# Fame.am profile — machine-readable export
# Canonical URL: https://fame.am/person/shaka
# Generated: 2026-08-31T20:24:43.121Z

schema: https://schema.org/Person
url: "https://fame.am/person/shaka"
name: "Shaka"
slug: "shaka"
description: "King of the Zulu from 1816 to 1828, he reorganized the military into a formidable force through wide-reaching reforms and forged a kingdom during the Mfecane — the period of upheaval that reshaped southern Africa."
tagline: "Leader of the Zulu Kingdom"
image: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/KingShaka.jpg"
gender: "male"
category:
  name: "Historical Figures"
  slug: "historical-figures"
profileType:
  name: "Historical Figure"
  slug: "historical-figure"
  entityType: "https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2798645"
birthDate: "1787"
deathDate: "1828-09-22"
livingStatus: "DECEASED"
scores:
  popularity:           65.92
  momentum:             0.5488217114158779
  historical:           25.572804
  currentAttention:     0
  sourceConfidence:     65
  profileCompleteness:  65
  trendDirection:       "STABLE"
ranks:
  global:   null
  country:  null
  category: 147
tags:
  - name: "Politicians"
    slug: "politicians"
  - name: "Historical Figure"
    slug: "historical-figure"
  - name: "Royalty"
    slug: "royalty"
  - name: "Politics"
    slug: "politics"
  - name: "19th Century"
    slug: "19th-century"
platforms:
  - platform:  "IMDB"
    url:       "https://www.imdb.com/name/ch0515595/"
    handle:    "ch0515595"
sources:
  - url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka"
    title: "Wikipedia"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q27695"
    title: "Wikidata"
    type:  "WIKIDATA"
  - url: "https://pantheon.world/profile/person/Shaka"
    title: "Pantheon 2.0"
    type:  "DATABASE"
  - url: "https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%A7_%D8%B2%D9%88%D9%84%D9%88"
    title: "شاكا زولو"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%A7_%D8%B2%D9%88%D9%84%D9%88"
    title: "شاكا زولو"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ast.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka"
    title: "Shaka"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://awa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE_%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%82"
    title: "शाका जूलू"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://azb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B4%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%A7"
    title: "شاکا"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%87aka"
    title: "Çaka"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://be_x_old.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A8%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B0"
    title: "Шака"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A7%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B0"
    title: "Чака"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A8%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D0%97%D1%83%D0%BB%D1%83"
    title: "Шака Зулу"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://bn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A6%B6%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BE_%E0%A6%9C%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%81"
    title: "শাকা জুলু"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka"
    title: "Shaka"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%A0aka"
    title: "Šaka"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://cy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka"
    title: "Shaka"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka"
    title: "Shaka"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka"
    title: "Shaka"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%A3%CE%AC%CE%BA%CE%B1_%CE%96%CE%BF%CF%8D%CE%BB%CE%BF%CF%85"
    title: "Σάκα Ζούλου"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9Caka"
    title: "Ŝaka"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka"
    title: "Shaka"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka_Zulu"
    title: "Shaka Zulu"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B4%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%A7"
    title: "شاکا"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fiu_vro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka"
    title: "Shaka"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Shaka"
    title: "Wikiquote"
    type:  "WEBSITE"
  - url: "https://pl.wikiquote.org/wiki/Czaka"
    title: "Wikiquote"
    type:  "WEBSITE"
  - url: "https://bs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka_Zulu"
    title: "Shaka Zulu"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka"
    title: "Shaka"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://anp.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE_%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%BC%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%82"
    title: "शाका ज़ूलू"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://www.themoviedb.org/person/3313533"
    title: "Shaka"
    type:  "DATABASE"

# bio (long form, separated for readability)
bio: |
  Born in July 1787 in Mthonjaneni, the son of Zulu King Senzangakhona kaJama, he was spurned as illegitimate and spent part of his childhood in his mother's settlements. Initiated into a fighting unit, he served as a warrior under Inkosi Dingiswayo, then refined the ibutho military system with the Mthethwa Paramountcy's support. He forged alliances with smaller neighbours to counter Ndwandwe raids from the north, preferring diplomatic pressure and occasional strategic assassination over outright battle, though he engaged in several when needed. His reforms built on existing structures, and his reign coincided with the start of the Mfecane, the devastating period of warfare and chaos between 1815 and 1840 that depopulated southern Africa — his role in it remains controversial. On 24 September 1828, his half-brothers Dingane and Mhlangana, along with Mbopha kaSithayi, assassinated him.