Cetshwayo (ca. 1826-1884) was the last independent Zulu king, whose reign ended in war against the British and in the collapse of Zulu unity.

Cetshwayo was a nephew of the first two Zulu kings, Shaka and Dingane. When his father, Mpande, displaced Dingane in 1840, Cetshwayo was brought into the line of immediate royal succession. But his prospects remained uncertain, for although the eldest son of Mpande's first wife, he was closely matched in age by a half brother, Mbulazi, the eldest son of Mpande's more favored second wife.

Mpande evaded choosing between the youths, but factions formed, and in 1856 they resorted to arms. Cetshwayo's Usutu faction won an overwhelming victory that was as much a triumph over Mpande as it was over Mbulazi. Thereafter, Cetshwayo was an independent power in the land although Mpande lived on until 1872 without being deposed.

A man of intelligence and considerable force of...