Cetshwayo kaMpande
~1826–1884 · Zulu (South Africa) · Anglo-Zulu War
Known for: Last great Zulu king who defeated the British at Isandlwana—their worst defeat by indigenous troops
Cetshwayo kaMpande was the last great Zulu king who presided over the most stunning defeat of a colonial army by indigenous forces. At the Battle of Isandlwana in 1879, his Zulu warriors overwhelmed a British column, killing over 1,300 soldiers in what remains the worst British military defeat at the hands of an indigenous force.
He had attempted peaceful relations with Britain, but the war was forced on him by the British High Commissioner Lord Chelmsford, who wanted to destroy Zulu military power. After eventual British victory, Cetshwayo was exiled to London, where he impressed Queen Victoria with his dignity.
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