Shaka

Shaka (shä`kä), d. 1828, paramount chief (1818–28) of the Zulus. He organized an army of some 40,000, and after reducing many enemy peoples to vassalage, he subjugated all of what is now KwaZulu-Natal. Shaka was murdered by his half brother, Dingane. His name is also spelled Chaka.

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Shaka

Shaka, lithograph by W. Bagg, 1836.

(credit: Courtesy of the trustees of the British Museum; photograph, J.R. Freeman & Co. Ltd.)

(born c. 1787—died Sept. 22, 1828) Zulu chief (1816–28), founder of southern Africa's Zulu kingdom. His life is the subject of numerous colourful and exaggerated stories, many of which are debated by historians. It is generally accepted that Shaka was a highly skilled warrior who established himself as head of the Zulu about 1816. Under his autocratic rule, the Zulu kingdom experienced significant expansion, quickly becoming the dominant power in southeastern Africa. Shaka was murdered by his half-brother.