History UsefulNotes / ShakaZulu

After this came the typical years of GambitPileup that constitutes politics wherever it takes place. During this time Shaka was able to refine his army into the form it would later become. It was composed of a number of ''Impis'' (usually translated as "regiment") and systematically trained to attack with thrusting spears called ''iklwa'' (as opposed to the ''assegai'' javelins) using double-envelopment tactics. Besides the added tactical sophistication, the sheer frightfulness of being willing to close to hand-to-hand combat so ferociously (a feat few unarmored troops can be counted on to do regularly) broke the power of rival tribes. Other details include rigorous training and a system of military apprenticeship that made the Zulu army something close to a professional standing army (the only thing it might be said to have lacked to make it a "professional standing army" was a VastBureaucracy of support troops, which concept wasn't available in the area) and many historians have marveled at the Zulu army's rigorous training and organizational features.

Needless to say, Shaka is also the center of epics and folk tales circulating among the peoples of his former empire. Like it often happens with folk memory, they don't shy away from misrepresenting the facts to make the story better, and often don't mind including various fantastic elements.

* BenevolentBoss: Dingiswayo was this to Shaka, as well as his {{Mentor}}. Alas, [[MentorOccupationalHazard he died]], killed by the enemy he once showed mercy, and Shaka drew exactly the conclusions you'd expect him to do.

* FluffyTheTerrible: Shaka's name actually stems from "Ishaka", a Zulu word that loosely translates as "belly-ache" or "gut problem", specifically relating to a parasitic insect that caused intestinal distress; it was a reference that his mother had denied being pregnant with Shaka and claimed she instead was suffering from an Ishaka infestation.

* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Obviously, and arguably the man who turned the Zulus as a whole into this.
* RockBeatsLaser: Or perhaps Spear Beats Rifle: Shaka acknowledged firearms as a powerful utility and hoped to train his men with them. However, he felt that that the iklwa spear was superior than the rifle because by the time the riflemen reloaded his rifle, he would have been already been swarmed by spear-wielding warriors in close range. His theory bore some fruit nearly 60 years after his death during the Battle of Isandlwana where the British suffered a major defeat in the battle despite the British technological superiority ([[ZergRush in addition to being swarmed by spear-wielding warriors]]). [[ZigZaggedTrope It was then flatly debunked]] later on the same day when a garrison of just 140 men at the fortress of Rorke's Drift managed to repulse a Zulu army of nearly 4,000 soldiers while taking minimal casualties. The British eventually came back in a second invasion which resulted in the Zulu Empire going down in a hail of gunfire and artillery with the occasional bayonet thrust, at the Battle of Ulundi (where the British essentially formed a giant square edged with machine guns and cannons and opened fire. Even considering that their rifles had a maximum range of 1900 yards, and the Zulu troops were charging into that, canister shot and machine guns, they ''still'' got within 30 yards of the square). Even Isandlwana was a dubious victory in the big picture, because it cost the Zulu far more casualties than the British in a war where the British had both [[MoreDakka superior firepower]] and [[WeHaveReserves more people.]]

* There was a miniseries in 1986 called ''Series/ShakaZulu'', which was produced by the South African Broadcasting Company and shown in America on syndication. It starred Henry Cele as Shaka, Creator/ChristopherLee as Lord Bathurst, and Roy Dotrice as King George IV.

* CainAndAbel: Did not have a good relationship with his siblings, having one of his brothers assassinated to take the Zulu throne. He was later dispatched by his two brothers when he went mad...and one of them, Dingane, quickly reduced that family to just one member to claim the crown himself.

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: On occasion, some people give him this treatment.
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: But other people have less benevolent interpretations, of course.

* SanitySlippage: He...didn't do well after his mom died, going completely insane and issuing nonsensical commands, randomly killing cows to teach their calves about loss and executing people for not grieving enough. His brothers took the chance to get rid of him after that.

* TheSpartanWay: Though the extent is somewhat exaggerated by some accounts, many accounts claim he forced his army to run 50 miles (80 kilometers) a day

* DoesNotLikeShoes: According to many historical accounts, Shaka trained his soldiers to march through the terrain without wearing any sandals and any footwear, stating that such footwear hampered the mobility of the warrior. There was even a story where Shaka Zulu was given a pair of sandals made with valuable cowhide, but he decided to discard them.

