Cetshwayo

{{Short description|King of the Zulu Kingdom (1826–1884)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox royalty | name = Cetshwayo kaMpande | image = Cetshwayo ka Mpande, cropped.jpg | alt = Cetshwayo kaMpande, the king | caption = Photograph of Cetshwayo by [[Alexander Bassano]] in [[Bond Street|Old Bond Street]], [[London]], {{circa|1882}} | succession = [[King of the Zulu Nation]] | reign = 1 September 1873 – 8 February 1884 | birth_date = 1826 | birth_place = [[Eshowe]], [[Zulu Kingdom]] | death_date = 8 February 1884 (aged 58) | death_place = Eshowe, Zulu Kingdom | titletext = | predecessor = [[Mpande kaSenzangakhona]] | successor = [[Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo]] | spouse = | issue = [[Dinuzulu]] | regnal name = | father = | mother = | royal house = [[House of Zulu]] }} '''Cetshwayo kaMpande''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ɛ|tʃ|ˈ|w|aɪ|.|oʊ}}; {{IPA|zu|ᵏǀétʃwajo kámpande|Zulu:}}; {{circa}} 1826 – 8 February 1884) was the king{{efn|The title ''iSilo samaBandla'' was used for the king by the Zulu people.}} of the [[Zulu Kingdom]] from 1873 to 1884 and its Commander in Chief during the [[Anglo-Zulu War]] of 1879. His name has been rendered as '''Cetywayo''' or '''Cetshwayo'''. Cetshwayo consistently opposed the war and sought fruitlessly to make peace with the British and was defeated and exiled following the Zulu defeat in the war. He was later allowed to return to Zululand, where he died in 1884.

==Early life== Cetshwayo was born in 1826, the son of future Zulu king [[Mpande]]<ref name=EB1911 /> and Queen Ngqumbazi. He was a half-nephew of the reigning Zulu king [[Shaka]] and grandson of [[Senzangakhona]]. His father became king in 1840. In 1856 Cetshwayo defeated and killed in battle his younger brother Mbuyazi, Mpande's favourite, at the [[Battle of Ndondakusuka]]. Almost all of Mbuyazi's followers were massacred in the aftermath of the battle, including five of Cetshwayo's brothers.{{sfn|Haggard|1882|p=}} Following this Cetshwayo became the ruler of the Zulu people in everything but name. However, he did not ascend to the throne as his father was still alive. Stories from that time regarding his huge size vary, saying he stood at least between {{convert|6|ft|6|in|cm|abbr=on}} and {{convert|6|ft|8|in|cm|abbr=on}} in height and weighed close to {{convert|25|st}}.

His other brother, Umthonga, was still a potential rival. Cetshwayo also kept an eye on his father's new wives and children for potential rivals, ordering the death of his favourite wife, Nomantshali, and her children in 1861. Though two sons escaped, the youngest was murdered in front of the king.{{sfn|Morris|1994|pp=190-199}} After these events Umthonga fled to the [[Boers]]' side of the border and Cetshwayo had to make deals with the Boers to get him back. In 1865, Umthonga again fled across the border, apparently making Cetshwayo believe that Umthonga would organize help from the Boers against him, the same way his father had overthrown his predecessor, [[Dingane]].

Furthermore, he had a rival half-brother named [[uHamu kaNzibe]], who betrayed the Zulu cause on numerous occasions.{{sfn|Laband|2009|p=194}}

==Reign== [[File:Cetshwayo-c1875.jpg|thumb|upright|Cetshwayo {{circa|1875}}]] Mpande died in 1872. His death was first concealed to ensure a smooth transition; Cetshwayo was installed as king on 1 September 1873. Sir [[Theophilus Shepstone]], who annexed the [[Transvaal Colony|Transvaal]] to the [[Cape Colony]],{{sfn|Meredith|2007|p=88}} crowned Cetshwayo. Shepstone eventually turned on the Zulus, as he felt he was undermined by Cetshwayo's skillful negotiations for land area and compromised by encroaching Boers, as well as the fact that the Boundary Commission established to examine the ownership of the land in question had dared to rule in favour of the Zulus.{{sfn|Meredith|2007|p=88}} The report was subsequently buried.

