Cape Colony

British colony from 1806 to 1910

This article is about the British colony. For the original Dutch colony, see Dutch Cape Colony.

Cape Colony

Kaapkolonie (Dutch)

1806–1910

Flag
(1876–1910)

Coat of arms

Anthem: God Save the King (1795–1837; 1901–1910)
God Save the Queen (1837–1901)

The Cape Colony in 1885 shown in red.

Status| Crown colony of the British Empire
Capital| Cape Town
Official languages| English
Dutch[a]
Common languages| Afrikaans, Khoekhoe, Xhosa also spoken
Ethnic groups

(1904)

* 59.12% Black
* 24.05% White
* 16.39% Coloured
* 0.42% Asian

Religion

| Dutch Reformed Church, Anglican, San religion
Government| Self-governing colony under Constitutional monarchy
King/Queen|

• 1795–1820

| George III

• 1820–1830

| George IV

• 1830–1837

| William IV

• 1837–1901

| Victoria

• 1901–1910

| Edward VII
Governor|

• 1797–1798

| George Macartney

• 1901–1910

| Walter Hely-Hutchinson
Prime Minister|

• 1872–1878

| John Charles Molteno

• 1908–1910

| John X. Merriman
Historical era| Imperialism

• Dutch colony

| 1803–1806

• Occupied

| 8 January 1806

• Anglo-Dutch treaty

| 1814

• Administration of Natal

| 1844

• Basutoland incorporated into the Cape Colony

| 3 November 1871

• Basutoland separated to form its own colony

| 2 February 1884

• Merged into Union of South Africa

| 31 May 1910
Area
1822[1]| 331,907 km2 (128,150 sq mi)
Population

• 1822[1]

| 110,380

• 1865 census[2][3]

| 496,381

• 1875 census[3]

| 720,984

• 1891 census[3]

| 1,527,224

• 1904 census[3]

| 2,409,804
Currency| Pound sterling

Preceded by | Succeeded by

|

|  | Dutch Cape Colony

|

| British Bechuanaland
| Republic of Swellendam
| Republic of Graaff-Reinet
| Islands of Refreshment
| Union of South Africa |

|

Basutoland |
Tristan da Cunha |
Today part of| Namibia[b]
South Africa
Lesotho[c]
Historical states
in present-day
South Africa

before 1600

* Kingdom of Mapungubwe (1050–1270)
* Kingdom of Mutapa (1430–1760)

1600–1700

* Dutch Cape Colony (1652–1795)

1700–1800

* Mthethwa Paramountcy (c.1780–1817)
* Ndwandwe (c.1780–1817)
* Republic of Swellendam (1795)
* Republic of Graaff-Reinet (1795–1796)
* Cape Colony (1795–1802)

1800–1850

* Dutch Cape Colony (1802–1806)
* Cape Colony (1806–1910)
* Waterboer's Land (1813–1871)
* Zulu Kingdom (1818–1897)
* Adam Kok's Land (1825–1861)
* Winburg (1836–1844)
* Potchefstroom (1837–1848)
* Natalia Republic (1839–1843)

1850–1875

* South African Republic (1852–1902)
* Orange Free State (1854–1902)
* Republic of Utrecht (1854–1858)
* Lydenburg Republic (1856–1860)
* Griqualand East (1861–1879)
* Griqualand West (1870–1880)
* Diggers' Republic (1870–1871)

1875–1900

* Stellaland (1882–1885)
* Goshen (1882–1883)
* Nieuw Republiek (1884–1888)
* Klein Vrystaat (1886–1891)

1900–present

* Cape Colony (1806–1910)
* Union of South Africa (1910–1961)
* Transkei (1976–1994)
* Bophuthatswana (1977–1994)
* Venda (1979–1994)
* Ciskei (1981–1994)
* Republic of South Africa (1961–present)

South Africa portal

* v
* t
* e

Map of the Cape of Good Hope in 1885 (blue). The areas of Griqualand West and Griqualand East were annexed to the Cape Colony around 1880.

The Cape Colony (Dutch: Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope. It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa, then became the Cape Province, which existed even after 1961, when South Africa had become a republic, albeit, temporarily outside the Commonwealth of Nations (1961–94).

The British colony was preceded by an earlier corporate colony that became an original Dutch colony of the same name, which was established in 1652 by the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The Cape was under VOC rule from 1652 to 1795 and under rule of the Napoleonic Batavia Republic from 1803 to 1806.[4] The VOC lost the colony to Great Britain following the 1795 Battle of Muizenberg, but it was ceded to the Batavia Republic following the 1802 Treaty of Amiens. It was re-occupied by the British following the Battle of Blaauwberg in 1806, and British possession affirmed with the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814. The Cape of Good Hope then remained in the British Empire, becoming self-governing in 1872.

The colony was coextensive with the later Cape Province, stretching from the Atlantic coast inland and eastward along the southern coast, constituting about half of modern South Africa: the final eastern boundary, after several wars against the Xhosa, stood at the Fish River. In the north, the Orange River, natively known as the ǂNūǃarib (Black River) and subsequently called the Gariep River, served as the boundary for some time, although some land between the river and the southern boundary of Botswana was later added to it. From 1878, the colony also included the enclave of Walvis Bay and the Penguin Islands, both in what is now Namibia.

It united with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa in 1910, and was accordingly renamed the Province of the Cape of Good Hope.[5] South Africa became a sovereign state in 1931 by the Statute of Westminster. In 1961, it became the Republic of South Africa. Following the 1994 creation of the present-day South African provinces, the Cape Province was partitioned into the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, and Western Cape, with smaller parts in North West province.

