Mfecane

thumbnail|An early painting of the first migration of the Fengu people|Fengu, one of the affected peoples of the Mfecane

The '''''' was a historical period of heightened military conflict and migration associated with state formation and expansion in Southern Africa. The exact range of dates that comprise the Mfecane varies between sources. At its broadest, the period lasted from the late eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century, but scholars often focus on an intensive period from the 1810s to the 1840s.