Painting of an account of the arrival of Jan van Riebeeck, by Charles Bell Public Domain
The Dutch 1652-1806
The Dutch were the first to arrive to South Africa in 1652. They used it to establish a trade route between the Netherlands and the far east. The Dutch integrated among the indigenous peoples and were called Boers which means farmers. The Dutch controlled South Africa with its' main port Cape Town until 1806 when the British captured the Cape of Good Hope.
The British 1806-1910
The British wanted the South African area for its' trade convenience, diamonds, and gold. When the British took over officially in 1806 after fighting with the Dutch over the area since 1795, the Boers moved North to take over new lands and avoid British rule. The Boers were a semi-nomadic people to begin with, because they had to continuously find new grazing lands for their cattle and livestock. When the British took over the colonies in South Africa, they moved north which invaded the territories of established African tribes. The consequence of this being several wars between the Dutch and the African tribes such as the Khoikhoi and later the Xhosa people. As the Dutch move north and north-east, the massive migration of people was named the Great Trek. Approximately 5,000 people were resettled to form what is the modern day Free State or made negotiations with the Zulu kingdom for land via a delegation. While they were granted the land, the Zulu kingdom double-crossed them and slaughtered the voortrekkers' delegation. The elected leader of the voortrekkers formed a retaliation attack and defeated the Zulu in the Battle of Blood River in December of 1838.
The Boers colonies and British colonies fought for some time in multiple wars and battles before consolidating as a single state in 1910. Read More Time Line of ColoniesRead More
1652 Jan van Riebeeck founds the Cape Colony at Table Bay. 1852 The British take control of Cape Colony. 1879 The British defeat the Zulus in Natal. 1889 – 1902 Boers rebel against the British, sparking the first Anglo-Boer War. Conflict ends with a negotiated peace. Transvaal is restored as a republic. |
"Fire away boys! Death or Glory" -Captain Moriarty at the Massacre at Ntombe River