Cetshwayo KaMpande - Anglo-Zulu War

Anglo-Zulu War

In 1878, Sir Henry Bartle Frere, British Commissioner for South Africa, began to demand reparations for border infractions. They mainly angered Cetshwayo who kept his calm until Frere demanded that he should effectively disband his army. His refusal led to the Zulu War in 1879. After initial defeats, such as the Battle of Isandlwana, the British eventually began to gain victories. After Cetshwayo's capital Ulundi was captured and torched on 4 July, he was deposed and exiled, first to Cape Town, and then to London, returning only in 1883.

From 1881, his cause had been taken up by Lady Florence Dixie, correspondent of the London Morning Post, who wrote articles and books in his support.