Cetshwayo kaMpande -- South Africa

Cetshwayo kaMpande was the King of the Zulu Kingdom from 1872 to 1879 and their leader during the Anglo-Zulu War (1879).  He was a son of Zulu king Mpande and Queen Ngqumbazi, half-nephew of Zulu king Shaka and grandson of Senzangakhona kaJama.  In 1856 he defeated and killed his younger brother Mbuyazi in battle, and became the effective ruler of the Zulu people.  As his father was still alive he did not ascend to the throne, he was around 6 feet 6 inches tall (198 cm) and weighed close to 25 stone (158 kg).  Mpande died in 1873 and Cetshwayo became king on 01 September. As was customary, he created a new capital for the nation and called it Ulundi (the high place).  He expanded his army and adopted many of Shaka methods, and equipped his impis with muskets.  

He banished European missionaries from his land and may have incited other Africans to rebel against Boers in Transvaal.  In 1878, the British Commissioner for South Africa, began to demand reparations for border infractions, this angered Cetshwayo who realised the Commissioner was deliberately antagonising him so he kept calm.  However, when the Commissioner demanded that he disband his army Cetshwayo refused and instead prepared for war.

On the 22nd January 1879 the British invaded Zululand, with nearly 2,000 troops, made up of British and African men from the neighbouring colony of Natal. Although they faced a force of roughly 20,000 Zulu warriors, the British felt assured of victory due to superior military weaponry.  However, the battle would prove to be an embarrassing defeat for the British as they were out-manoeuvred by Cetshwayo's men.  By the end of the battle the British had lost around 1,300 of their force, while the Zulus suffered a relatively light loss of around 1,000 men.  After the battle of Isandlwana and other defeats, the British launched a nine month counter offensive with at least 17,000 British troops, the largest Army they ever sent to Africa.  Britain emerged victorious in this Anglo-Zulu War after their forces captured Cetshwayo on August 28, 1879, forcing him to agree to the dismantling of the Zulu Empire into 13 small states.  Cetshwayo was exiled and eight years later, the British annexed all of these states.

By 1882 differences between two Zulu factions Cetshwayo uSuthus and three rival chiefs Uzibhebhu had erupted into feuds and civil war.  In 1883, the British tried to restore Cetshwayo to rule part of his previous territory but the attempt failed.  With the help of Boer mercenaries, Chief UZibhebhu started a war contesting the succession and on 22 July 1883 he attacked Cetshwayo's new kraal in Ulundi.  Cetshwayo was wounded but escaped to Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal forest, He then moved to Eshowe, where he died a few months later on 8 February 1884, aged 58.

Cetshwayo is remembered by historians as being the last king of an independent Zulu nation.

The Battle of Isandlwana, would remain an important landmark in the history of Africa as an example of resistance against European colonialism.