After his coronation, as was customary, Cetshwayo established a new capital for the nation and called it [[Ulundi]] ''(the high place)''. He expanded his army and readopted many methods of Shaka. Cetshwayo also equipped his [[impi]]s with [[musket]]s, though evidence of their use is limited. He banished European missionaries from his land and may have incited other native African peoples to rebel against Boers in the [[South African Republic|Transvaal]].

==Anglo-Zulu War== {{main article|Anglo-Zulu War}}

[[File:Cettiwayo Zulu Chieftain annihilated British regiment.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Cetshwayo (called Cettiwayo in the caption) in Cape Town, shortly after his capture in the Anglo-Zulu War]]

In 1878, Sir [[Henry Bartle Frere]], British High Commissioner for the [[Cape Colony]], sought to confederate the colony the same way [[Confederation of Canada|Canada had been]] and felt that this could not be done while there was a powerful Zulu state bordering it. Frere thus began to demand reparations for Zulu border infractions and ordered his subordinates to send messages complaining about Cetshwayo's policies, seeking to provoke the Zulu king. They carried out their orders, but Cetshwayo kept calm, considering the British his friends and being aware of the power of the [[British Army during the Victorian Era|British Army]]. He did, however, state that he and Frere were equals, and since he did not complain about how Frere administered the Cape Colony, Frere should observe the same courtesy concerning Zululand. Eventually, Frere issued [[Anglo-Zulu War#Terms|an ultimatum]] that demanded that Cetshwayo ''[[de facto]]'' disband his army. [[File:Isandhlwana.jpg|thumb|The [[Battle of Isandlwana]]]] His refusal led to war in 1879, though he continually sought to make peace after the [[Battle of Isandlwana]], the first engagement of the war. After an initial decisive but costly Zulu victory over the British at Isandlwana and the failure of the other two columns of the three-pronged British attack to make headway – indeed, one was bogged down in the [[Siege of Eshowe]] – the British retreated, other columns suffering two further defeats to Zulu armies in the field at the [[Battle of Intombe]] and the [[Battle of Hlobane]]. However, the British follow-up victories at [[Battle of Rorke's Drift|Rorke's Drift]] and [[Battle of Kambula|Kambula]] prevented a total collapse of the British military positions. While this retreat presented an opportunity for a Zulu counterattack deep into Natal, Cetshwayo refused to mount such an attack; he intended to repulse the British offensive and secure a peace treaty. However, Cetshwayo's translator, a [[Dutch people|Dutch]] trader he had imprisoned at the start of the war named [[Cornelius Vijn]], gave warnings to [[Frederic Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford|Lord Chelmsford]] of gathering Zulu forces during these negotiations.{{sfn|Macdonald|1933|p=}}

[[File:Cetshwayo, King of the Zulus (d. 1884), Carl Rudolph Sohn, 1882.jpg|thumb|upright|Cetshwayo visited England in 1882 when this portrait was painted by [[Karl Rudolf Sohn]].]] [[File:Henry Marriott Paget - Surrender of Cetewayo.jpg|left|thumb|Surrender of Cetewayo in 1879]] The British then returned to Zululand with a far larger and better-armed force, finally capturing the Zulu capital at the [[Battle of Ulundi]], in which the British, having learned their lesson from their defeat at Isandlwana, set up a hollow square on the open plain, armed with cannons and [[Gatling gun]]s. The battle lasted approximately 45 minutes before the British ordered their cavalry to charge the Zulus, which routed them. After Ulundi was taken and burnt on 4 July, Cetshwayo was deposed and exiled, first to [[Cape Town]] and then to [[London]]. He returned to Zululand in 1883.