## History

[edit]

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|

### VOC settlement

[edit]

Main article: Dutch Cape Colony

An expedition of the VOC led by Jan van Riebeeck established a trading post and naval victualing station at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652.[6] Van Riebeeck's objective was to secure a harbour of refuge for VOC ships during the long voyages between Europe and Asia.[6] Within about three decades, the Cape had become home to a large community of vrijlieden, also known as vrijburgers ('free citizens'), former VOC employees who settled in the colonies overseas after completing their service contracts.[7] Vrijburgers were mostly married citizens who undertook to spend at least twenty years farming the land within the fledgling colony's borders; in exchange they received tax exempt status and were loaned tools and seeds.[8] Reflecting the multi-national nature of the early trading companies, the VOC granted vrijburger status to Dutch, Swiss, Scandinavian and German employees, among others.[9] In 1688 they also sponsored the immigration of nearly two hundred French Huguenot refugees who had fled to the Netherlands upon the Edict of Fontainebleau.[10] This so-called "Huguenot experiment" was deemed a failure by the colonial authorities a decade later, as many of the Huguenot arrivals had little experience with agriculture and had become a net burden on the colonial government.[11] There was a degree of cultural assimilation due to Dutch cultural hegemony that included the almost universal adoption of the Dutch language.[12]

Many of the colonists who settled directly on the frontier became increasingly independent and localised in their loyalties.[13] Known as Boers, they migrated beyond the Cape Colony's initial borders and had soon penetrated almost a thousand kilometres inland.[14] Some Boers even adopted a nomadic lifestyle permanently and were denoted as trekboers.[15] The VOC colonial period had a number of bitter, genocidal conflicts between the colonists and the Khoe-speaking indigenes,[16] followed by the Xhosa, both of which they perceived as unwanted competitors for prime farmland.[15]

VOC traders imported thousands of slaves to the Cape of Good Hope from the Dutch East Indies and other parts of Africa.[17] By the end of the eighteenth century the Cape's population swelled to about 26,000 people of European descent and 30,000 slaves.[18][19]

### British conquest

[edit]

Main article: Invasion of the Cape Colony (1795)

In 1795, France occupied the Seven Provinces of the Dutch Republic, the mother country of the Dutch United East India Company. This prompted Great Britain to occupy the Cape Colony in 1795 as a way to better control the seas in order to stop any potential French attempt to reach India. The British sent a fleet of nine warships which anchored at Simon's Town and, following the defeat of the VOC militia at the Battle of Muizenberg, took control of the territory. The United East India Company transferred its territories and claims to the Batavian Republic (the Revolutionary period Dutch state) in 1798, and went bankrupt in 1799. Improving relations between Britain and Napoleonic France, and its vassal state the Batavian Republic, led the British to hand the Cape of Good Hope over to the Batavian Republic in 1803, under the terms of the Treaty of Amiens.

Part of a series on

Cape Colony history

* Pre-1806
* 1806-1870
* 1870-1899
* 1899-1910

* v
* t
* e

In 1806, the Cape, now nominally controlled by the Batavian Republic, was occupied again by the British after their victory in the Battle of Blaauwberg. The temporary peace between the UK and Napoleonic France had crumbled into open hostilities, whilst Napoleon had been strengthening his influence on the Batavian Republic (which Napoleon would subsequently abolish and directly administer later the same year). The British, who set up a colony on 8 January 1806,[citation needed] hoped to keep Napoleon out of the Cape, and to control the Far East trade routes.

The Cape Colony at the time of British occupation was three months' sailing distance from London. The White colonial population was small, no more than 25,000 in all, scattered across a territory of 100,000 square miles. Most lived in Cape Town and the surrounding farming districts of the Boland, an area favoured with rich soils, a Mediterranean Climate and reliable rainfall. Cape Town had a population of 16,000 people.[20] In 1814 the Dutch government formally ceded sovereignty over the Cape to the British, under the terms of the Convention of London.

### British colonisation

[edit]

The British started to settle the eastern border of the Cape Colony, with the arrival in Port Elizabeth of the 1820 Settlers. They also began to introduce the first rudimentary rights for the Cape's Black African population and, in 1834, abolished slavery; however, the government proved unable to rein in settler violence against the San, which continued largely unabated as it had during the Dutch period.[21] The resentment that the Boers felt against this social change, as well as the imposition of English language and culture, caused them to trek inland en masse. This was known as the Great Trek, and the migrating Boers settled inland, eventually forming the Boer Republics.

Skirmish during the Xhosa Wars

British Immigration continued in the Cape, even as many of the Boers continued to trek inland, and the ending of the British East India Company's monopoly on trade led to economic growth.

At the same time, the long series of Xhosa Wars fought between the Xhosa people in the east and the government of the Cape Colony as well as Boer settlers finally died down when the Xhosa took part in a mass destruction of their own crops and cattle, in the belief that this would cause their ancestors to wake from the dead. The resulting famine crippled Xhosa country and ushered in a long period of stability on the border.

Peace and prosperity, in addition to the Convict crisis of 1849, led to a desire for political independence. In 1853, the Cape Colony became a British Crown colony with representative government.[22] In 1854, the Cape of Good Hope elected its first parliament, on the basis of the multi-racial Cape Qualified Franchise. Cape residents qualified as voters based on a universal minimum level of property ownership, regardless of race.

Mossel Bay on the Indian Ocean, 1818 Table Bay, Cape Town, circa 1832

Executive power remaining completely in the authority of the British governor did not relieve tensions in the colony between its eastern and western sections.[23]

### Responsible government

[edit]

In 1872, after a long political battle, the Cape of Good Hope achieved responsible government under its first Prime Minister, John Molteno. Henceforth, an elected Prime Minister and his cabinet had total responsibility for the affairs of the country. A period of strong economic growth and social development ensued, and the eastern-western division was largely laid to rest. The system of multi-racial franchise also began a slow and fragile growth in political inclusiveness, and ethnic tensions subsided.[24] In 1877, the state expanded by annexing Griqualand West and Griqualand East[25] – that is, the Mount Currie district (Kokstad). The emergence of two Boer mini-republics along the Missionary Road resulted in 1885 in the Warren Expedition, sent to annex the republics of Stellaland and Goshen (lands annexed to British Bechuanaland). Major-General Charles Warren annexed the land south of the Molopo River as the colony of British Bechuanaland and proclaimed a protectorate over the land lying to the North of the river. Vryburg, the capital of Stellaland, became capital of British Bechuanaland, while Mafeking (now Mahikeng), although situated south of the protectorate border, became the protectorate's administrative centre. The border between the protectorate and the colony ran along the Molopo and Nossob rivers. In 1895, British Bechuanaland became part of the Cape Colony.

However, the discovery of diamonds around Kimberley and gold in the Transvaal led to a return to instability, particularly because they fuelled the rise to power of the ambitious imperialist Cecil Rhodes. On becoming the Cape's Prime Minister in 1890, he instigated a rapid expansion of British influence into the hinterland. In particular, he sought to engineer the conquest of the Transvaal, and although his ill-fated Jameson Raid failed and brought down his government, it led to the Second Boer War and British conquest at the turn of the century. The politics of the colony consequently came to be increasingly dominated by tensions between the British colonists and the Boers. Rhodes also brought in the first formal restrictions on the political rights of the Cape of Good Hope's black African citizens.[26]

The Cape of Good Hope remained nominally under British rule until the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, when it became the province of the Cape of Good Hope, better known as the Cape Province.

## Governors

[edit]

Main article: List of governors of British South African colonies § Cape Colony

## Districts

[edit]

Tallis Map of the Cape Colony, 1850.

The districts of the colony in 1850 were:

* Clanwilliam
* The Cape
* Stellenbosch
* Zwellendam
* Tulbagh/Worcester
* Beaufort
* George
* Uitenhague
* Albany
* Victoria
* Somerset
* Graaf Reynet
* Colesberg

## Demographics

[edit]

Population figures for the 1865, 1875, 1891 and 1904 censuses.[3] Groups marked "nd" are Not Distinguished in the censuses for those years.

Population of the Cape Colony exclusive of military.[27] Year  | Christian Males*  | Christian Females*  | Free Blacks Males  | Free Blacks Females  | Khoekhoe Males  | Khoekhoe Females  | Slaves Males  | Slaves Females  | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1807  | 13,624  | 11,990  | 529  | 605  | 8,496  | 8,935  | 18,990  | 10,313  | 73,482
1817  | 20,750  | 18,884  | 918  | 958  | 11,640  | 11,796  | 19,481  | 12,565  | 97,335
1823  | 25,487  | 23,212  | 891  | 1,098  | 15,336  | 15,213  | 19,786  | 13,412  | 116,205
1833  | 50,881  | 45,210  | nd  | nd  | nd  | nd  | 19,378  | 14,244  | 129,713

* Includes both free Coloured people and Whites

Settlement populations in 1833.[28] District areas  | Free Males  | Free Females  | Male Slaves  | Female Slaves  | Total population  | Percentage enslaved

|
|
|
|
|
|

Cape Town | 6,656  | 7,016  | 2,864  | 2,691  | 19,227 | 28.89%
Cape District  | 4,193  | 3,489  | 2,735  | 1,523  | 11,940 | 35.66%
Stellenbosch | 3,929  | 3,653  | 5,492  | 3,063  | 16,137 | 53.01%
Swellendam | 6,125  | 5,717  | 1,596  | 1,428  | 14,866 | 20.34%
George | 2,976  | 2,669  | 1,130  | 1,100  | 7,875 | 28.32%
Uitenhage | 4,595  | 3,199  | 672  | 626  | 9,092 | 14.28%
Albany | 4,850  | 4,525  | 75  | 69  | 9,519 | 1.51%
Somerset | 5,340  | 4,649  | 76  | 680  | 10,745 | 7.04%
Graaff-Reinet | 6,397  | 4,613  | 1,505  | 944  | 13,459 | 18.20%
Total  | 45,061  | 39,530  | 16,145  | 12,124  | 112,860 | 25.05%
Cape Colony 1840 census data[29] Population group  | reported number

|

Whites of Dutch, French & Swedish descent  | 50,000
Whites of British descent  | 12,000
Emancipated slaves of 1834  | 35,000
Free coloured people before 1834  | 10,000
Hottentots & Bushmen | 40,000
Coloured strangers from the interior  | 15,000
Total | 162,000
Census data: 1865–1904  Population group  | 1865 Census[3] | 1875 Census[3] | 1891 Census[3] | 1904 Census[30][3]

|
|
|
|

| Number  | Per cent
(%)  | Number  | Per cent
(%)  | Number  | Per cent
(%)  | Number  | Per cent
(%)
Black | nd  | *  | 287,639  | 39.89  | 838,136  | 54.87  | 1,424,787  | 59.12
White | 181,592  | 36.58  | 236,783  | 32.84  | 376,987  | 24.68  | 579,741  | 24.05
Coloured | nd  | *  | 196,562  | 27.26  | 310,401  | 20.32  | 395,034  | 16.39
Asian | nd  | *  | nd  | *  | 1,700  | 0.11  | 10,242  | 0.42
Total  | 496,381  | 100.00  | 720,984  | 100.00  | 1,527,224  | 100.00  | 2,409,804  | 100.00

## See also

[edit]

* Cape Colonial Forces
* Cape Government Railways
* Cape Qualified Franchise
* Parliament of the Cape of Good Hope

## References

[edit]

### Explanatory notes

[edit]

1. ^ Dutch was the sole official language until 1822, when the British officially replaced Dutch with English.[31] Dutch was reincluded as a second official language in 1882.
2. ^ Penguin Islands and Walvis Bay
3. ^ Basutoland was annexed to the Cape Colony in 1871, before becoming a Crown colony in 1884. See "Lesotho: History". The Commonwealth. Archived from the original on 1 November 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.

