John Dunn

He did not just witness history — he created it! 

John Dunn has long been remembered as the white chief of Zululand, yet the man behind the legend remains one of the most misunderstood figures in South African history. 

Drawing on years of original archival research, The Crown, the Chief and the King presents the most comprehensive account of Dunn's remarkable life to date. From his humble beginnings in the Eastern Cape to his rise as one of the most influential figures in nineteenth-century Zululand, this is the story of a man whose loyalty, ambition and judgement shaped the course of history.

Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Zulu kingdom, British imperial expansion and the Anglo-Zulu War, the book follows Dunn through political intrigue, diplomacy, conflict and personal tragedy. Alongside King Cetshwayo, Bishop John Colenso, Sir Theophilus Shepstone, Lord Chelmsford, Sir Garnet Wolseley and many others, he became a central figure in one of southern Africa's most turbulent eras.

Rather than repeating long-held assumptions, Susan Nind-Barrett returns to the original documents, official correspondence, diaries and contemporary accounts, separating established fact from enduring myth. The result is a richly detailed historical biography that reveals both the complexity of John Dunn and the extraordinary world in which he lived. Meticulously researched yet written with the pace and richness of a narrative biography, it invites readers to experience history through the lives of those who shaped it.

Written for readers of history, biography and African studies alike, The Crown, the Chief and the King offers a fresh perspective on colonial South Africa and the people whose lives shaped its future.