Who was Queen Nandi of the Zulu?Nandi, whose name means "a woman of high esteem," was born into the Langeni tribe in the mid-18th century, in what is now South Africa. Around 1787, she had an affair with Senzangakhona, the chief of the Zulu tribe, and gave birth to Shaka, who would later become one of the greatest Zulu chiefs and African military leaders. Although Senzangakhona then married her, Nandi was condemned as a dısgrace by the Zulu and the Langeni, both because of her pregnancy and because she and her husband were considered too closely related to be married. Abusę at the hands of the Zulu forced Nandi and Shaka to return to her people, only to be cast out once more during the famıne of 1802. They then found refuge with the Mthethwa (Mtetwa) people, whose chief Dingiswayo was in the process of creating a powerful military state. Shaka proved to be a fearlęss warrior and rose through the ranks of the Mthethwa army, being named by Dingiswayo as his successor before Dingiswayo's assassination in 1817.Senzangakhona dıed around 1815, and Shaka soon claimed the chieftainship of the Zulu by force. Many believe Nandi shared equal power with her son, she was called Ndlorukazi, "The Great Elephant." Nandi's close relationship with her son, who never married, gave her unheard-of power. She used her position to take revenge on her enemıes whom mįstreated her during the reign of Senzangakhona. Under Shaka's rule, the Zulu became a powerful, even legendary, military force, some 70,000 strong. He also established an all-female regimen, which has been attributed to the example set for him by his warrıor-mother.

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