Modern Era
Shaka Zulu and the Rise of the Zulu Kingdom (1816-1828)
Shaka turned a small chiefdom into the dominant Zulu kingdom of south-east Africa before his assassination in 1828.
Region
Africa
Modern Era
French Conquest of Algeria (1830-1847): Invasion and Resistance
France captured Algiers in 1830 and, after a long and destructive war, forced the surrender of Abd al-Qadir in 1847, making Algeria a French colony.
Modern Era
Great Trek (1835-1840s): The Boer Migration from the Cape
Some 12,000-15,000 Boers settled beyond British rule, displacing African kingdoms and founding republics that became the Transvaal and the Orange Free State.
Modern Era
Battle of Blood River (1838): Voortrekkers Against the Zulu
Decisive Voortrekker victory; the Zulu army suffered heavy losses and Dingane's power began to collapse.
Modern Era
Suez Canal (1859-1869): Building the Link Between Two Seas
A sea-level canal opened in 1869, cutting thousands of kilometres from voyages between Europe and Asia but leaving Egypt deeply in debt.
Modern Era
Stanley Meets Livingstone (1871): The Famous Encounter at Ujiji
Stanley found Livingstone alive at Ujiji, supplied him and made himself famous; Livingstone stayed in Africa and died there in 1873.
Modern Era
Battle of Rorke's Drift (1879): Defence of the Mission Station
The British garrison held the post through the night; the Zulu force withdrew at dawn on 23 January.
Modern Era
Battle of Isandlwana (1879): The Zulu Victory That Shook Britain
Decisive Zulu victory; the British centre column's camp was overrun and more than 1,300 men on the British side were killed.
Modern Era
Anglo-Zulu War (1879): Cetshwayo's Kingdom Against Britain
Britain defeated the Zulu army at Ulundi, captured Cetshwayo and broke up the Zulu kingdom, which was annexed in 1887.
Modern Era
First Boer War (1880-1881): Transvaal Revolt and Majuba Hill
Boer victory; the Pretoria Convention of 1881 restored Transvaal self-government under British suzerainty.
Modern Era
Mahdist War (1881-1899): Sudan's Revolt Against Egypt and Britain
The Mahdist state ruled most of Sudan for 13 years before Anglo-Egyptian forces destroyed it in 1898-1899.
Modern Era
Scramble for Africa (1881-1914): Europe Partitions a Continent
By 1914 European states controlled about 90 per cent of Africa; only Ethiopia and Liberia remained independent.