### Citations

[edit]

1. ^ a b Wilmot & Chase 1869, p. 268.
2. ^ Cape of Good Hope 1866, p. 11.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Malherbe 1939, p. 1038.
4. ^ Heese 1971, p. 15.
5. ^ Keltie & Epstein 1920, p. 222.
6. ^ a b Hunt 2005, pp. 13–15.
7. ^ Parthesius 2010.
8. ^ Lucas 2004, pp. 29–33.
9. ^ Worden 2010, pp. 94–140.
10. ^ Lambert 2009, pp. 32–34.
11. ^ Shell, Robert C.-H. (8 May 2007). "Immigration: The Forgotten Factor in Cape Colonial Frontier Expansion, 1658 to 1817". Safundi. 6 (2): 1–38\. doi:10.1080/17533170500106201. S2CID 219717224. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
12. ^ Mbenga & Giliomee 2007, pp. 59–60.
13. ^ Ward 2009, pp. 322–342.
14. ^ Greaves 2013, pp. 36–35.
15. ^ a b Stapleton 2010, pp. 4–6.
16. ^ Adhikari, Mohamed (27 September 2010). "A total extinction confidently hoped for: the destruction of Cape San society under Dutch colonial rule, 1700–1795". Journal of Genocide Research. 12 (1–2): 19–44\. doi:10.1080/14623528.2010.508274. PMID 20941880. S2CID 43522981. Retrieved 10 April 2022.1–2&rft.pages=19-44&rft.date=2010-09-27&rft_id=https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:43522981#id-name=S2CID&rft_id=info:pmid/20941880&rft_id=info:doi/10.1080/14623528.2010.508274&rft.aulast=Adhikari&rft.aufirst=Mohamed&rft_id=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14623528.2010.508274&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Cape+Colony" class="Z3988">
17. ^ Worden 2010, pp. 40–43.
18. ^ Lloyd 1997, pp. 201–206.
19. ^ Cana, Gibson & Hillier 1911.
20. ^ Meredith 2007, p. 1.
21. ^ Penn, Nigel (22 May 2013). "The British and the 'Bushmen': the massacre of the Cape San, 1795 to 1828". Journal of Genocide Research. 15 (2): 183–200\. doi:10.1080/14623528.2013.793081. S2CID 72177008. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
22. ^ Evans 1993, p. 576.
23. ^ Oakes 1992.
24. ^ Parsons 1993.
25. ^ Dugard 2006, p. 136.
26. ^ Ziegler 2008.
27. ^ Martin, Robert Montgomery (1836). The British Colonial Library: In 12 volumes. Mortimer. p. 112.
28. ^ Martin, Robert Montgomery (1836). The British Colonial Library: In 12 volumes. Mortimer. p. 113.
29. ^ Holdridge, Christopher Arthur (2010). "Sam Sly's African Journal and the Role of Satire in Colonial British Identity at the Cape of Good Hope, c. 1840-1850". University of Cape Town. p. 35. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
30. ^ Hancock 1962, p. 219.
31. ^ Farlam 2001, pp. 87–88.

### General and cited references

[edit]