From 1881, his cause had been taken up by, among others, [[Lady Florence Dixie]], correspondent of ''[[The Morning Post]]'', who wrote articles and books in his support. This, along with his gentle and dignified manner, gave rise to public sympathy and the sentiment that he had been ill-used and shoddily treated by Bartle Frere and Lord Chelmsford.

==Later life== [[File:CETSHWAYO c1832-1884 King of the Zulus stayed here in 1882.jpg|thumb|upright|Cetshwayo Blue Plaque at [[18 Melbury Road]] in Kensington, London]] By 1882, differences between two Zulu factions—pro-Cetshwayo ''uSuthus'' and three rival chiefs led by [[Zibhebhu kaMaphitha|Zibhebhu]]—had erupted into a [[blood feud]] and civil war. In 1883, the British government tried to restore Cetshwayo to rule at least part of his previous territory, but the attempt failed. With the aid of Boer mercenaries, Chief Zibhebhu 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 the forest at [[Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal|Nkandla]]. After pleas from the Resident Commissioner, Sir Melmoth Osborne, Cetshwayo moved to [[Eshowe]], where he died a few months later on 8 February 1884, presumably from a heart attack, although there are some theories that he may have been poisoned.<ref name=AfHist /> His body was buried in a field within sight of the forest, to the south near Nkunzane River. The remains of the wagon that carried his corpse to the site were placed on the grave and may be seen at Ondini Museum, near [[Ulundi]].

Cetshwayo's most prominent role in South African [[historiography]] is being the last king independent of the Zulu Kingdom. His son [[Dinuzulu]], as heir to the throne, was proclaimed king on 20 May 1884, supported by (other) [[Boer]] mercenaries. A [[blue plaque]] commemorates Cetshwayo at [[18 Melbury Road]], Kensington, London.<ref name=EngHet />

==Legacy== In 2016, the [[King Cetshwayo District Municipality]] was named after Cetshwayo. ===In media=== [[File:Mangosuthu Buthelezi (1983).jpg|right|150px|thumb|[[Mangosuthu Buthelezi]].]] Cetshwayo figures in three adventure novels by [[H. Rider Haggard]]: ''[[The Witch's Head]]'' (1885), ''Black Heart and White Heart'' (1900) and ''[[Finished (novel)|Finished]]'' (1917), and in his non-fiction book ''[[Cetywayo and His White Neighbours]]'' (1882). He is mentioned in [[John Buchan]]'s novel ''[[Prester John (novel)|Prester John]]''. In the short story ''A Municipal Report'' in ''[[Strictly Business (1962 film)|Strictly Business]]'' by [[O. Henry]] (1910), the face of a key character is compared to that of "King Cettiwayo".

A character in the opera ''[[Leo, the Royal Cadet]]'' by [[Oscar Ferdinand Telgmann]] and [[George Frederick Cameron]] was named in his honour in 1889.

In the 1964 film ''[[Zulu (1964 film)|Zulu]]'' which depicted the Battle of Rorke's Drift, Cetshwayo was played by [[Mangosuthu Buthelezi]], his maternal great-grandson and the future leader of the [[Inkatha Freedom Party]]. In the 1979 film ''[[Zulu Dawn]]'' depicting the Battle of Isandlwana, he was played by Simon Sabela.

In the 1986 miniseries ''[[Shaka Zulu (TV Series)|Shaka Zulu]]'', he was played by Sokesimbone Kubheka.

There is a brief allusion made to Cetshwayo in the novel ''[[Age of Iron]]'' by [[J. M. Coetzee]] in the line "The new Africans, pot-bellied, heavy-jowled men on their stools of office: Cetshwayo, Dingane in white skins."{{sfn|Coetzee|1990}}

''[[Civilization V: Brave New World]]'' features Cetshwayo as the leader of the Zulus in the Scramble for Africa scenario.

