The creation of the Zulu Empire by Shaka in the early Nineteenth Century saw the amalgamation of differing tribes and clans into what Europeans recognised in 1879 as one nation. In actual fact it was not as simple as this and Shaka and his heirs to the throne had varying degrees of success at controlling opposition political factions. One key part of controlling these clans was the army system. Regiments (ibutho) were created not based on clans but from males of a similar age and therefore no one clan ever politically dominated a regiment. These regiments were then housed in barracks (amakhanda) which were strategically placed around the kingdom to administer the Kings rule.
Regiments were further split into unmarried and married. On the kings command an entire unmarried regiment would be allowed the honour of marrying. This usually occurred in early middle age. This was significant as unmarried regiments were in effect doing national service and were at the kings command. On marrying the men would be allowed live at home and to give obedience to their families and local chief as well as the King.
There are many incorrect beliefs about the nature of Zulu society and indeed the 1879 Zulu war as a whole. One of these is that the married regiments formed an elite in the army. This is not actually the case. To describe the Zulu army in more European terms one has the regular army of serving troops (unmarried) who on leaving the army went on the reserve list (married). This explanation is perhaps an over simplification of the system but hopefully helps to explain the married, unmarried regimental and social distinction in its political context.
Obviously the experience gained in campaign by long serving men was a benefit but at the younger end of the system the high testosterone levels of young warriors eager to prove their abilities in battle would have been a great asset, especially when lead by older experienced men.
Like European armies regiments wore uniforms, although not in a way that the Europeans would necessarily have recognised. Firstly all married regiments wore the head ring. Unmarried regiments did not. This seems to have been the one part of Zulu dress that was adhered to throughout the entire period.
Secondly Shaka had created a system of shield colours and this had led to the creation of cattle breeding to achieve the necessary skin colours for shield production. In general terms married regiments carried white shields and unmarried black. However as time passed this simple system began to become less specific. For example a regiment may be given an honour by the King which was shown in a change of shield colour. If you will excuse the pun, the system, by 1879, was not as black and white as it had been.
Regiments also had ceremonial dress which was extremely ornate and obviously regimentally specific. Cetshwayo ordered the regiments not to wear these ceremonial distinctions in battle therefore we will not go into too much detail.
What follows is a list of each of the regiments in the Zulu army which will illustrate their shield colours, their married status and what major battles they are known to have been in. This list will be constantly updated.
| Name | Meaning | Status | Shield Description | Notes |
| uVe | Name of a Bird | Unmarried | White with black and red spots | Fought at Isandlwana. 3500 warriors. Left Horn. Hlobane. Uhlundi, Gingindlovu. |
| Amakwenkwe | - | Unmarried | red with white spot | - |
| Amashutu | The Lion Eaters | Unmarried | Black or black with white spots | - |
| Bulawayo | The Place Of Killing | Married | White and white and red | - |
| iMbubi | Lion | Unmarried | Black with white spots | Fought at Isandlwana, Khambula. |
| iNdhlondhlo | Euphorbia | Married | White | Fought at Isandlwana. 900 Warriors. Reserve fought at Rorke's Drift. Ulundi. Khambula. |
| iNdluyengwe | Leopards Den | Unmarried | Black with a white spot on the lower half | Fought at Isandlwana. 1000 warriors. Reserve fought at Rorke's Drift. Ulundi. Khambula. |
| iNgobamakhosi | - | - | - | - |
| iNkobamakosi | The Bender Of Kings | Unmarried | Of various colours such as black, black with white spots, red, red with white spots | Fought at Isandlwana. 6000 warriors. Chest Centre Left Hlobane. Khambula. Uhlundi. Gingindlovu |