* Cana, Frank Richardson; Gibson, Walcot; Hillier, Alfred Peter (1911). "Cape Colony" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). pp. 225–248.
* Cape of Good Hope (1866). Census of the colony of the Cape of Good Hope. 1865. Cape Town: Soloman - via HathiTrust Digital Library.
* Malherbe, E.G. (1939). Official Year Book of the Union of South Africa and of Basutoland, Bechuanaland Protectorate, and Swaziland 1939. Vol. 20\. Pretoria: Union of South Africa.
* Dugard, John (2006). International Law, A South African Perspective. Cape Town.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
* Evans, Charlotte (1993). "Italy". The Kingfisher Illustrated History of the World: 40,000 B.C. to Present Day. Kingfisher Books. ISBN 978-1-85697-862-0.
* Farlam, Paul (2001). Palmer, Vernon (ed.). Mixed Jurisdictions Worldwide: The Third Legal Family. Cambridge: University Press. ISBN 0-521-78154-X.
* Greaves, Adrian (2013). The Tribe that Washed its Spears: The Zulus at War. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1629145136.<
* Heese, J. A. (1971). Die Herkoms van die Afrikaner 1657 - 1867 [The Origin of the Afrikaaner 1657 - 1867] (in Afrikaans). Cape Town: A. A. Balkema. ISBN 978-1-920429-13-3.
* Hunt, John (2005). Campbell, Heather-Ann (ed.). Dutch South Africa: Early Settlers at the Cape, 1652-1708. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-1904744955.
* Keltie, John Scott; Epstein, M., eds. (1920). "Province of the Cape of Good Hope". The Statesman's Year Book: Statistical and Historical Annual of the States of the World for the Year 1920. London: MacMillan.
* Lambert, David (2009). The Protestant International and the Huguenot Migration to Virginia. New York: Peter Land Publishing, Incorporated. ISBN 978-1433107597.
* Lloyd, Trevor Owen (1997). The British Empire, 1558-1995. Oxford: University Press. ISBN 978-0198731337.
* Lucas, Gavin (2004). An Archaeology of Colonial Identity: Power and Material Culture in the Dwars Valley, South Africa. New York: Springer, Publishers. ISBN 978-0306485381.
* Mbenga, Bernard; Giliomee, Hermann (2007). New History of South Africa. Cape Town: Tafelburg, Publishers. ISBN 978-0624043591.
* Meredith, Martin (2007). Diamonds, Gold and War: The Making of South Africa. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7432-8614-5.
* Oakes, Dougie, ed. (1992). Illustrated History of South Africa. The Reader’s Digest Association South Africa. ISBN 0-947008-90-X.
* Parsons, Neil (1993). A New History of Southern Africa (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan.
* Parthesius, Robert (2010). Dutch Ships in Tropical Waters: The Development of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) Shipping Network in Asia 1595–1660. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. ISBN 978-9053565179.
* Hancock, W.K. (1962). Smuts: The sanguine years, 1870-1919. Cambridge: University Press.
* Stapleton, Timothy (2010). A Military History of South Africa: From the Dutch-Khoi Wars to the End of Apartheid. Santa Barbara: Praeger Security International. ISBN 978-0313365898.
* Ward, Kerry (2009). Networks of Empire: Forced Migration in the Dutch East India Company. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-88586-7.
* Wilmot, Alexander; Chase, John Centlivres (1869). History of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope: From Its Discovery to the Year 1819. J. C. Juta.
* Worden, Nigel (2010). Slavery in Dutch South Africa. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521152662.
* Ziegler, Philip (2008). Legacy: Cecil Rhodes, the Rhodes Trust and Rhodes Scholarships. Yale: University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-11835-3.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Beck, Roger B. (2000). The History of South Africa. Westport, CT: Greenwood. ISBN 0-313-30730-X
* Davenport, T. R. H., and Christopher Saunders (2000). South Africa: A Modern History, 5th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-23376-0.
* Elbourne, Elizabeth (2002). Blood Ground: Colonialism, Missions, and the Contest for Christianity in the Cape Colony and Britain, 1799–1853. McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 0-7735-2229-8
* Le Cordeur, Basil Alexander (1981). The War of the Axe, 1847: Correspondence between the governor of the Cape Colony, Sir Henry Pottinger, and the commander of the British forces at the Cape, Sire George Berkeley, and others. Brenthurst Press. ISBN 0-909079-14-5
* Mabin, Alan (1983). Recession and its aftermath: The Cape Colony in the eighteen eighties. University of the Witwatersrand, African Studies Institute.
* Ross, Robert, and David Anderson (1999). Status and Respectability in the Cape Colony, 1750–1870 : A Tragedy of Manners. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-62122-4.
* Theal, George McCall (1970). History of the Boers in South Africa; Or, the Wanderings and Wars of the Emigrant Farmers from Their Leaving the Cape Colony to the Acknowledgment of Their Independence by Great Britain. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-8371-1661-9.
* Van Der Merwe, P.J., Roger B. Beck (1995). The Migrant Farmer in the History of the Cape Colony. Ohio University Press. ISBN 0-8214-1090-3
* Worden, Nigel; Van Heyningen, E.; Bickford-Smith, Vivian (1998). Cape Town: The Making of a City : an Illustrated Social History. David Philip. ISBN 978-0-86486-435-2.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Cape Colony at Wikimedia Commons

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Other South African governments

| Kingdoms| Colonies| Boer Republics| Bantustans| National

|
|
|
|

* Kingdom of Mapungubwe (c. 1075–c. 1220)
* Mthethwa Paramountcy (c. 1780–1817)
* Ndwandwe Kingdom (c. 1780–1819)
* Zulu Kingdom (1816–97)

* Dutch Cape Colony (1652–1806)
* Cape Colony (1795–1910)
* Natal Colony (1843–1910)
* Orange River Colony (1902–10)
* Transvaal Colony (1902–10)

* Natalia Republic (1839–43)
* Orange Free State (1854–1902)
* Griqualand East (1861–79)
* Griqualand West (1870–73)
* Goshen (1882–83)
* Stellaland (1882–85)
* Nieuwe Republiek (1884–88)
* Upingtonia (1885–87)
* Klein Vrystaat (1886–91)

* Gazankulu (1971–94)
* Lebowa (1972–94)
* QwaQwa (1974–94)
* Transkei (1976–94)
* Bophuthatswana (1977–94)
* Venda (1979–94)
* Ciskei (1981–94)
* KaNgwane (1981–94)
* KwaNdebele (1981–94)
* KwaZulu (1981–94)

* Cape Qualified Franchise (1853–1910)
* South African Republic (1856–1902)
* Union of South Africa (1910–61)
* Republic of South Africa (1961–present)

Current government

* v
* t
* e

Former British Empire and current British Overseas Territories

Legend
Former territory
Current territory
*Current Commonwealth realm
†Current member of the Commonwealth of Nations

Europe

* Akrotiri and Dhekelia since 1960 (before as part of Cyprus)
* Corsica 1794–1796
* †Cyprus 1878–1960
* Gibraltar since 1713
* Heligoland 1807–1890
* Ionian Islands 1809–1864
* Lordship of Ireland 1177–1542
* Kingdom of Ireland 1542–1800 (integrated into the UK)
* Free State 1921–1931
* †Malta
* Protectorate 1800–1813
* Colony 1813–1964
* Minorca 1708–1757, 1763–1782 and 1798–1802

Africa

* Basutoland (†Lesotho) 1868–1966
* Bechuanaland (†Botswana) 1884–1966
* Cameroons13 1919–1961
* Cape Colony 1795–1803
* Cape of Good Hope 1806–1910
* Central Africa 1891–1907
* East Africa 1895–1920
* Egypt 1882–1922
* †The Gambia 1816–1965
* Gold Coast (†Ghana) 1874–1957
* †Kenya 1920–1963
* Lagos 1862–1906
* Madeira 1807–1808
* †Mauritius 1810–1968
* Natal 1856–1910
* Niger Coast 1884–1900
* †Nigeria 1914–1960
* Northern Nigeria 1900–1914
* Northern Rhodesia15 1924–1964
* Nyasaland 1891–1964
* Orange River 1900–1910
* †Seychelles 1903–1976
* †Sierra Leone 1792–1961
* Somaliland 1884–1960
* †South Africa 1910–1931
* South-West Africa12 1915–1931
* Southern Rhodesia14 1923–1965 and 1979–1980
* Southern Nigeria 1900–1914
* †Swaziland 1893–1968
* Sudan 1899–1956
* Tanganyika13 1922–1961
* Transvaal 1900–1910
* †Uganda 1890–1962
* Zanzibar 1890–1963
* Zululand 1887–1897

* 12Now †Namibia
* 13League of Nations mandate. British Cameroons is now part of †Cameroon and Nigeria, while Tanganyika is part of †Tanzania.
* 14Self-governing Southern Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence in 1965 (as Rhodesia) and continued as an unrecognised state until the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement. After recognised independence in 1980, Zimbabwe was a member of the Commonwealth until it withdrew in 2003.
* 15Now †Zambia

Asia

* Aden Colony 1839–1967
* Afghanistan 1839–1842
* Protectorate 1879–1919
* Bencoolen 1685–1824
* Banka and Billiton 1812–1824
* Bengal 1757–1947
* Bhutan (protectorate) 1907–1949
* Borneo 1874–1963
* British Indian Ocean Territory since 1965 (before as part of Mauritius and Seychelles)26
* Burma 1824–1948
* †Brunei 1888–1984
* †Ceylon 1795–1948
* †Cyprus 1878–1960
* Hong Kong 1841–1997
* †India18 1858–1947
* Java 1811–1816
* Kuwait 1918–1961
* Labuan 1848–1946
* Malaya 1819–1826
* Federated States 1895–1946
* Unfederated States 1885–1946
* Union 1946–1948
* Federation 1948–1957
* Malacca 1824–1946
* Crown Colony 1946–1957
* †Maldives 1796–1965
* Manila and Cavite 1762–1764
* Mesopotamia19 1920–1932
* Muscat and Oman 1891–1971
* North Borneo 1882–1963
* Crown Colony 1946–1963
* Padang 1781–1784 and 1795–1819
* Palestine19 1923–1948
* Penang 1786–1946
* Crown Colony 1946–1957
* Pulo Condore 1702–1705
* Sarawak 1841–1946
* Crown Colony 1946–1963
* †Singapore 1946–1963
* South Vietnam 1945–1946
* Straits Settlements 1826–1946
* Transjordan 1921–1946
* Trucial States 1892–1971
* Weihai 1898–1930

* 18Now †India, †Pakistan and †Bangladesh
* 19League of Nations mandate. Iraq's mandate was not enacted and replaced by the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty
* 26Legitimacy of territorial establishment disputed

North America

* Anguilla since 1650
* *Antigua 1632–1860
* *Antigua and Barbuda 1860–1981
* †*Bahamas 1670–1973
* †Barbados 1624–1966
* Bay Islands 1643–1860
* †*Belize 1871–1981
* Bermuda since 1619
* British Arctic Territories 16th c.–1880
* British Columbia 1858–1866
* 1866–1871
* Cape Breton Island 1754–1820
* †Dominica 1763–1978
* East Florida 1763–1783
* †*Grenada 1762–1974
* †*Canada
* Lower 1791–1841
* Upper 1791–1841
* Province 1841–1867
* Dominion 1867–1931
* Carolina 1663–1712
* Cayman Islands since 1670
* Columbia District/Oregon Country 1818–1846
* Connecticut 1636–1776
* Delaware 1701–1776
* East Jersey 1674–1702
* Georgia 1733–1776
* †*Jamaica 1655–1962
* Leeward Islands 1671–1816, 1833–1960
* Massachusetts Bay 1629–1691
* Province, 1691–1776
* Maryland 1632–1776
* Montserrat since 1632
* Mosquito Coast 1655–1860
* Nevis 1628–1983
* New Albion 1579
* New Brunswick 1784–1867
* New England 1686–1689
* New Hampshire 1680–1776
* New Haven 1637–1662
* New Jersey 1665–1674 and 1702–1776
* New York 1664–1776
* Newfoundland 1907–1949
* Newfoundland and Labrador 1583–1907
* North Carolina 1712–1776
* North-Western Territory 1859–1870
* Nova Scotia 1713–1867
* Paulet affair 1843
* Prince Edward Island 1763–1873
* Pennsylvania 1681–1776
* Plymouth 1620–1691
* Quebec 1763–1791* Queen Charlotte Islands 1853–1863
* Rhode Island 1636–1776
* Rupert's Land 1670–1870
* Saint Croix 1625–1650
* Saint Kitts 1623–1983
* †*Saint Kitts and Nevis 1882–1983
* †*Saint Lucia 1605–1979
* †*Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1627–1979
* Saybrook 1635–1644
* South Carolina 1712–1776
* Stickeen 1862–1863
* †Trinidad and Tobago 1889–1962
* Turks and Caicos Islands since 1799
* Vancouver Island 1849–1866
* Virgin Islands since 1666
* Virginia 1607–1776
* West Florida 1763–1783
* West Indies Federation 1958–1962
* Associated States 1967–1983
* West Jersey 1674–1702
* Windward Islands 1833–1960

