The Zulu attack at Kambula
The burning of Ulundi
July 4th 1879: End of Anglo-Zulu War
On this day in 1879, the Zulu capital of Ulundi was captured by the British, thus ending the Anglo-Zulu War. The war in South Africa began in 1878 after the murder of several British citizens by Zulus and Zulu king Cetshwayo’s refusal to accept an ultimatum which required the Zulu to surrender parts of their sovereignty. However, authorities in Britain had long been seeking pretense to launch an assault on the Zulu Kingdom to consolidate British rule in the area. The indigenous Zulu warriors had some initial success against the European invaders, including at the battle of Isandlwana in January 1879, though this victory was offset by defeat at Rourke’s Drift. The Zulu forces were decisively defeated in March 1879 at the Battle of Kambula, which paved the way for British victory in the war. On July 4th 1879, British forces attacked the royal villages of King Cetshwayo at Ulundi, where they defeated the last of the Zulu soldiers and burned the capital; this defeat essentially marked the end of the Anlgo-Zulu war. Over 1,000 Zulu died in the fighting, and Cetshwayo fled, eventually being captured in the Ngome forest in August and exiled. British victory spelled the end of independence of the Zulu nation in South Africa, and resulted in the division of Zululand.
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