Trekboers in the Karoo.

Map of the route of the Great Trek

The Great Trek was an eastward and north-eastward migration during the 1830s and 1840s of the segment of Afrikaners (known as Boers or Boere (Dutch/Afrikaans for "farmers"), who descended from settlers from western mainland Europe, most notably from the Netherlands. In South African history, the Great Trek was an eastward and north-eastward migration of the Boers, descendants primarily of immigrants from western mainland Europe. ... Trekboer portrait. ... Trekboer portrait. ... The Trekboers were descendents of Dutch settlers, French Huguenot refugees, German Protestants, Friesians and smaller numbers of Belgians, Scandinavians, Scots, also some Indian slaves due to intermarriage, and an a mixture of Khoi and Malay due to absorption into the nascent Boer nation. ... The Karoo is a semi-desert region of South Africa. ... Image File history File links Map of the route of the Great Trek. ... Image File history File links Map of the route of the Great Trek. ... This article is about the Southern African ethnic group. ... This article is about the Boer people (Boerevolk). ... Afrikaans is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...

History

The Trekkers comprised two groups from the eastern frontier region of the Cape: semi-nomadic pastoralists (known as Trekboers); and established farmers and artisans (known as Grensboere, or Border Farmers). Together these groups were later called Voortrekkers (Pioneers). While most settlers who lived in the western Cape (later known as the Cape Dutch) did not trek eastward, a small number did. Anthem: God Save the Queen Cape Colony Capital Cape Town Language(s) English and Dutch1 Religion Dutch Reformed Church, Anglican Government Constitutional monarchy Last Monarch King George VI Last Prime Minister  - 1908 – 1910 John X. Merriman Last Governor  - 1901 - 1910 Walter Hely-Hutchinson Historical era 19th century  - Dutch East India... The Trekboers were descendents of Dutch settlers, French Huguenot refugees, German Protestants, Friesians and smaller numbers of Belgians, Scandinavians, Scots, also some Indian slaves due to intermarriage, and an a mixture of Khoi and Malay due to absorption into the nascent Boer nation. ... The Voortrekkers (Afrikaans for pioneers, literally those who move ahead or first/forward traveler) were white Afrikaner farmers, then known as Boers, who in the 1830s and 1840s emigrated during a series of mass movements of a number of separate trekking contingents under different leaders in what is called the... The term Cape Dutch was used to describe the inhabitants of the Western Cape, descended primarily from Dutch, French, German and other European immigrants and a percentage of their Asian and African slaves, who, from the 17th century into the 19th century, remained more or less loyal subjects of European...

Historians have identified various contributing factors to the migrations of an estimated 12,000 Voortrekkers to the future Natal, Orange Free State and Transvaal regions. The primary motivations included discontent with the recently imposed British rule, its Anglicisation policies, restrictive laws on slavery and its eventual abolition, arrangements to compensate former slave owners, and the perceived indifference of British authorities to border conflicts along the Cape Colony's eastern frontier. That Ordinance 50 (1828), which guaranteed equal legal rights to all "free persons of colour," and prohibitions on inhumane treatment of workers, did spur on Boer migrations is documented by numerous contemporary sources. However, some scholars argue that most Trekboers did not own slaves, ^[1] unlike the more affluent Cape Dutch who did not migrate from the western Cape. The three republics founded by the Voortrekkers prohibited slavery itself, but enshrined racial inequality in their constitutions. Despite Ordinance 50, racial inequality also persisted in other British colonies in Southern Africa. Slave redirects here. ... The Trekboers were descendents of Dutch settlers, French Huguenot refugees, German Protestants, Friesians and smaller numbers of Belgians, Scandinavians, Scots, also some Indian slaves due to intermarriage, and an a mixture of Khoi and Malay due to absorption into the nascent Boer nation. ... The term Cape Dutch was used to describe the inhabitants of the Western Cape, descended primarily from Dutch, French, German and other European immigrants and a percentage of their Asian and African slaves, who, from the 17th century into the 19th century, remained more or less loyal subjects of European...

Other possible factors included the desire to escape from relentless border wars with the Xhosa-speaking groups along the eastern frontier of the Cape colony. The migrants also sought fertile farmland, as good land was becoming scarce within the colony's frontier. The Great Trek also resulted from increasing population pressures, as Trekboer migrations eastward had come to a virtual stop for at least three decades (though some Trekboers did migrate beyond the Orange River prior to the Great Trek). The Xhosa (IPA ( )) people are speakers of Bantu languages living in south-east South Africa, and in the last two centuries throughout the southern and central-southern parts of the country. ... The Orange River (Afrikaans/Dutch: Oranjerivier), Gariep River or Senqu River is the longest river in South Africa. ...

Natal conflicts

During the Great Trek the Voortrekkers engaged in conflict with the Zulu of Natal. The Zulu launched large-scale hostilities after a delegation under the Trek leader Piet Retief was massacred by their chief, Dingane ka Senzangakhona on February 6, 1838. Languages Zulu Religions Christian, African Traditional Religion Related ethnic groups Bantu Nguni Basotho Xhosa Swazi Matabele Khoisan The Zulu (South African English and isiZulu: amaZulu) are a South African ethnic group of an estimated 17-22 million people who live mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Dingane kaSenzangakhona Zulu (ca. ...

