1709 CE - presentZulu Nation
The Zulu are a Bantu-speaking people of the Nguni branch who emerged as a distinct ethnic group in the KwaZulu-Natal region of present-day South Africa, tracing their lineage to the founding ancestor Zulu kaNtombhela around 1709 CE. Under the military and political genius of King Shaka kaSenzangakhona (r. 1816–1828), a small clan was forged into one of the most powerful kingdoms in sub-Saharan African history through revolutionary military reforms and centralized statecraft. The Zulu Kingdom successfully resisted British imperial expansion, most famously defeating the British Army at the Battle of Isandlwana on January 22, 1879, before eventual annexation following the Anglo-Zulu War.
