The British annexed Natalia after victory. Natalia was a South African colony previously owned by the Dutch. When this happened, the British quickly became aggressive towards the Zulus. In 1878, the British warned the Zulus that they would take action against them if they did not abandon the Zulu warriors who were believed to have killed British settlers. But it was just an excuse to get more land. The king of the Zulu empire at the time was Cetshawyo and he didn't let anyone down. The British considered this a disrespect for their laws, and on December 10, 1878, sent an ultimatum to Cetshwayo demanding that he disband his army. Obviously the Zulus wouldn't do that, because who were the British to tell them what to do in their own country? So Cetshawyo refused and the British advanced into the Thukela River, which they were not supposed to do. The war happened because the British did this and the Africans thought they were becoming too aggressive. Early in the war, the Zulus defeated the British at the Battle of Isandlwana. But ultimately, they lost the war in the Last Battle of Ulundi. Britain was able to defeat them with its advanced military power. He was eventually able to gain access to more African colonies and further divided the South.