South America

* Providence Island 1631–1641
* Willoughbyland 1651–1667
* Saint Andrew and Providence Islands4 1670–1688
* †Guiana 1831–1966

* 4Now a department of Colombia

Oceania

* New South Wales 1788–1901
* Van Diemen's Land/Tasmania 1803–1901
* Auckland Islands20 1807–1863
* New Hebrides21 1824–1980
* Queensland 1824–1901
* Swan River/Western Australia 1829–1901
* South Australia 1836–1901
* Pitcairn Islands since 1838
* New Zealand 1841–1907
* North Australia 1846–1847
* Victoria 1851–1901
* †Fiji 1874–1970
* Western Pacific Territories 1877–1976
* Papua 1884–1902
* Rarotonga/Cook Islands20 1888–1901
* Union Islands20 1889–1948
* Gilbert and Ellice Islands22 1892–1979
* †*Solomon Islands 1893–1978
* †Tonga 1900–1970
* Niue20 1900–1974
* †*Australia 1901–1942
* †*New Zealand 1907–1947
* †Samoa 1914–1962
* †Nauru 1919–1942 and 1945–1968

* 20Now part of the †Realm of New Zealand
* 21Now †Vanuatu
* 22Now †Kiribati and †*Tuvalu

Antarctica and the South Atlantic

* Saint Helena23 since 1658
* Ascension Island23 since 1815
* Tristan da Cunha23 since 1816
* Falkland Islands5 since 1833
* †Australian Antarctic Territory (transferred to the Commonwealth of Australia) 1841–1933
* †Ross Dependency (transferred to the Realm of New Zealand) 1841–1947
* British Antarctic Territory24 since 1908
* South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands25 since 1908

* 5Occupied by Argentina during the Falklands War of April–June 1982.
* 23Since 2009 part of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; Ascension Island (1922–) and Tristan da Cunha (1938–) were previously dependencies of Saint Helena.
* 24Claimed in 1908; territory formed 1962; overlaps portions of Argentine and Chilean claims, borders not enforced but claim not renounced under the Antarctic Treaty.
* 25Claimed in 1908; territory formed 1985

* Historical flags of the British Empire
* Anglosphere culture
* Category
* Portal

* v
* t
* e

Political history of South Africa

Defunct polities|

* Kingdom of Mapungubwe (c. 1075–c. 1220)
* Dutch Cape Colony (1652–1806)
* Mthethwa Paramountcy (c. 1780–1817)
* Ndwandwe Kingdom (c. 1780–1819)
* Cape Colony (1795–1910)
* Zulu Kingdom (1816–1897)
* Natalia Republic (1839–1843)
* Natal Colony (1843–1910)
* Orange Free State (1854–1902)
* South African Republic (1856–1902)
* Griqualand East (1861–1879)
* Griqualand West (1870–1873)
* Goshen (1882–1883)
* Stellaland (1882–1885)
* Nieuwe Republiek (1884–1888)
* Upingtonia (1885–1887)
* Klein Vrystaat (1886–1891)
* Orange River Colony (1902–1910)
* Transvaal Colony (1902–1910)
* Union of South Africa (1910–1961)
* Transkei (1976–1994)
* Bophuthatswana (1977–1994)
* Venda (1979–1994)
* Ciskei (1981–1994)

Events|

| Pre-colonial|

* Bantu migrations
* Battle of Salt River

|

1652–1815|

* Dutch settlement
* French Huguenot settlement
* Khoikhoi–Dutch Wars
* Xhosa Wars
* Battle of Muizenberg
* Battle of Blaauwberg
* Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814

1815–1910|

* Mfecane
* 1820 Settlers
* Great Trek
* Boer Republics
* Transvaal Civil War
* Mineral Revolution
* Witwatersrand Gold Rush
* South African Wars
* South Africa Act 1909 (National Convention)

1910–1948|

* South West Africa campaign
* Maritz rebellion
* Rand Rebellion
* Great Depression
* 1946 African Mine Workers' Union strike
* Bantustans

Apartheid|

* 1948 general election
* Apartheid legislation
* Pass laws
* Internal resistance
* Coloured-vote constitutional crisis
* Defiance Campaign
* Congress of the People
* Freedom Charter
* Women's March 1956
* 1957 Alexandra bus boycott
* Sharpeville massacre
* 1960 republic referendum
* International isolation
* UN Resolution 1761
* UNSC Resolution 591
* Academic boycott
* Disinvestment
* Constructive engagement
* Tar Baby Option
* Sporting boycott
* Olympics
* Rugby union
* Rivonia Trial
* Durban Moment
* Border War
* Israeli alliance
* Israel–South Africa Agreement
* Mafeje affair
* Soweto Uprising
* Weapons of mass destruction
* Project Coast
* Church Street bombing
* 1983 constitutional referendum
* Vaal uprising
* Langa massacre
* Rubicon speech
* Operation Vula
* Dakar Conference
* Transkei coup d'état
* Ciskei coup d'état
* Venda coup d'état
* Third Force
* CODESA
* Storming of the Kempton Park World Trade Centre
* Bisho massacre
* 1992 apartheid referendum
* Saint James Church massacre
* Bophuthatswana crisis
* Shell House massacre
* Sauer Commission

Post-
apartheid|

* 1994 general election
* Government of National Unity
* Reconstruction and Development Programme
* Truth and Reconciliation Commission
* Arms Deal
* Floor crossing
* Soweto bombings
* African Renaissance
* Travelgate
* Xenophobia
* Attack on Kennedy Road
* Blikkiesdorp
* Marikana massacre
* 2012 Western Cape farm workers' strike
* Nkandlagate
* Racism
* 2014 platinum strike
* #RhodesMustFall protests
* #FeesMustFall student protests
* Tshwane riots
* 2019 service delivery protests
* 2019 Johannesburg riots
* COVID-19 pandemic
* 2020 Phala Phala Robbery
* 2021 unrest
* Lady R incident

