1840
Mpande becomes Zulu king
After conflict with Dingane and alliances involving Voortrekker forces, Mpande secured the Zulu kingship and ruled for decades.
View in timelineIn 1840, Mpande allied with Andries Pretorius and Voortrekker forces against his half-brother Dingane. After Dingane's defeat and flight, Mpande became king of the Zulu and ruled until 1872. His accession combined internal succession politics with an external alliance that reshaped Natal–Zulu relations.
Significance
Stabilised the Zulu kingdom after Dingane and shaped mid-nineteenth-century Natal–Zulu relations before Cetshwayo's rise.
Why it matters
Stabilised the Zulu kingdom after Dingane and shaped mid-nineteenth-century Natal–Zulu relations before Cetshwayo's rise. Mpande's accession also shows how succession politics and Voortrekker alliances affected Zulu sovereignty.
Perspective notes
Mpande's rise involved internal Zulu succession politics as well as military support from Voortrekker forces. The resulting kingdom retained its own political agenda and was not simply created by the alliance that helped him defeat Dingane.