| iQwa | Frost | Unmarried | Black although some witnesses describe them as also carrying red and white shields | Fought at Ulundi. |
| isAngqu | Vaal River | Unmarried | White | Fought at Isandlwana. 1000 warriors. uNodwengu Corps; Right Horn; Khambula. Ulundi. |
| iZinGulube | - | - | - | Fought at Nyezane |
| mBelebele | The Litigious | Married | White with red spots | - |
| mKultyane | The Straight Lines | Unmarried | White | - |
| nGulubi | The Pigs | Unmarried | White with black or red spots | - |
| nGwekwe | Crooked Stick | Unmarried | White with black or red spots | - |
| nKonkone | Blue Gnu | Married | White | - |
| nSugamgeni | Name of a hill in Zululand | Unmarried | Black with white spot on lower side | Fought at Ulundi. |
| uDabakaombi | The Affair Of Ombi | Married | White with either black or red spots | - |
| uDhloko | Name Of A Snake | Married | Red with a white spot | Fought at Isandlwana. 1500 warriors. Undi Corps; reserve fought at Rorke's Drift, Ulundi, Khambula |
| uDlambedlu | Ill Tempered | Married | White with either black or red spots | Fought at Nyezane. |
| uDududu | - | Unmarried | Black with white spots | Fought at Isandlwana. 1500 warriors. uNodwengu Corps. Right Horn. Ulundi. Khambula. |
| uDukuza | The Wanderers | Married | White with large black spots | - |
| uMbonambi | The Evil Seers | Unmarried | Red with a white spot | Fought at Isandlwana. 1500 warriors. Chest centre Khambula, Uhlundi, Gingindlovu. |
| umCijo also called uKhandempemvu | The Sharp Pointed | Unmarried | Black | Fought at Isandlwana. 1500. Chest Centre; Hlobane. Khambula. Ulundi, Gingindlovu. |
| umHlanga | The Reeds | Unmarried | Black with white spots | - |
| umKusi | River in Zululand | Unmarried | White with black or red spots | - |
| umLambongwenya | Alligator Swamp | Married | White with large black spots | - |
| umTulisazwi | The Peace Makers of the Land | Unmarried | Black | - |
| uMxapho | The Sprinklers | Unmarried | Black although some may have been red or black with red spots | Fought at Ulundi. Nyezane. |
| uMzinyati | Buffalo River | Married | white with black spots | - |
| uNokenke | - | Unmarried | Black although many of the warriors are recorded as carrying black with white spots | Fought at Isandlwana. 2000 warriors in the chest Centre Right Khambula. Ulundi |
| uNqakamatye | Stone Cobblers | Unmarried | Black | - |
| uSixepi | - | Married | White with a large black spot | - |
| uSixepi | - | - | White with large black spots | 80 years old! |
| uTulwana | Named After A Basuto Chief | Married | White | Fought at isandlwana. 1500 warriors. Reserve fought at Rorke's Drift. Uhlundi. Khambula, Gingindlovu. A large group of uTulwana surrendered to Col.Wood's column and were drafted into Wood's Irregulars. |
The abaQulusi were an administration section of the Zulu Riyal House.Shaka had built a royal homestead upon Hlobane mountain and in the following 50 years the local population had mixed with the household staff and their descendants who had settled in the area.
Due to this history they were fiercely loyal to the Zulu Royal family and under the immediate authority of the King. As such they had managed to stay outside the Zulu military system and developed some form of independence. They had no chiefs as such but instead were ruled by Indunas appointed by the King.
Their Independence meant that they did not carry specific shield colours and didn't have married and unmarried regiments. Instead married and unmarried men seem to have been mixed together in company sized units of around 50 to 70 warriors. There is the possibility that the companies were separated by age into different units but this is unknown for sure. This gives the wargamer the opportunity to mix both married and unmarried warriors in the same unit with each warrior having a shield of any size, colour and shape that they like! There is one reference of a company at Hlobane having white shields which could well have been due to them being issued from the Royal homestead during the battle (and presumably given to the older warriors).
The abaQulusi fought in the north against Wood's column at iNtombe Drift, Hlobane and possibly made an appearance at Kambula to support the main Zulu army.