Shaka was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828. As one of the most influential monarchs of the ZULU, “he ordered wide-reaching reforms that reorganized the military onto a formidable force” (Shaka). Chaka in this novel can easily represent Shaka. They both greed for more power and more fame, stopping at nothing to get it. They kill their wife and their mother to make sure they are the most powerful warrior. In the novel, it tells of Chaka’s great wars and how many lives were lost in the process of them. Some estimate that during the reign of Shaka, more than a million lives were lost. “Shaka’s wars between 1818 and 1828 contributed to a series of forced migrations known in various parts of southern Africa. Famine and chaos followed the wholesale extermination of populations and the destruction of herds and crops between the Limpopo and the Gariep River “(Shaka Zulu). One of the great wars in the novel and in real life was the Ndwandwe-Zulu War. This was fought with only 4,000 Zulu men and 25,000 Zwide men. Yet still, Shaka had prepared his men for extreme battle tactics and wore the invaders down with guerrilla tactics. Shaka winning this war helps the reader to understand that while this novel is a historical fiction, the mass casualties and power-hungry ideals are still relevant. Chaka had built up his war with 40,000-60,000 men and most of the time, they would almost all not return from war. This was was the final phase “of the Mfecane, a catastrophic, bloody civil war and eventual migration of many different tribes in the area, initially caused by famine but ultimately a result of escaping from Zulus” (Ndwandwe-Zulu War).

Mofolo, Thomas. Chaka, An Historical Romance

“Ndwandwe–Zulu War.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Mar. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ndwandwe%E2%80%93Zulu_War. 

“Rise of the Zulu People under King Shaka Zulu.” Rise of the Zulu People Under King Shaka Zulu, https://www.south-africa-tours-and-travel.com/zulu.html. 

Shaka Zulu | South African History Online. https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/shaka-zulu. 

“Shaka.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Mar. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka.