The Real Reason Britain Battled the Zulus
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2025
- The Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 - one of the most famous conflicts in British military history.
Most of you have heard of the crushing defeat at Isandlwana or the glorious stand at Rorke’s Drift where 11 VCs were awarded - but why did the war happen in the first place?
Was it just a greedy land grab by the British Empire? Or was it something more… Complicated?
Was it part of a broader British strategy or simply the work of a few local officials?
Get a brew on, and let’s take a closer look.
If you are interested in the Zulu War, then please sign up for my mailing list to receive my free book on the subject: redcoathistory...
You making videos about military history made me watch Zulu, and its a great movie. So I thank you.
As a BSA I grew up learning the history, then studied the history from another view, and you really have one of the most accurate and I feel more unbiased explanations of what went on, thank you this is so refreshing (BSA British South African /4th gen)
Many thanks for the info and feedback.
Thank you for posting this video and for the excellent content you provide for free on this platform.
Thanks, Glad you enjoy it
Literally just found this channel and I bloody love it. Keep it coming
Another good post, Chris. I wrote a paper on the Zulu War in my history class in high school here in Canada. I'm sure my teacher had never heard of it before my essay landed on his desk. It was at this point that I realized that truth of the war's origins was very different from what was implied in the opening scenes of Zulu. Still a cracking film, though, that my dad took me to see when it was released back in 1964. I was quite young but it made an instant impression.
I’ve had an interest in the Anglo Zulu war since I saw Zulu when it was released. I was impressed you were able to explain the causes of the war in such a short video. I’m looking forward to future videos. 😁🏴
Excellent stuff as always, Chris! And on a topic very near and dear to me.
Great stuff Chris delivered in your own excellent way, I love this period and can't wait for more.
Lovely thanks a lot Peter. Hope you are well.
Your programmes keep getting better and better. You seem to have a good take on how to keep the subject interesting and move the narrative along at a decent pace.
Top stuff. Keep it up!
Many thanks
Another awesome video! Thanks
Great content mate, nice to get the grip of past events in this enjoyable manner, best regards, keep up at it bro.
Thanks brother. Glad you enjoyed this one.
The Zulu posed no threat to Natal.
This invasion was a huge mistake. Imagine today we would have a free and independent Republic of Natal and The Kingdom of Zululand. No KZN.
Yes, its a very interesting "What if"
Another banger. Cheers. 🇨🇦
Turn the volume up please, great content 👍🏴✌️
Good information to know; great video and well presented. Thank you! Regards from the Confederation of Canada 🇨🇦
The US 51st State!
@PhansiKhongoloza I don't think that will happen because Canadians are mostly left of Democrats so Canada would be one giant BLUE state. The yanks won't want us! 😆
Thanks Keith
Brilliant Chris, very informative
Thanks mate - glad you enjoyed it.
Very interesting and informative
Extremely interesting!!
Excellent summary. Natal Bishop John Colenso's efforts to prevent the war might have been mentioned though.
Got it on now !
A great movie and more Michael Caine screen time.
Thank you for explaining the broader context, Chris.
The first black and white picture you show of King Cetshwayo is incorrect - it actually shows the King's brother Ndabuko. It is a common mistake amongst historians.
As an Afrikaner I also appreciate your honest words at the end.
Have you ever thought of learning to speak isiZulu?
Thanks. My apologies for the incorrect image. I would love to learn Zulu but as my wife is a Sotho she would wander what I was up to ;-)
At 4:18 you can hear the distinctive cry of the mighty hadeda.
All behold the true heralds of these southern African lands!
Well spotted!
Thanks from an expat South African for your concise and accurate summation of the cause of the Zulu Wars. They should never have happened, except Bartle-Frere, Shepstone & Co were hell bent on their destruction. Poor old Chelmsford thought he was fighting the ama Xhosa. Turned out rather expensive for them in the end. Although T. Shepstone alone did manage to escape the disastrous after effects.
Hey Redcoat History you should do a video on the battle of Blenheim War of Spanish succession.
The Zulu's had an army of 30,000 men.
Not only that - but it was a really good Native Army.
Now - in context - the Bantu People had moved down the East Coast of Africa, slowly - over hundreds of years.
The problem was - when they met the Europeans on the Fish River - that gradual, population driven expansion - stopped. And when it stopped - all those people that no longer had any where to go - just backed up - and began causing population problems all through Southern Africa.
