An revolutionary study of the first conflict between the Zulu kingdom and European invaders and its dramatic impact on the Boers and Zulus. By the 1830s, the Zulu kingdom was consolidating its power as the strongest African state in southeastern Africa, but it was under increasing pressure from British traders and hunters on the coast as well as from the descendants of the first Dutch settlers at the Cape – the Boers. In 1837, the advance of the Boers with the Great Trek reached the borders of Zulu territory, causing concern. When Boer leader Piet Retief and his followers were massacred in cold blood, war broke out. Although the initial counterattacks of the Boers were destroyed by the Zulus, in December 1838 a new offensive by the Boers led to a nationally defining clash between Boers and Zulus at the Battle of Blood River. In this new work, featuring striking artwork and detailed maps, Ian Knight explores a subject that has historically been a source of controversy and bias in South African history, placing the Zulu more centrally in this part of their story. Some of the subjects covered are the Boer/Ndebele conflict in 1836, asymmetry in technique and weaponry, the reasons why British settlers allied with the Boers, and why the war was a turning point in the use of traditional Zulu strategies. This work also reveals that a Boer victory at the Battle of Blood River was by no means a foregone conclusion.
Manufacturer
- Publisher
- Osprey Publishing
- Skroutz Book Awards 2025
- -
- Type
- Academic History
- Theme
- World History, History of Europe, History of Africa
- Language
- Dutch
- Subtitle
- -
- Cover
- Soft
- Number of Pages
- 96
- Release Date
- -
- Publication Date
- 2024
- Dimensions
- 18.4x24.8 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9781472860750
Important information
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