so spelled Cetewayo, (born c. 1826, near Eshowe, Zululand [now in South Africa]—died Feb. 8, 1884, Eshowe), last great king of the independent Zulus (reigned 1872–79), whose strong military leadership and political acumen restored the power and prestige of the Zulu nation, which had declined during the reign of his father, Mpande (Panda). As absolute ruler of a rigidly disciplined army of 40,000 men, Cetshwayo was considered a threat to British colonial interests; the Anglo-Zulu War (1879) and subsequent destruction of Zulu power