==References== ===Notes=== {{notelist}}

===Citations=== <references> <ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Cetywayo|volume=5|pages=776–777}}</ref>

<ref name=EngHet>{{cite web| url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/discover/blue-plaques/search/cetshwayo-ka-mpande-king-of-the-zulus-|title=Cetshwayo, ka Mpande, King of the Zulus (c.1832–1884)|publisher=English Heritage| access-date=1 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110705005205/https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/discover/blue-plaques/search/cetshwayo-ka-mpande-king-of-the-zulus-|archive-date=5 July 2011}}</ref>

<ref name=AfHist>{{cite web|url=http://africanhistory.about.com/library/biographies/blbio-cetshwayo.htm|title=Biography of Cetshwayo kaMpande, the last king of an independent Zulu nation|access-date=17 December 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061216024940/http://africanhistory.about.com/library/biographies/blbio-cetshwayo.htm|archive-date=16 December 2006|website=africanhistory.about.com}}</ref> </references>

===Sources=== {{refbegin}} *{{cite book|last=Coetzee|first=J. M. |author-link=J. M. Coetzee|title=Age of Iron|url={{google books|id=Cl1AAQAAIAAJ|plainurl=yes|keywords=pot-bellied}}|year=1990|publisher=Secker & Warburg}} *{{cite book|last=Haggard|first=Henry Rider |author-link=H. Rider Haggard|title=Cetywayo and His White Neighbours: Or, Remarks on Recent Events in Zululand, Natal, and the Transvaal| url=https://archive.org/details/cetywayoandhisw00hagggoog| year=1882| publisher=AMS Press}} *{{cite book|first=John|last= Laband|title=Historical Dictionary of the Zulu Wars|publisher=Scarecrow Press|date= 2009|isbn=9780810863002}} *{{Cite book|last=Macdonald|first=William|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LxdDAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Cornelius+Vijn%22|title=The Romance of the Golden Rand: Being the Romantic Story of the Life and Work of the Pioneers of the Witwatersrand – the World's Greatest Goldfields|date=1933|publisher=Cassell}} *{{cite book|last=Meredith|first=Martin |title=Diamonds, Gold, and War: The British, the Boers, and the Making of South Africa|url=https://archive.org/details/diamondsgoldwarb00mere |url-access=registration|year=2007|publisher=PublicAffairs|isbn=978-1-58648-473-6}} *{{cite book|last=Morris|first=Donald R. |title=The Washing of the Spears: A History of the Rise of the Zulu Nation Under Shaka and Its Fall in the Zulu War of 1879|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M_DAxi8sBHEC |year=1994|publisher=Pimlico|isbn=978-0-7126-6105-8}}

== Further reading == {{Refbegin}} * {{cite book |first=Carolyn |last=Hamilton |title=Terrific Majesty: The Powers of Shaka Zulu and the Limits of Historical Invention |publisher=Harvard University Press |date=1998}} * {{cite book |first=Ken |last=Gillings |title=Discovering the Battlefields of the Anglo-Zulu War |date=2014}} * {{cite book |first=Ian |last=Knight |author-link=Ian Knight (historian) |title=By the Orders of the Great White Queen: An Anthology of Campaigning in Zululand |publisher=Greenhill Books |date=1992}} {{Refend}}

== External links == * {{Commons category inline|Cetshwayo kaMpande}}

{{s-start}} {{s-reg}} {{s-bef|before=[[Mpande]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[List of Zulu kings|King of the Zulu Nation]]|years=1872–1879<br />1883–1884}} {{s-aft|after=[[Dinuzulu]]}} {{s-end}} {{Zulu Monarchs}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cetshwayo}} [[Category:1820s births]] [[Category:1884 deaths]] [[Category:19th-century monarchs in Africa]] [[Category:19th-century Zulu people]] [[Category:History of KwaZulu-Natal]] [[Category:Monarchs taken prisoner in wartime]] [[Category:People of the Anglo-Zulu War]] [[Category:South African animists]] [[Category:Zulu kings]]