How would you describe Zulu chief Shaka and his highly-centralized state? How did this state come to an end?
1 Answer
From what I read, Shaka Zulu was a ruthless leader, making an empire akin to the ancient Spartans.
Explanation:
Shaka was born in the Zulu tribe. When he was born, he and his mother were kicked out and forced to return to his mother's old tribe. As Shaka grew up, he became much stronger and smarter than his peers. When he was about 23, he was drafted into the military and was allowed to use his superior intelligence and strength on the battlefield. Because of this, he quickly rose through the military ranks. Dingiswayo, Shaka's overlord, made him one of his most powerful generals. Because of this, Shaka enforced militarism over the surrounding tribes, swallowing them up to make his own tribe bigger.
When Dingiswayo died, Shaka immediately assumed power for himself. After this, Shaka began to revolutionize the weapons used in his armies. Instead of throwing spears, he implemented short stabbing spears and shields, which allowed for better warfare.
Males and females were broken into squads, until they were deemed "mature" by Shaka himself. After they reached maturity, they were allowed to intertwine.
Shaka's first capital was KwaBulawayo, which allowed for his empire to be centralized. He gave his best and favorite captains herds of cattle, which allowed a feudalistic style of government to happen, as his captains gave out cattle to vassals.
Shaka's empire ended after his step brothers attacked and killed him. His last words as his brothers were stabbing him were as follows,“Are you stabbing me, kings of the earth? You will come to an end through killing one another.”