* While the man himself doesn't appear, ''VideoGame/EmpireEarth 2'''s Zulu civilization has the unique Beast Horns formation that lets their Heavy Infantry do more damage. Their unique units include an iklwa wielder and mobile artillery named Horn of the Impi.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Before becoming leader of the Zulu tribe, Shaka had a distinguished career as a common soldier in King Dingiswayo's army. At a time when combat between African tribes consisted of fighting mostly by throwing spears at each other from a distance, Shaka preferred to fight his enemies up close with a custom-made spear he eventually named "Aniklwa" in reference to the sound it made when he plunged it into opposing soldiers. He eventually earned a promotion to a commander by defeating a famous warrior of the Butelezi tribe in a one-on-one duel and then leading the rest of the army to victory.

* KillEmAll: When Shaka went to war on a tribe, he didn't leave many survivors. Indeed, it's arguable that Europeans had such a relatively easy time settling into East Africa because of how extensively Shaka's wars had depopulated the region.

The UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan of South Africa and the [[FounderOfTheKingdom Founder of the Zulu Kingdom]]. Shaka kaSenzangakhona (circa July 1787 – September 22,1828) was born a prince of what was then a fairly minor tribe. He served as a warrior for the nearby chieftain Dingiswayo who would help Shaka secure his position when his father died.

* RockBeatsLaser: Or perhaps Spear Beats Rifle: Shaka acknowledged firearms as a powerful utility and hoped to train his men with them. However, he felt that that the iklwa spear was superior than the rifle because by the time the riflemen reloaded his rifle, he would have been already been swarmed by spear-wielding warriors in close range. His theory bore some fruit nearly 60 years after his death during the Battle of Isandlwana where the British suffered a major defeat in the battle despite the British technological superiority ([[ZergRush in addition to being swarmed by spear-wielding warriors]]). [[ZigZaggedTrope It was then flatly debunked]] later on the same day when a garrison of just 140 men at the fortress of Rorke's Drift managed to repulse a Zulu army of nearly 4,000 soldiers while taking minimal casualties. The British eventually came back in a second invasion which resulted in the Zulu Empire going down in a hail of gunfire and artillery with the occasional bayonet thrust. Even Isandlwana was a dubious victory in the big picture, because it cost the Zulu far more casualties than the British in a war where the British had both [[MoreDakka superior firepower]] and [[WeHaveReserves more people.]]

** It should also be noted that the Zulu actually suffered ''less'' casualties than the British at Isandlwana. To be fair, however, a lot of this can be chalked up to brilliant Zulu generalship, gross misjudgements among the British (though the above remains true), and the tactical situation. The Zulu armies favoured speed, functioning as more or less as close to cavalry as infantry soldiers could get. As a result, the open, but broken ground (the latter of which allowed them to actually ''outrun'' horses) of Isandlwana played right into their hands. The British, by contrast, favoured dug in positions that played to their advantages in firepower.

* Appears in various entries of the ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}'' series as the Zulu leader.

The UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan of South Africa and the [[FounderOfTheKingdom Founder of the Zulu Kingdom]]. Shaka was born a prince of what was then a fairly minor tribe. He served as a warrior for the nearby chieftain Dingiswayo who would help Shaka secure his position when his father died.

* Appears in various entries of the ''{{VideoGame/Civilization}}'' series as the Zulu leader.

* In WebVideo/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory, he goes face-to-face with another military genius, UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar.

* FourStarBadass: He was the main commander of their military.

** It should also be noted that the Zulu actually suffered ''less'' casualties than the British at Isandlwana. To be fair, however, a lot of this can be chalked up to brilliant Zulu generalship, [[GeneralFailure gross misjudgements among the British]] (though the above remains true), and the tactical situation. The Zulu armies favoured speed, functioning as more or less as close to cavalry as infantry soldiers could get. As a result, the open, but broken ground (the latter of which allowed them to actually ''outrun'' horses) of Isandlwana played right into their hands. The British, by contrast, favoured dug in positions that played to their advantages in firepower.

* HeroicBastard[=/=]BastardBastard: Depending on the interpretation of his morality, his origin as a result of an illicit liaison between the leader of Zulu chiefdom and his mother made him a pariah to the village that she lived in.

There was a miniseries in 1986 called ''Series/ShakaZulu'' which was produced by the South African Broadcasting Company and shown in America on syndication. It starred Henry Cele as Shaka, Creator/ChristopherLee as Lord Bathurst, and Roy Dotrice as King George IV. Needless to say, Shaka is also the center of epics and folk tales circulating among the peoples of his former empire. Like it often happens with folk memory, they don't shy away from misrepresenting the facts to make the story better, and often don't mind including various fantastic elements.

!! Depictions in fiction:

* Appears in various entires of the ''{{VideoGame/Civilization}}'' series as the Zulu leader.