East, Central & Southern AfricaAfrica

Zulu Kingdom

1816 – 1897 CE · about 81 years

The Zulu Kingdom was built by Shaka into a powerful military state in south-eastern Africa. It defeated a British army at Isandlwana in 1879 but was conquered later that year and annexed in 1897.

Key facts

Dates	1816 – 1897 CE
Region	East, Central & Southern Africa
Continent	Africa
Capitals	KwaBulawayo, Ulundi
Founder	Shaka
Religion(s)	Zulu traditional religion
Peak extent	≈ 0.21 million km² (c. 1822 CE) – source

Before & after

Followed by

British Empire Mthwakazi (Ndebele kingdom)

Sources

Wikipedia – Zulu Kingdom
Wikipedia – List of largest empires

Dates follow widely used reference works; many ancient dates are approximate or debated. Neutral summary for general reference.