Shaka Zulu was believed to have been one of the greatest military leaders in African history, and possibly even all of history. He ruled over a large region known as modern day South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province from 1816 to 1828. Shaka was known for being a gallant nation builder as well as an innovator of warfare method which made him into a military genius. .
Shaka was born in 1787 to the Zulu chieftain Senzangakhona and the mother, Nandi, who was the daughter of an Elangeni chief. At very young age, Shaka and his mother Nandi were dismissed from his father's tribe. They left to live with a neighboring tribe whose king, Dingiswayo later influenced Shaka's personal development and way of thinking. As he grew into manhood, he joined the Mtewa tribe's army and later was given his own regiment called theiziCwe. It was during this period that Shaka was able to develop the battle techniques that made the Zulu warriors a powerful force in South Africa. Due to his courage and skill on the battlefield, he was able to a commander in King Dingiswayo's army. In 1816, his father chieftain Senzangakhona had died and Shaka inherited the throne to the Zulu empire. In his reign, he was able to expand the empire as well as the army. When he first took over the empire, he ruled over 350 warriors and 1,500 people, however by the time of his death, he led over 50,000 trained warriors, 250,000 citizens, and claimed two million square miles of territory for his people, making his kingdom perhaps the most powerful African empire since Ancient Egypt. Towards the end of his life, his behavior became more bizarre and unstable which increased after his mother died. His actions combined with the lust for power of his enemies led Shaka to be killed in 1828 by his half-brother, thus concluding the reign of one of the most influential people in South African history.
Shaka affected 19th century South African society by initiating a series of military reforms.