The Zulu people of southeastern Africa grew to be a mighty empire under the leadership of King Shaka (1787-1828). Yet as European colonial empires set their sights on the African continent, Shaka understood the historic threats his people would face. And indeed, by the late 1800s, the Zulu were caught in the crossfire between the British Empire and the Dutch-descended Boers of southern African as they struggled to assert colonial dominance in the region.