Various interpretations of what exactly transpired exist, as only the missionary Francis Owen's written eye-witness account survived. Retief's written request for land contained veiled threats by referring to the Voortrekker's defeat of indigenous groups encountered along their journey. The Voortrekker demand for a written contract guaranteeing private property ownership was incompatible with the contemporaneous Zulu oral culture which prescribed that a chief could only temporarily dispense land, which was communally owned. [1]

Most versions agree that the following happened. Dingane's authority extended over some of the land in which the Boers wanted to settle. As prerequisite to granting the Voortrekker request, Dingane demanded that the Voortrekkers return some cattle stolen by Sekonyela, a rival chief. Dingane then invited Retief to his residence at uMgungundlovu to finalise the treaty, having either planned the massacre in advance, or deciding to do so after Retief and his men arrived. Perhaps an earlier display of arms from horseback by Retief's men provoked the massacre. In any case, Dingane's reputed instruction to his warriors, ""Bulalani abathakathi!" (Zulu for "kill the wizards") showed that he may have considered the Boers to wield evil supernatural powers. After murdering Piet Retief's delegation, the Zulu impis (battalions) immediately attacked Boer encampments in the Drakensberg foothills at what later was called Blaauwkrans and Weenen. By contrast to earlier conflicts with the Xhosa on the eastern Cape frontier, the Zulu during these attacks killed women and children along with men, wiping out half of the Natal contingent of Voortrekkers. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... An Impi is an isiZulu word for any armed body of men. ... The Drakensberg Drakensberg Range from space, April 1993 Maluti mountains in Lesotho The Drakensberg (Afrikaans for Dragons Mountain) mountains are the highest in Southern Africa, rising up at Thabana Ntlenyana to 3,482 m (11,422 ft) in height. ... Weenen is the second oldest European settlement in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. ... The Xhosa (IPA ( )) people are speakers of Bantu languages living in south-east South Africa, and in the last two centuries throughout the southern and central-southern parts of the country. ...

On April 6, 1838 the Voortrekkers retaliated with a 347-strong punitive raid against the Zulu (later known as the Flight Commando), supported by new arrivals from the Orange Free State. They were roundly defeated by about 7,000 warriors at Ithaleni, southwest of uMgungundlovu. The well-known reluctance of Afrikaner leaders to submit to one another's leadership, which later so hindered sustained success in the Anglo-Boer wars, was largely to blame. [2] Combatants Voortrekkers Zulus Commanders Piet Uys† Hendrik Potgieter Not known Strength 347 mounted infantry about 8,000 infantry Casualties 10 dead Not known The Battle of Italeni was a battle that took place in what is now KwaZulu Natal province, South Africa, between the Voortrekkers and the Zulus during the...

On December 16, 1838 a 470-strong force of Andries Pretorius confronted about 10,000 Zulu at prepared positions. [3] The Boers reputedly suffered only 3 injuries without any fatalities, while the blood of 3,000 slain Zulu turned the river red with blood, so that the conflict afterwards became known as the Battle of Blood River. The Boers' guns offered them an obvious technological advantage over the Zulu's traditional weaponry of short stabbing spears, fighting sticks, and cattle-hide shields. The Boers attributed their victory to a vow they made to God before the battle: if victorious, they and future generations would commemorate the day as a Sabbath. Thus 16 December was celebrated by Boers as a public holiday, first called "Dingane's Day," later changed to the Day of the Vow. It is still a public holiday, but the name was changed to the Day of Reconciliation by the post-apartheid ANC government, in order to foster reconciliation between all South Africans. Andries Pretorius Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus Pretorius (1799 - 23 July 1853) was a leader of the Boers who created the Republic of Transvaal (1852 - 1900) as well as the earlier but short lived Republic of Natalia (1839 - 1843) in present-day South Africa. ... Combatants Voortrekkers Zulu Commanders Andries Pretorius Dambuza Ndlela kaSompisi Strength about 470 men between 10,000 and 20,000 men Casualties 3 wounded 3,000 dead The Battle of Blood River (Afrikaans: Slag van Bloedrivier) was fought on 16 December 1838 on the banks of the Blood River (Bloedrivier) in... The Day of the Vow was a public holiday held in South Africa before 1994. ... The Day of Reconciliation is a public holiday in South Africa held annually on 16 December. ...

After the defeat of the Zulu forces and the recovery of the treaty between Dingane and Retief from the latter's skeleton, the Voortrekkers proclaimed the Natalia Republic. This Boer state was annexed by British forces in 1843. Flag The Natalia Republic was located in the southern half of this region Capital Pietermaritzburg Language(s) Dutch, Zulu, English Religion Dutch Reformed Church Government Republic Prime Minister Andries Pretorius Historical era The Great Trek  - Established October 12, 1839  - Battle of Blood River December 16, 1838  - Alliance with Zulu January...

Due to the return of British rule, emphasis moved from occupying lands in Natal, east of the Drakensberg mountains, to the west of them and onto the high veld of the Transvaal and Orange Free State, which were lightly occupied due to the devastation of the Mfecane. The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. ... The Drakensberg Drakensberg Range from space, April 1993 Maluti mountains in Lesotho The Drakensberg (Afrikaans for Dragons Mountain) mountains are the highest in Southern Africa, rising up at Thabana Ntlenyana to 3,482 m (11,422 ft) in height. ... Flag of Transvaal For the Russian theme park, see Transvaal Park. ... Flag of the Orange Free State Capital Bloemfontein Language(s) Afrikaans, English Religion Dutch Reformed Church Government Republic President  - 1854 - 1855 Josias P. Hoffman  - 1855 - 1859 Jacobus Nicolaas Boshoff  - 1859 - 1863 Marthinus Wessel Pretorius (also President of the South African Republic from 1857 to 1871). ... Mfecane (Zulu), also known as the Difaqane or Lifaqane (Sesotho), is an African expression which means something like the crushing or scattering. It describes a period of widespread chaos and disturbance in southern Africa during the period between 1815 and about 1840. ...

See also

• History of South Africa

The history of South Africa is marked by migration, ethnic conflict, and the anti-Apartheid struggle. ...

References

Further reading

• The Great Trek by John Tiffany.