Bulawayo (Zulu empire)

This article is about the royal kraal of the Zulu empire. For the city in Zimbabwe, see Bulawayo.

Bulawayo (prefixed according to context with 'gu-' or 'kwa-') was the royal kraal of Shaka Zulu, and as such was the capital of the early Zulu empire. It was founded after Shaka's conquest of the Ndwandwe kingdom, in around 1820. It was here that Shaka first met Western traders from Port Natal.[1] After Shaka's assassination, the royal kraal was moved to umGungundlovu by his half-brother and successor Dingane.

It is not to be confused with the city in Zimbabwe, founded and named after it by Matabele king and Shaka's former lieutenant Mzilikazi.

References

  1. ↑ "Bulawayo No. 2", KwaZulu Natal provincial government website. http://www.kzn.org.za/index.php?product+54548