1. Shaka(1787-1828), Zulu warrior chief, who set in motion the far- reaching changes of the mfecane, a period of warfare and forced migrations among southern African peoples. The son of the Zulu chieftain but born of a repudiated wife, Shaka spent his childhood and youth in exile, stigmatized and humiliated. In his twenties he distinguished himself for six years as a warrior in the service of chief Dingiswayo of the Mthethwa. When Shaka's father died in 1816 Dingiswayo sent Shaka to rule the Zulu. He immediately reorganized the Zulu fighting force and, with innovations in tactics and weaponry, shaped it into a formidable military machine geared to total warfare Within a year, Shaka had quadrupled the number of his subjects and army members by absorbing conquered groups into his Zulu nation▪ 1. Shaka (1787-1828), Zulu warrior chief, who set in motion the far￾reaching changes of the mfecane, a period of warfare and forced migrations among southern African peoples. The son of the Zulu chieftain but born of a repudiated wife, Shaka spent his childhood and youth in exile, stigmatized and humiliated. In his twenties he distinguished himself for six years as a warrior in the service of Chief Dingiswayo of the Mthethwa. When Shaka's father died in 1816, Dingiswayo sent Shaka to rule the Zulu. He immediately reorganized the Zulu fighting force and, with innovations in tactics and weaponry, shaped it into a formidable military machine geared to total warfare. Within a year, Shaka had quadrupled the number of his subjects and army members by absorbing conquered groups into his Zulu nation