<P> Frere , on his own initiative , without the approval of the British government and with the intent of instigating a war with the Zulu , had presented an ultimatum on 11 December 1878 , to the Zulu king Cetshwayo with which the Zulu king could not comply , including disbanding his army and abandoning key cultural traditions . Bartle Frere then sent Lord Chelmsford to invade Zululand after this ultimatum was not met . The war is notable for several particularly bloody battles , including an opening victory of the Zulu at the Battle of Isandlwana , followed by the defeat of a large Zulu army at Rorke 's Drift by a small force of British troops . The war eventually resulted in a British victory and the end of the Zulu nation 's dominance of the region . </P>
who was the leader of the zulu in south africa who led the fight against the british
Cetshwayo