Ian Knight (historian)


Ian Knight is a British historian and writer, specialising in Anglo-Zulu and Boer wars.

Biography

Ian Knight was born in Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, UK. He first studied Afro-Caribbean history at the University of Kent in the United Kingdom, then he majored in the military history of southern Africa and the history of the Zulu nation and the Anglo-Zulu war of 1879 in particular. He published many books on the subject and took part in the first archaeological excavations of the battlefield of Isandlwana in 2000. His best known book is the in-depth study of the Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift campaigns, Zulu Rising. He has occasionally written about other British colonial campaigns, including the New Zealand and Sudan wars. He has advised on museum exhibitions in both the UK and South Africa, and has consulted for British and American television channels, including the BBC, in the production of documentaries. He has catalogued sales of Zulu artefacts for auction houses. In 2019 he narrated a re-enactment of the battle of Isandlwana on the battlefield as part of the 140th anniversary commemoration, in the presence of His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini and Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, or for commemorative events.

Honours and awards