Zulu forces attack Rorke's Drift

The British government annexed the South African Republic and included African territories claimed by the republic. The annexation expanded imperial control and prepared the way for renewed attacks on...

British officials demanded that Cetshwayo dismantle the Zulu military system and surrender sovereignty. The deliberately unacceptable terms provided a pretext for invasion.

British columns crossed into Zululand after Cetshwayo rejected the ultimatum. The invasion began an imperial war to destroy Zulu political independence.

Chelmsford's column camped beneath Isandlwana without entrenching or forming a wagon laager. Zulu forces were already moving to oppose the invasion.

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.

Zulu forces attacked Evelyn Wood's troops at Hlobane and drove the British from the mountain. The engagement preceded the larger battle at Kambula.

The British defensive position at Kambula inflicted heavy losses on the Zulu army. The defeat weakened the kingdom's capacity to resist the invasion.

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.

Cetshwayo was captured in the Ngome forest after the defeat of the Zulu Kingdom. Colonial authorities imprisoned and exiled him.

British authorities divided Zululand among appointed chiefs, weakening central authority and encouraging civil conflict.