First Matabele War

The 1893–1894 war in which the British South Africa Company defeated the Ndebele Kingdom and brought its territory under company control.

Battle of Shangani: A 1893 battle in which Ndebele forces attacked a British South Africa Company column near the Shangani River. The engagement shows how Company firepower repelled a much larger Ndebele assault.
British South Africa Company: A chartered company that governed and exploited territories in southern Africa under British imperial authority. Its officials and settlers pressed for control of Ndebele territory and its mineral resources.
Burning of Bulawayo: The destruction and evacuation of Bulawayo by Ndebele forces as Company troops approached in 1893. The abandoned capital marked the collapse of the kingdom’s central political authority.
First Boer War: The 1880–1881 conflict in which the South African Republic defeated British forces and regained self-government. Unlike the Company’s victory over the Ndebele, this war checked British expansion.
Battle of Bembesi: A decisive 1893 battle near Bulawayo between Ndebele forces and the British South Africa Company. Its defeat of the Ndebele army opened the way to Bulawayo.
Cecil Rhodes: A British imperialist and businessman who became prime minister of the Cape Colony and directed the British South Africa Company. Rhodes backed the Company’s northward expansion that culminated in the war.
Southern Rhodesia: The name used from 1898 for the British South Africa Company territory that became Zimbabwe. Company control after the war laid the foundation for this colonial territory.
Anglo-Zulu War: The 1879 war in which the British Empire invaded and defeated the Zulu Kingdom in southern Africa. It offers an earlier comparison of British forces confronting a powerful African kingdom.
Maxim gun: A recoil-operated machine gun that fires repeatedly while its trigger is held. Company troops used Maxim guns to inflict heavy casualties on Ndebele attackers.
Rudd Concession: An 1888 agreement in which Lobengula granted mining rights to agents representing Cecil Rhodes. Disputes over the concession helped the Company claim authority to intervene in Ndebele affairs.

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