Great Zulu Commanders

By Ian Knight

The Zulus were great warriors, and this book recalls 10 of the most notable ones, from King Shaka to Bambathia Zondi. Each account includes details of Zulu forces, weaponry, tactics and achievements. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1854093894
• ISBN13: 9781854093899
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Arms & Armour
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 1.0" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

At last, a look at the men behind the Zulu kings.

It is easy to be suspicious of the way in which Ian Knight churns out books on the Zulu, as if he were a machine rather than a hard-working author. But that would be an unfair assumption. Knight researches his books thoroughly, and give or take the odd minor error, he excels at what he does. This latest offering is my favourite Knight book because, at last, we get something that looks beyond the Zulu kings (although there are chapters on Shaka and Cetshwayo)and examines some of the men who helped them build the Zulu kingdom. Some of Knight's choices as the ten great Zulu commanders are bewildering. He includes Ntshingwayo kaMahole, the Swazi prince Mbilini kaMswati, Cetshwayo's rash and blundering half-brother Dabulamanzi and even Bambata (of Bambata Rebellion fame), but declines chapters on Shaka's brilliant general, Mdlaka kaNcidi; perhaps the most famous Zulu warrior of all, Zulu kaNogondaya; and, to a lesser degree, Mpande's faithful old commander Nongalaza kaNondela, who ensured that Mpande defeated Dingane at Magqonga hills in 1840. That aside, one can't help but marvel at the manner in which Knight has put this book together. It is a great read as the personal lives of the great Zulu warriors have been totally ignored by most historians.