One thing that happened - was the Zulu's displaced a tribe - that then displace another tribe that displaced another and so on - creating a Domino Effect that resulted in the Depopulation of large areas of Southern Africa. Not only were people killing each other - this chain reaction of disruption - undermined the ability of the people there - to feed themselves. Producing Food - requires a degree of stability so that crops can be grown and harvested - and animals can be raised and managed. Without that stability - people end up starving. They had one band with a Female Leader - that was just gave up on trying to produce food and went roaming about killing people and eating them.
One of the factors in the Afrikaner's Great Trek was that they were migrating through an area that had been depopulated by all but the bones of the deceased.
No one planned for that to happen - it's just one of the things that did happen because of the burgeoning population.
The Colonial and Native Powers - tried to deal with all this - with mixed success.
Humans are animals and when animals over populate an area - things happen - which tend to reduce the population to levels where it isn't a problem any more - and thousands (if not tens or hundreds or millions) may die in the process. An example from European History would be the displacement of Barbarian Tribes in Europe - that impacted the Roman Empire.
In Europe - this adjustment caused by the Barbarian Expansions - continued (one way or the other) right up until modern times.
So - it's just not a surprise that - the same way the Europeans - who effectively Ruled the World - had two World Wars that slaughtered millions of people - and - undermined their hold on the world had parallels in Southern Africa.
This all comes down to the fundamental question of Human Beings.
Why do Humans kill each other?
The Answer is - because they can.
.
Oh ...for those who haven't thought about it - Global Warming is caused by Human Over Population. Nature has a cure for things like that.
.
Thanks for taking the time to say this. You are pointing out important factors.
Which leads me to wonder what if the British or a rival provided the Zulus with modern fire arms?
@@MrDubyadee1 The Zulus didn’t have modern firearms until they took them off the dead bodies at Isandlawna.
@John-h7l9e I know. But if they were supplied firearms and ammunition, what a force they'd have been. What would it have taken for a European power to defeat them?
I love your videos. Can you make a video of a complete time line of events, video discribing layouts of the british fortifications, also I was wondering if you could make a video about the timing of the first two battles in the same day & if there was in communications between the British regarding Isandlwana & the other one (not Rorkes Drift but it's lesser known battles) but they had a gatlin gun.
Zulu is one of my favorites. Thank you
Handing over king charles to a foreign army... Humm i wonder what a popularity poll would say
What do you mean he controls another army ?
Are you talking about Charles the Woke?
@British-v1h there was a comment comparing demands made on the Zulu's that they give up there king
I swear I saw Charles in the Monty Python skit "Upper Class Twit of the Year". I believe he placed 3rd
Charles the Mad WOKEY
The new Madness of King Charles
I really feel bad for the British these days and that is normal hard for someone with my Irish Welsh background
Good Grief man , are you really actually implying that a highly respected Leading British Diplomat was not playing an open , honest and straight game with both the Zulu nation and the London Government …..I need to go and think about that ….no no that is to shocking to even contemplate …..
I, too, am realing from this inference.
Too shocking by half.
I shall have to retire to the drawing room and settle my nerves.
Do you really think that the Zulu were open and honest? Look up the Piet Retief Delegation massacre where Zulu king Dingane massacred 100 Voortrekkers after signing a treaty or the associated Weenen massacre where the Zulus massacred nearly 500 including elderly and infant Voortrekkers as well as Khoikhoi and Basuto.
Superb.
Britain feared the Zulus would develop nuclear weapons.
And side with president putin
Nice work on pronouncing Xhosa properly Chris. Love your work 💋
Because they felt entitled to the land and its resources.
Not many resources in Zululand, Sir.
The point is entitlement I think, no other reason to just impose yourself on another peoples country
I appreciate your caveat. I'm a proud American with a similar outlook.
And it's one of my favorite movies.
Great story
great video..but think your gain is a bit high...unless it's my end. just a little distortion. but love he video regardless
Its the video, not you , I hear it too
Fascinating video. I am not sure you are quite correct in your claim that Canada’s Confederation in 1867 happened to make British North America more easy for the British to manage. Quite the contrary: it was an initiative by Canadians for self government.
I watch "Zulu" at least once a year. I can almost recite the whole movie, and the warriors involved are brave men fighting each other. 'Zulu Dawn' was such a piece of crap that it's almost indescribable.
I like Zulu Dawn.
Zulu Dawn a great movie
Maturing is realizing there has never been a war fought for a noble cause. Follow the money and you learn the origin of all wars.
