Shaka The Zulu

Do you know Shaka was an illegitimate child, born out of wedlock! An outcast;
the great Zulu warrior king who conquered kingdoms and sacked nations.

Nations fled at the advance of his of his army;
kingdoms retreated at the approach of his troops.
Even the British found him a formidable foe.

Shaka trained his soldiers so toughly that signs of weakness fetched the death penalty.
His men ran bare-footed on sharp rocks and thorns.

Shaka shunned love, women and marriage,
and died without an heir.
His soldiers too were banned from marriage.

Shaka became king by overthrowing the heir apparent, since he belonged to no family.

Shaka formed his army as a youth; played war games and became powerful.

He modernised the use of the assaigi, an axe weapon; tricked his enemies into close combat.

Shaka was so cruel to his enemies; he killed his enemy's mother by locking her in a house, and sent two hyenas to devour her, and later burnt down the house.

Shaka loved his mother, Nandi, so much that when she died he banned conjugal activities by both man and animals.
Those who violated this edict paid the supreme price.

Those who live by the sword die by the sword: Shaka sent out his entire army on an expedition, leaving no remnant for security, and made  his kingdom vulnerable for attack.

When his enemies spied his kingdom, there was no protection, and it was a field for his brothers-- who assassinated him.