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Shaka: Genius or Madman?
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Nick1986 View Drop Down
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Posts: 7940 		  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Shaka: Genius or Madman?
    Posted: 31-Aug-2011 at 19:06

Zulu King Shaka succeeded his father in 1816 and made sweeping reforms to the Zulu nation, transforming it into the most powerful army in that part of Africa. Warriors were forced to run barefoot (those who complained were killed) and a new spear was introduced designed for stabbing rather than throwing. The tactics Shaka pioneered were still effective in 1879 when Cetewayo's impi used the famous "buffalo horns" formation to overwhelm the Brits at Isandlhwana. However, in later years his reign became increasingly tyrannical and unstable, leading to his murder by his half-brother in 1828.
Who can tell me more about this famous warrior-king? Which of the many posthumous claims are true?
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Posts: 53 		  Quote Bulldog69 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01-Sep-2011 at 03:34
Here is an extract about Shaka and the Zulus, taken from the up-coming book, 'The If Man':

Today’s political correctness has re-branded the Zulus as the ‘victims’ or ‘goodies’ of the piece [the Zulu War of 1879], but the fact is that the Zulu kingdom was aggressive and dangerous and outrageously militaristic with an enormous army and a history of violent expansion. Only a couple of generations previously, the Zulus had risen to prominence through conquest and enslavement of other tribes, expanding their territory twelve-fold and laying waste to much of what is now Natal, fighting vicious civil wars and engaging in endless Machiavellian power struggles.

The founder of the Zulu nation – Shaka – was a truly barbaric and bloody-thirsty brute, ordering the complete annihilation of the Ndwandwe tribe in 1826, sparking a rampage of savagery which saw 40,000 men, women and children butchered. Not even his own people were safe from his excesses - he would order people to be executed for the slightest offence, such as sneezing in his presence. When his mother died in 1827, his insane reaction was to order random executions, the slaughter continuing until 7000 people had been murdered. His mother was then buried along with ten of her hand-maidens – these unfortunate wretches had their arms and legs broken before being buried alive to keep her company. Interestingly, and despite all this, he was voted as the 14th ‘Greatest South African’ in a poll for SABC in 2004 and the new airport at Durban is named in his honour. 



Edited by Bulldog69 - 01-Sep-2011 at 06:17
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Posts: 7392 		  Quote Centrix Vigilis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01-Sep-2011 at 05:41
Originally posted by Nick1986


Zulu King Shaka succeeded his father in 1816 and made sweeping reforms to the Zulu nation, transforming it into the most powerful army in that part of Africa. Warriors were forced to run barefoot (those who complained were killed) and a new spear was introduced designed for stabbing rather than throwing. The tactics Shaka pioneered were still effective in 1879 when Cetewayo's impi used the famous "buffalo horns" formation to overwhelm the Brits at Isandlhwana. However, in later years his reign became increasingly tyrannical and unstable, leading to his murder by his half-brother in 1828.
Who can tell me more about this famous warrior-king? Which of the many posthumous claims are true?
 
 
He's been described as brillant and forward thinking in military affairs (depends on the source).
 
And what today might be consider as a psychotic madman murder...(again take your pic on sources).
 
Nothing new about that actually.. history remains replete with examples long before his era and fame came out of Africa...and a lot's more since.
 
Here's a couple for those who might be interested in further research:
 
 
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Posts: 171 		  Quote Chookie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01-Sep-2011 at 18:09

Shaka was born in 1787, to Nandi the third wife of Senzangakhona kaJama, Shaka kaSenzangakhona (son of Senzangakona), was king from 1816 to 1828) Shaka had a half-brother named Dingane and another named Mpande.

Shaka seems to have been a real son of a bitch (and by the same token, Nandi seems to have been a real one) he was fostered out to a sub-clan of the Mthethwa. Jobe, the paramount chief of the Mthethwa died in 1807 and was succeeded by Dingiswayo. Shaka spent the next nine years fighting for Dingiswayo, and in this time he developed the structure, weapons and fighting style used by the Impis so it's evident that he was a great innovator. At the same time he was cold-blooded opportunist. When his mentor (Dingiswayo, in case you've forgotten) was killed in battle in 1816 by the Ndwandwe, Shaka could have intervened and won the battle, instead he kept his forces out of it, Dingiswayo died and Shaka had a clear road to becoming King. He took it.

