Books by John Laband

Through the institution of the Zulu monarchy, the distinguished historian John Laband has written a riveting account of the whole sweep of Zulu history. Shaka, Africa’s most famous warrior-king, was the formidable, conquering founder of the Zulu kingdom. Two hundred years later, Goodwill Zwelithini, the current king, is a constitutional monarch with only informal political influence.Beginning with the reign of Shaka, the book follows his successors – Dingane, Mpande and Cetshwayo – tracking their drive to power through assassination and civil war, and charting their resistance to colonialism. Although defeated in war, Cetshwayo and his heir, Dinuzulu, struggled to retain something of their kingly authority during the brutal transition to full colonial control. Laband describes how, in the oppressive century of colonial and apartheid rule, their successors – Solomon and Cyprian – strove to have their abolished royal status restored, and how Goodwill Zwelithini finally achieved this goal when the post-apartheid government recognised his royal rank once more.The Eight Zulu Kings also places the Zulu kings in the context of other African monarchs and discusses their shared royal traditions and their common challenges. By bringing the personalities of the Zulu kings into focus, the book assesses how effectively, within the possibilities of his own era, each ruler dealt with the opportunities and threats of his reign.

Between 1838 and 1888 the recently formed Zulu kingdom in southeastern Africa was directly challenged by the incursion of Boer pioneers aggressively seeking new lands on which to set up their independent republics, by English-speaking traders and hunters establishing their neighboring colony, and by imperial Britain intervening in Zulu affairs to safeguard Britain''s position as the paramount power in southern Africa. As a result, the Zulu fought to resist Boer invasion in 1838 and British invasion in 1879. The internal strains these wars caused to the fabric of Zulu society resulted in civil wars in 1840, 1856, and 1882-1884, and Zululand itself was repeatedly partitioned between the Boers and British. In 1888, the old order in Zululand attempted a final, unsuccessful uprising against recently imposed British rule. This tangled web of invasions, civil wars, and rebellion is complex. The A to Z of the Zulu Wars unravels and elucidates Zulu history during the 50 years between the initial settler threat to the kingdom and its final dismemberment and absorption into the colonial order. A chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, maps, photos, and over 900 cross-referenced dictionary entries that cover the military, politics, society, economics, culture, and key players during the Zulu Wars make this an important reference for everyone from high school students to academics.

This account of the First Boer War of 1881-1881 shows how the British army was jolted out of its complacency by the effective fire and movement tactics of the Boers and the lethal effects of modern small arms. It emphasises the many divisive political, ideological, racial, social and economic tensions in 19th-century South Africa and more.