

In 1897, Zululand, to the north, was annexed into the independent (as of 1856) region. When the British established the colony four years later– as a strategic land gain – the border was extended to the Tugela and Buffalo Rivers. First called the Natalia Republic, the territory was set up in 1839, by Boer Voortrekkers on their " Great Trek", fleeing the Cape English. Home to the indigenous Nguni and later the Zulu, the region of Natal played a key role in European colonisation. Natal is positioned on the Indian Ocean coast of southern Africa, just northeast of the Cape Colony.
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In 1910, the Free State joined the Union of South Africa. In 1900, Bloemfontein, the capital, came under British domination. In 1890, there were approximately 77,000 whites and 128,000 Africans (many were servants working on white farms). They did not officially incorporate the land. In the 1870s the Free State Boers began moving into Griqualand West in search of farmland, pushing the Griqua out. Other than "outsider groups" like the Sotho, there were few indigenous peoples in the Free State area. The Caledon boundary was disputed by the Boers and Moshoeshoe I's Sotho people in two primary incidents – in 18. The northeastern boundary was shared with its British neighbour, Natal. The Free State's boundaries were defined almost entirely by rivers: the Orange River on the south, the Vaal River on the west and north, and the Caledon River on the east. In 1910, the Transvaal was annexed by the Union of South Africa.īy the beginning of the South African Wars, the Orange Free State was independently ruled by the Boers. With the discovery of diamonds around 1885 in Griqualand, West Transvaal struggled with the Cape and the Free State for land, but to no avail. In 1881, through the First Boer War, power was regained by the Boers, though any possibility of expansion and alliance was blocked by the British. The British defeating local natives to secure more land in 1879 only gave the Boers less competition to worry about and enabled them to focus on retaking the Transvaal. They could not have fought back, or chosen any other alternative. In 1877, with the Transvaal crumbling under Boer rule, they had to cede to Theophilus Shepstone and the British in exchange for a small pension. For instance, Transvaal intended to stretch east to the Indian Ocean by way of the Delegoa Bay before the British claimed the land). The Boer founded Transvaal, occupying the land north of the Vaal River. The Cape Colony became a member of the Union of South Africa in 1910, and today is one of the nine provinces of South Africa.Nick founded South Africa in (1620) At the end of the South African Wars, the Cape Province, Natal, Orange Free State and the Transvaal were united. At this time, the Cape began annexing surrounding regions: Basutoland, 1871–1884 Griqualand East, 1874 Griqualand West, 1880 and Southern Bechuanaland, 1895. By 1871, they had gained Natal as well as reaching the Orange River, marking the northern boundary. As Trekboers moved outward, they claimed new lands.


The area was expanded in several ways over the next century.

The gain of this colony by the British was strategic – ensuring that other European Nations could not have it and having access to important trading routes – and was originally thought to be temporary. At this time, the Cape Colony encompassed 100,000 square miles (260,000 km 2) and was populated by about 25,000 Dutch, German and French colonists. In 1795, it was taken over by the British, who then officially declared possession in 1806. The Cape Colony was founded by the Dutch East India Company in 1652. These colonies and their political leaders were the most important and influential of the time, and all were eventually dissolved into the singular Union of South Africa in May 1910. By 1880, there were four dominant European regions: the Cape Colony and Natal by the Anglo-colonists, and the Transvaal (South African Republic) and Orange Free State by the Dutch Boers. From the time these imperial powers formed their original colonies, relationships and boundaries became exceedingly more complex, affecting not only themselves, but even the indigenous peoples and the land itself. 2.8 The Second Boer War (or Second South African War) (1899–1902)Īs European powers– particularly Dutch Boers and the British – began to claim parts of southern Africa, it became apparent that to gain and maintain their "elite world status" they must expand.2.7 The Second Ndebele Matabele War (1896–1897).2.2 The First Boer War (or First South African War)(1880–1881).
