About
The King of the Zulu Nation (IsiZulu: Isilo Samabandla Onke or Ingonyama yamaZulu) or simply the Zulu King, is the paramount subnational traditional leader of the amaZulu ethnolinguistic group, the Monarch of the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa (i.e., the ceremonial figurehead of the Government of KwaZulu-Natal) and the Lord of the Usuthu. The Zulu Kings trace their lineage to Mnguni. Having been a minor but independent polity, they fell under the suzerainty of the Mthethwa when Shaka Zulu ascended to the throne with the support of his suzerain, King Dingiswayo. During the Mfecane, the Zulu Kingdom expanded significantly until the cession of territory by King Dingane to the Natalia Republic following the Battle of Blood River. Zulu territory was annexed into the Natal Colony and the South African Republic following the Anglo-Zulu War during the reign of King Cetshwayo. Following which, the Zulu Kingdom had a civil war whereby the Mandlakazi under Zibhebhu rebelled against the Usuthu faction of the monarch, during the reign of King Dinuzulu which was eventually reincorporated with the aid of Dinuzulu's Volunteers.