Unfortunately, Shaka, for all his talents, was also brutal and batshit crazy – he ordered executions for as little as sneezing while he was eating. This was further exemplified on the death of his mother Nandi in 1827. he ordered that ten handmaidens should should be buried with her. Alive. Being merciful, he had their arms and legs broken...

This was bad enough (to out 21st century perspective anyway), but 7,000 or so Zulus died in the general mourning (WTF?) he also ordered that 12,000 men would guard the grave for the next twelve months. These men would be supplied with cattle from every kraal (village) in the land, no woman would become pregnant (or else), no crops would be planted and no milk would be drunk.

While the handmaidens, the tomb guards and the cattle might be considered incidental, the staple diet of the Zulus was milk and millet. Needless to say, this was not a popular ruling and it led indirectly to his death. He was murdered by his half-brother Dingaane in 1828, Dingaane wasn't much of an improvement as his main claim to fame was the Battle of Blood River.



Edited by Chookie - 01-Sep-2011 at 18:10
For money you did what guns could not do.........
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Nick1986 View Drop Down
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Posts: 7940 		  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01-Sep-2011 at 19:19
Sounds like a real psycho: an African Ivan the Terrible. Did he really murder his wife for getting pregnant?
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Posts: 7392 		  Quote Centrix Vigilis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01-Sep-2011 at 23:53
''bat-shit crazy'' eh Chookie....LOL
 
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Tells it like an Cav Scout.. he does.Wink
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Posts: 7940 		  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19-Mar-2012 at 19:49
Maybe Jaj knows more about Shaka?
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Posts: 541 		  Quote Delenda est Roma Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13-Aug-2012 at 12:16
He was a brutal, violent, repressive, insane and had no conscience. He decided not to adopt gunpowder weapons and so doomed his people. He was nowhere close to a genius.
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Posts: 4734 		  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13-Aug-2012 at 15:50
The diffenence between the one and the other notion is too freqiesntly just a POV.
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Posts: 1748 		  Quote Toltec Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13-Aug-2012 at 17:38
Originally posted by Bulldog69

Here is an extract about Shaka and the Zulus, taken from the up-coming book, 'The If Man':

Today’s political correctness has re-branded the Zulus as the ‘victims’ or ‘goodies’ of the piece [the Zulu War of 1879], but the fact is that the Zulu kingdom was aggressive and dangerous and outrageously militaristic with an enormous army and a history of violent expansion. Only a couple of generations previously, the Zulus had risen to prominence through conquest and enslavement of other tribes, expanding their territory twelve-fold and laying waste to much of what is now Natal, fighting vicious civil wars and engaging in endless Machiavellian power struggles.

The founder of the Zulu nation – Shaka – was a truly barbaric and bloody-thirsty brute, ordering the complete annihilation of the Ndwandwe tribe in 1826, sparking a rampage of savagery which saw 40,000 men, women and children butchered. Not even his own people were safe from his excesses - he would order people to be executed for the slightest offence, such as sneezing in his presence. When his mother died in 1827, his insane reaction was to order random executions, the slaughter continuing until 7000 people had been murdered. His mother was then buried along with ten of her hand-maidens – these unfortunate wretches had their arms and legs broken before being buried alive to keep her company. Interestingly, and despite all this, he was voted as the 14th ‘Greatest South African’ in a poll for SABC in 2004 and the new airport at Durban is named in his honour. 

 
Interesting, rather like Genghis Khan and the modern PC revisionism.
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Nick1986 View Drop Down
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Posts: 7940 		  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13-Aug-2012 at 19:12
Lewis Grout's "Life among the Zulu Kaffirs" provides an account of Shaka's reign. He had a difficult childhood and was only able to return after the death of his father, when he speared his brother to death and seized power
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=bI50AAAAMAAJ&ots=6aOplV3VzY&dq=shaka%20zulu&pg=PA71#v=onepage&q&f=false
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Posts: 541 		  Quote Delenda est Roma Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13-Aug-2012 at 19:22
Sounds like a real family man :). Anyway by anyones standards he was off his rocker.
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