Zululand is the ancestral home of the Zulu people. The site of
many a bloody battle between the British, the Boers, and the Zulus
during the 19th century, it abounds in significant towns,
memorials, and battle sites that form part of the historic
Battlefields Route.
This land once encompassed the Zulu kingdom led by legendary
Shaka Zulu, and then by his half-brother Dingaan, who clashed with
both the British and Afrikaner settlers in what are today recorded
as some of the most important battles in South African history.
Over a period of about 70 years, the plains, rolling hills, and
river valleys of this region saw numerous brutal, blood-soaked
conflicts over land ownership, political independence, and colonial
domination.
The first major battle, and one of the most terrible, took place
in 1838 between the Voortrekkers and the Zulus in what became known
as the Battle of Blood River. Then followed the Anglo-Zulu War in
1879 in response to British dissatisfaction regarding the
increasing strength of the Zulus, and the battles that took place
at Isandlwana Hill and Rorke's Drift are remarkable for their tales
of heroism and brutality.
In 1880 and again in 1889, anti-British sentiment among the
disgruntled Voortrekkers, as well as a desire for Afrikaner
independence, led to the two Anglo-Boer wars, now collectively
called the South African War. This captured the attention of the
world and resulted in heavy loss of life among both the Boers and
the British. The devastating siege of Ladysmith and the Battle of
Spioenkop are among the most famous battles that took place during
the second Anglo-Boer War between 1889 and 1902.