He never mentioned that the Zulu regimental system had very problematic systemic issues. One was that youth were not allowed to marry until they had wet their spears in blood. This obviously highly incentivized conflict. That part of the British ultimatum may not have been as unreasonable as it sounds.
Hi, thanks for your comment. . . you say the system "Highly incentivised conflict" and yet the Zulu hadn't had a war against whites since 1838 so I think we need to be careful as portraying them as war mongering and desperate for a fight.
@@redcoathistory are you only concerned when they attacked whites?
@@markbadham3360 Lol great response. Not worthy of a serious reply.
6:53 “…hand over King Charles to a foreign army…not gonna happen!,”. Wait a sec, let’s hear them out! 😂
And a year later, the British were kicked out of the Transvaal when they lost the first Anglo-Boer War
Im going to re watch Zulu-Dawn after this... its actually just as good as its more famous namesake Zulu...but for some reason, by 1978 (?) anything seen as promoting colonialism is seen as unfashionable so the critics panned it. All the same, its a cracking film in its own right and well worth a look if you havent seen it.
Zulu of course is an excellent film... and Ill probably re watch that again soon as well. ; ]
This is good history
Back to the Zulu War. This American has been with you since your first videos from the battlefields. Time flies friend.
It's complicated - but to put it briefly it was the expanding empire of the Zulus against the British Empire, and for all the great bravery and tactical brillance of the Zulus, they did not have guns.
The Zulus were no bigger crooks or heroes than those wearing red jackets.
another great share, thank you.
Bartle-Frere was the villain of the piece, engineering the war for his own political advancement.
DIAMONDS! The Diamonds are here!-Cecil Rhodes
No diamonds to be found in Zululand.
Chris, the Empire reached its peak in 1923, not in the 1870s.
Like the Zulus were the most peaceful critters out there. Just like Dakota Sioux were! They didn't call them savages for nothing. They wrote the book on torturing their enemies.
Guillermo Miller = Latin American Wars, John Churchill = Duke.
Every New King is always Obliged to expand his Kingdom as Area as possible ---- but why the English did not read previous Empires history books ---- and the Imperial British Empire returned became small England island 🏝️
👍
I also try not to judge history by the morals of today. It cannot be done in my mind however I do look the actions of the leaders and tactics to try and see why it happened. I think officers in the British Army suffered from the same problems as the American officer corps. Elitism through arrogance. Under estimating their opponent due to his lack of what we called civilization. American officer corps still has this issue today.
Africa was and always has been better off ruled by civilized people. Mistakes happen, but nobody can possibly argue for example that Zimbabwe is better off than Rhodesia was, for black or white people.
Give up King Charles ???
Go on then...😅
✌🏽
How times have changed.
Yep, big country invades little country. My, how things have changed since then.
In today's world it would be Chinese Zululand....
I am proudly British, but certain areas like this make me ashamed.
What is there to be ashamed of
@ethanlewis1459 The fact that in this certain case, if History has to choose who are the bad guys here it's us British.
@@mktf5582 History is more complicated than that though and there are usually multiple factors and motivations. The Zulu were also imperialist and expansionist and had been one of a number of factors behind the earlier Mfecane (crushing) where people were forced to migrate and millions died.
I'm American and neither proud nor ashamed of anything other Americans do or did. I had nothing to do with it.
@@mktf5582 thank you sir I say the same
Ultimately it was a war of Aggression against a independent Kingdom which had no interest in fighting the British .No different from Russian invading Ukraine. ( im British btw and find the war fascinating )
But the Zulus were also imperialists. Same sort of nuanced tribal warfare that went on in North America.
@kellybreen5526 I think the key point is that they didn't sail 8000 miles and export it on others..
We’re not talking about the Quakers here. The Zulus were a threat to all around them and had been cheerfully slaughtering anyone within reach.
@@davidspence5567 The Zulu spread across Southern Africa under Shaka during a migration known as the Mfecane (crushing), killing millions and causing great upheaval. They were absolutely an imperialist and warlike nation. The story of Africa is not a simplistic Hollywood story of bad Europeans vs good Africans but much more complex with various conflicts and genocides between ethnic groups.
@
South Africa 1980 vs South Africa now…..
Where would you rather live by any metric?
I’m glad the Brits pushed out of their wet island and colonized this place where I live.
Europe should be glad that those Romans crossed the Rubicon.
It would be like telling the British public they can't speak freely in the pub...oh, wait.
We gave it to the Fuzzy Wuzzies good and proper!!
The Fuzzy Wuzzies were in the Sudan & Eritrea