This book tells the story of the destruction of the material strength and political independence of an African society a hundred years ago. Contemporary records of such events, usually dominated by those who initiated the conquest, show in this instance conflicting accounts by supporters of Cetshwayo's independent kingdom and by colonial officials influenced by the developing demands of capitalism. The author has tried to explain these contradictory interpretations of events and to construct a narrative which moves from the homesteads of the Zulu kingdom to colonial Natal and the Cape to Victorian London and back to the battlefields of Zululand.

The Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 has become synonymous with Britain's humiliating defeat at Isandlwana and the equally heroic defense of Rorke's Drift, where little more than 140 British soldiers kept over 3,000 Zulu warriors at bay. But these two celebrated actions were only one part of a campaign that lasted for over six months and resulted in the destruction of the Zulu Kingdom, leading to a decade of civil war. Founded on a wealth of first-hand accounts, some published here for the first time, as well as the authors' intimate knowledge of the history and terrain of Zululand, Zulu Vanquished is a groundbreaking work that sheds light on the wider Anglo-Zulu conflict and will prove indispensable for scholars and enthusiasts alike.

In 1879, armed only with their spears, their rawhide shields, and their incredible courage, the Zulus challenged the might of Victorian England and, initially, inflicted on the British the worst defeat a modern army has ever suffered at the hands of men without guns. This is the definitive account of the rise of the Zulu nation under the great ruler Shaka and its fall under Cetshwayo. The story is studded with tales of drama and heroism: the Battle of Isandhlwana, where the Zulu army wiped out the major British column; and Rorke's Drift, where a handful of British troops beat off thousands of Zulu warriors and won eleven Victoria Crosses. Acclaimed for its scholarship, its monumental range, and its spellbinding readability, The Washing of the Spears is a gripping portrait of not just the Zulu War of 1879, but also of Britain’s colonial policy at this moment.

This is a paperbound edition of a 2001 book combining biography and larger historical narrative. Guy (history, U. of Natal, South Africa) studies the life of the daughter of the Bishop of Natal, Hariette Colenso, as a window into the continuing process of imperialism and colonialism after the destruction of the Zulu Kingdom's political hierarchy. After the military defeat of the Zulus, the invaders turned their attention to diverting Zululand's productive capacity and material wealth to the benefit of the colonizers; but a number of women and men, including Colenso, resisted this exploitation. Guy argues that an examination of her interaction with the Zulus should be viewed as a contribution to understanding the complicated role of women in the world of late-19th-century imperialism. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

One of the great untold stories of pre-colonial Africa at last receives a chronicle worthy of its significance. Revisit exotic Zululand, once the most powerful black state in Africa. It experienced only sixty years of independence, and during that time weathered more than other countries endure in centuries. See its rebellions by discontented subjects and ambitious princes, and the intrusions by traders, missionaries, and land-hungry settlers. View the seeds of its downfall in the invasion by the Dutch Voortrekkers, and its final destruction at the hands of the British -- who, at the height of their imperial power, required a full, six-month-long military campaign to bring the kingdom down. Finally, look towards the future, and the ways in which the kingdom lives on in the dreams of the new South Africa. Dozens of black-and-white photographs, as well as sketches, capture Zululand's undulating hillsides, its proud and self-assured people and artifacts, including ceremonial staffs, shields, woven baskets, and spears.