Cape frontier wars south african history britannica. A story of thrilling romance and adventure among wild beasts. Vol 5 no 6 december 1982 the last frontier war south. Australian frontier wars are said to have lasted from the arrival of the british in 1788 to as late as 1934. Frontier wars the epic battle around the frontier wars. The cape frontier wars, kaffir wars or xhosa wars were a series of conflicts from the late 18th to late 19th century, which periodically flared up along. This website is dedicated to the interested in the nine frontier wars which dominated 19th century south african history. Khoi revolt on eastern frontier, supported by khoi soldiers in british service. The union of south africa was formed in 1910 as a dominion of the british empire. Whites rebelled against company rule on eastern frontier of south africa. The transvaal war and the final struggle between briton and boer over the gold of ophir.
Cape frontier wars, 17791879, 100 years of intermittent warfare between the cape colonists and the xhosa agricultural and pastoral peoples of the eastern cape, in south africa. The matchless drama of the dark continent from pharoah to oom paul. Editorial, cape town daily news, 12 september, 1877. The last frontier war was the first in a series of wars that in 20 years would eliminate all vestiges of black independence south of the zambesi. Post the war, a line of frontier forts was built to hold the frontier, but an attempt to establish a dense boer settlement behind them botched. The embittered struggle involved some of the greatest war veterans of all time. South african participation in the world wars 191418 and 193945 would be important in shaping the countrys internal politics and emergence as a regional power and was in. Between 1818 and 1853, south africa s cape colony was engaged in four wars against the neighbouring xhosa polities. It is one of the first towns to be established by british in south africa. For general histories of the cape frontier wars, see john milton, 1983, and noel mostert, 1992. Pdf on heroes and villains the times reporting on the. One of the most prolonged struggles by african peoples against european intrusion, it ended in the annexation of xhosa territories by. Consequently the governor, sir charles somerset, made a verbal treaty with gaika, the supposed paramount chief of the western xhosas. Lying between dry areas to the west, which receive less than 10 inches of rain a year, and a moist zone to the east, which often receives in excess of 30 inches, most of the area receives less than 20 inches of rain per year.