude to modern weaponry?
0:53:48 > 0:53:51The Zulus hitherto had not really come up against
0:53:51 > 0:53:55sustained modern firepower from rifles like the Martini Henry
0:53:55 > 0:53:58or the Gatling gun, and I don't think they really knew
0:53:58 > 0:54:01quite what to expect, and just how devastating this weapon
0:54:01 > 0:54:04would be - at close range it would kill three men in a line,
0:54:04 > 0:54:07and the Zulus up to that point hadn't faced weaponry of that power.
0:54:07 > 0:54:11So what were the repercussions of Rorke's Drift for the Zulu?
0:54:11 > 0:54:14Obviously the repercussions continued to fold out
0:54:14 > 0:54:15over months and years?
0:54:15 > 0:54:18Well, they did. The repercussions were enormous.
0:54:18 > 0:54:20The Zulus, I think, realise now
0:54:20 > 0:54:24that the British would be almost impossible to attack
0:54:24 > 0:54:27if they were behind prepared positions,
0:54:27 > 0:54:31and the fact that they had crossed the Buffalo River into Natal
0:54:31 > 0:54:33gave the British reason to re-invade Zululand
0:54:33 > 0:54:35and smash the Zulu order forever.
0:54:43 > 0:54:48Five months after Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift,
0:54:48 > 0:54:53the British Army returned to Zululand 25,000 strong.
0:54:53 > 0:54:56This time, they were determined to finish the job.
0:54:58 > 0:55:02After a series of battles, the decisive Anglo-Zulu clash
0:55:02 > 0:55:04came at the town of Ulundi -
0:55:04 > 0:55:07a few miles from Cetshwayo's royal compound.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12This monument marks the site of the battle.
0:55:22 > 0:55:26The British arranged their troops into a hollow square,
0:55:26 > 0:55:28firing out from all sides.
0:55:28 > 0:55:31It was the kind of fixed fortification
0:55:31 > 0:55:34that had proved so successful at Rorke's Drift.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39The sweeping horns of the buffalo were no match
0:55:39 > 0:55:41for the British block formation,
0:55:41 > 0:55:44particularly when backed by serious artillery.
0:55:44 > 0:55:47The Zulu lost 1,500 men.
0:55:47 > 0:55:50The British, by comparison, 13.
0:55:50 > 0:55:52This was the end of the Zulu empire.
0:55:55 > 0:55:57Using a well-tried divide-and-rule strategy,
0:55:57 > 0:56:03the British sliced up the kingdom into 13 individual chieftaincies
0:56:03 > 0:56:06each led by an enemy of King Cetshwayo.
0:56:07 > 0:56:11The kingdom was plunged into a bitter civil war
0:56:11 > 0:56:15in which more Zulus died than in the whole of the Anglo-Zulu conflict.
0:56:17 > 0:56:22Cetshwayo was captured and imprisoned.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25He eventually made his way to England to plead his case
0:56:25 > 0:56:30to Queen Victoria, but he died in 1884.
0:56:30 > 0:56:34The glorious kingdom that Shaka had built
0:56:34 > 0:56:37had been systematically destroyed.
0:56:53 > 0:56:57JOYOUS SINGING
0:57:01 > 0:57:05Despite the destruction of the independent Zulu kingdom
0:57:05 > 0:57:09in the late 19th century, the Zulu nation lives on.
0:57:14 > 0:57:18Though it is no longer a sovereign state with a standing army,
0:57:18 > 0:57:22the Zulu people remain the largest ethnic group in South Africa.
0:57:24 > 0:57:28Over the years, the Zulu military past has been glorified,
0:57:28 > 0:57:32interpreted and used by different factions
0:57:32 > 0:57:33for their own political purposes,
0:57:33 > 0:57:36especially in South Africa's recent history.
0:57:36 > 0:57:40Sometimes the portrayal of Shaka and the Zulu past
0:57:40 > 0:57:45has obscured the truth, but it's served to maintain Zulu pride.
0:57:47 > 0:57:52The history of the Zulu could be read as one of defeat
0:57:52 > 0:57:55and disaster, but there's something else.
0:57:55 > 0:57:58There's the triumph against adversity.
0:57:58 > 0:58:00There's a sense of unity.
0:58:00 > 0:58:04Things which continue to bind and endure.
0:58:10 > 0:58:13Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:13 > 0:58:16E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk