📅 12 January 1879
British columns crossed into Zululand after Cetshwayo rejected the ultimatum. The invasion began an imperial war to destroy Zulu political independence.
📅 20 January 1879
Chelmsford's column camped beneath Isandlwana without entrenching or forming a wagon laager. Zulu forces were already moving to oppose the invasion.
📅 22 January 1879
Zulu forces destroyed the main British camp at Isandlwana in one of the most significant African victories over a European imperial army during the nineteenth century.
📅 4 July 1879
The British burned the royal capital after defeating the Zulu army. The battle destroyed the kingdom's military power and opened the way for its political fragmentation.
