The Assassination of King Shaka

Zulu History's Dramatic Moment

Nonfiction, History, Africa, South Africa
Cover of the book The Assassination of King Shaka by John Laband, Jonathan Ball Publishers
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: John Laband ISBN: 9781868428083
Publisher: Jonathan Ball Publishers Publication: August 3, 2017
Imprint: Jonathan Ball Language: English
Author: John Laband
ISBN: 9781868428083
Publisher: Jonathan Ball Publishers
Publication: August 3, 2017
Imprint: Jonathan Ball
Language: English

In this riveting new book, John Laband, pre-eminent historian of the Zulu Kingdom, tackles some of the questions that swirl around the assassination in 1828 of King Shaka, the celebrated founder of the Zulu Kingdom and war leader of legendary brilliance: Why did prominent members of the royal house conspire to kill him? Just how significant a part did the white hunter-traders settled at Port Natal play in their royal patron’s downfall? Why were Shaka's relations with the British Cape Colony key to his survival? And why did the powerful army he had created acquiesce so tamely in the usurpation of the throne by Dingane, his half-brother and assassin?

In his search for answers Laband turns to the Zulu voice heard through recorded oral testimony and praise-poems, and to the written accounts and reminiscences of the Port Natal trader-hunters and the despatches of Cape officials. In the course of probing and assessing this evidence the author vividly brings the early Zulu kingdom and its inhabitants to life. He throws light on this elusive character of and his own unpredictable intentions, while illuminating the fears and ambitions of those attempting to prosper and survive in his hazardous kingdom: a kingdom that nevertheless endured in all its essential characteristics, particularly militarily, until its destruction fifty one years later in 1879 by the British; and whose fate, legend has it, Shaka predicted with his dying breath.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In this riveting new book, John Laband, pre-eminent historian of the Zulu Kingdom, tackles some of the questions that swirl around the assassination in 1828 of King Shaka, the celebrated founder of the Zulu Kingdom and war leader of legendary brilliance: Why did prominent members of the royal house conspire to kill him? Just how significant a part did the white hunter-traders settled at Port Natal play in their royal patron’s downfall? Why were Shaka's relations with the British Cape Colony key to his survival? And why did the powerful army he had created acquiesce so tamely in the usurpation of the throne by Dingane, his half-brother and assassin?

In his search for answers Laband turns to the Zulu voice heard through recorded oral testimony and praise-poems, and to the written accounts and reminiscences of the Port Natal trader-hunters and the despatches of Cape officials. In the course of probing and assessing this evidence the author vividly brings the early Zulu kingdom and its inhabitants to life. He throws light on this elusive character of and his own unpredictable intentions, while illuminating the fears and ambitions of those attempting to prosper and survive in his hazardous kingdom: a kingdom that nevertheless endured in all its essential characteristics, particularly militarily, until its destruction fifty one years later in 1879 by the British; and whose fate, legend has it, Shaka predicted with his dying breath.

More books from Jonathan Ball Publishers

Cover of the book The Springbok Captains by John Laband
Cover of the book The Mirror in the Ground by John Laband
Cover of the book Meeting Your Power by John Laband
Cover of the book The Chapter we Wrote by John Laband
Cover of the book The Inner Circle by John Laband
Cover of the book My Lion's Heart by John Laband
Cover of the book Ina Paarman by John Laband
Cover of the book Louis Botha by John Laband
Cover of the book The Big Fix by John Laband
Cover of the book View from City Hall by John Laband
Cover of the book Billionaires Under Construction by John Laband
Cover of the book Mmusi Maimane by John Laband
Cover of the book The Stellenbosch Mafia by John Laband
Cover of the book 100 Mandela Moments by John Laband
Cover of the book Showdown at the Red Lion by John Laband
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy