Shaka Zulu was an intelligent and powerful warrior in the early 1800s. In Shaka's early years, he joined the warrior force of Chief Diniswayo, who ruled the Zulus. Shaka learned military tactics and organizations while with Diniswayo's army. Shaka Zulu was not a great leader because of his personality, but rather because he trained his warriors exceptionally well. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Shaka's greatest achievement was to raise an army of 20,000 and destroy an area of ​​land 100 miles wide south of Tugela. Even more significantly, in 1828 Shaka ruled over 250,000 people and raised an army of 40,000 warriors and killed 2,000,000 people during his reign. Mass executions keep him in power until he begins to overwhelm his army and the unrest caused by forced celibacy becomes too much. On September 23, 1828, Shaka's half-brothers murdered him. After becoming so bloodthirsty, Shaka's brothers believed Shaka to be mentally ill and feared that he would cause the downfall of the Zulu tribe. The following illustration accurately depicts a typical battle for Shaka and his warriors. Mary Evans created the painting in 1847. This lithograph depicts thousands of Zulu warriors highlighting the success Shaka had in creating an army from a crowd of five hundred men. The assegai and shield made Shaka god-like. The assegai is a long cutting spear made of wood. Both sides of his weapon's tips were sharpened to pass through any human body with a light blow. Both sides of the weapon are sharp, so Shaka can fight enemies in front of him and kill enemies who try to attack him from behind. The second weapon he used was his powerful shield. His shield was a specialized shield that had sharp spikes on the front so he could block and stab people at the same time. Shaka was the leader of a large military unit that, even after his death, his army continued to fight.1 Shaka worked tirelessly to train his 500-man army. Almost every day he visited one of his other two military kraals and woe betide those who default. His kingdom was so small – a paltry ten by ten miles – that from his central location he could reach any of its borders in an hour. Shaka left his mark on the Zulu kingdom and his tactics showed the English that the Zulus were a tenacious and ferocious enemy. Shaka paid close attention to detail and had an amazing work ethic. In EA Riter's well-known novel, Shaka Zulu: The Rise of the Zulu Empire, Ritter comments that Shaka “always insisted on inspecting everything himself. In each of his crucial battles he insisted on a personal reconnaissance of the terrain and the disposition of the enemy forces. Shaka believed that it was the master's eye that made the cow fat. Shaka Zulu was a bloodthirsty politician who altered the Kingdom of the Zulu. His greif caused him to become illegitimate. After the death of Shaka's mother, Nandi, Shaka prohibited farming, outlawed milk, and called for pregnant women to be killed along with their families. This harsh reaction cost the lives of 7,000 people. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay To understand the task currently awaiting Shaka with his inherited 500-man “army” or rabble, the following comparison may help form a picture. In 1879, sixty-three years later, it took a British army of 20,000 Imperial infantry and cavalry armed with rifles to conquer Zululand..