Political culture|

* African nationalism
* Afrikaner Calvinism
* Afrikaner nationalism
* Anarchism
* Azania
* Baasskap
* Boerehaat
* Black Consciousness Movement
* Cape Independence
* Day of the Vow
* Greater South Africa
* Honorary whites
* Rooi gevaar
* Slavery
* Swart gevaar
* Uitlander
* Volkstaat

Defunct
organisations|

| Civic and political
organisations|

* Afrikaner Bond
* Afrikaner Broederbond
* Afrikaner Party
* AITUP
* APO
* AVF
* BPC
* Black Sash
* Boerestaat Party
* CDA
* CNIP
* CTEG
* COD
* Congress Alliance
* COSG
* CP
* DLF
* Dominion Party
* DP (1973–1977)
* DP (1989–2000)
* DPP
* DSM
* ECC
* FA
* FD
* Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners
* GNP
* Het Volk
* HNP (Herenigde)
* HNP (Herstigte)
* IDASA
* ID
* IP
* ISL
* Jeugkrag
* Johannesburg Reform Committee
* Labour Party (1910–1958)
* Labour Party (1969–1994)
* Liberal Party (1953–1968)
* NA
* NCP
* Natal Indian Congress
* NLP
* NNP
* NP
* NPP
* NRP
* NUSAS
* Occupy
* Orangia Unie
* Oranjewerkers
* Orde Boerevolk
* PAVN
* PFP
* Progressive Party (Cape Colony)
* Progressive Party
* PRP
* Radio Freedom
* Reform Party
* SABP
* SADECO
* SAIC
* SASO
* SAYCO
* SAYRCO
* South African Party (Cape Colony)
* South African Party (1911–1934)
* South African Party (1977–1980)
* TNIP
* Torch Commando
* UFP
* United Party
* Unionist Party
* National Party of Venda
* Volksparty
* Workers Party
* WOSA

|

Trade unions and
social movements|

* APF
* BCM
* BLATU
* CNETU
* CTSWU
* FCWU
* FNETU
* FOSATU
* ICU
* IWW
* MUSA
* NEUM
* NURHS
* PAWE
* SAAPAWU
* SACTU
* SAIF
* SARHU
* SATUC
* Die Spoorbund
* UDF
* Umkosi Wezintaba

Paramilitary and
terrorist organisations|

* APLA
* ARM
* AWB
* BBB
* Boeremag
* Greyshirts
* MK
* Ossewabrandwag
* Orde van die Dood
* PAGAD
* SANF

Histories of
political parties|

* African National Congress
* Democratic Alliance
* Pan Africanist Congress of Azania

Category

* v
* t
* e

Governors, civil commissioners and administrators of British dependencies

Crown
Dependencies|

* Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey
* Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man
* Lieutenant Governor of Jersey

Overseas
territories|

* Governor of Anguilla
* Governor of Ascension (Administrator of Ascension)
* Governor of Bermuda
* Commissioner for the British Antarctic Territory
* Commissioner for the British Indian Ocean Territory
* Governor of the Virgin Islands
* Governor of the Cayman Islands
* Governor of the Falkland Islands
* Governor of Gibraltar
* Governor of Montserrat
* Governor of Pitcairn
* Administrator of the Pitcairn Islands
* Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
* Governor of Saint Helena
* Governor of Tristan da Cunha (Administrator of Tristan da Cunha)
* Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands

Former posts|

| Africa|

* Governor of British Mauritius
* Governor of British Cameroons
* Governor of the Gambia
* Governor of Gold Coast
* Lieutenant Governor of Griqualand West
* Governor of Kenya
* Governor of Lagos Colony
* Governor-General of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland
* Governor of Northern Rhodesia
* Governor of Nyasaland
* Governor of Southern Rhodesia
* Governor of Nigeria
* Governor of Senegal
* Governor of the Seychelles
* Governor of Sierra Leone
* Governor-General of South Africa
* High Commissioner for Southern Africa
* Governors of British South African colonies
* Governor of British Somaliland
* Governor of Tanganyika
* Governor of Uganda
* Resident in Zanzibar

|

Americas|

* Governor of the Bahamas
* Governor of Barbados
* Lieutenant Governor of Grenada
* Lieutenant-Governor of Berbice
* Governor of British Guiana
* Governor of British Honduras
* Governor of Cuba
* Governor of Dominica
* Lieutenant-Governor of Demerara-Essequibo
* Governor of Grenada
* Governor of Jamaica
* Governor of the Leeward Islands
* Governor of St. Lucia
* Governor of St. Vincent
* Governor of Trinidad and Tobago
* Lieutenant governors of Tobago
* Governor of Trinidad
* Governor of Newfoundland
* Governor General of Canada
* Governor of British Columbia
* Governor of New Brunswick
* Governor of Nova-Scotia
* Governor of Prince Edward Island
* Lieutenant Governor of Quebec
* Governor of Saint Christopher, Nevis and Anguilla
* Governor-in-Chief of the Windward Islands
* Governor-General of the West Indies Federation
* Governor of Connecticut
* Governor of Delaware
* Governor of Florida
* Governor of Georgia
* Governor of Maryland
* Governor of Massachusetts-Bay
* Governor of New Hampshire
* Governor of New-Jersey
* Governor of New-York
* Governor of North-Carolina
* Governor of Pennsylvania
* Governor of Rhode-island and Providence Plantations
* Governor of South-Carolina
* Governor of Virginia

Asia|

* Governor of Aden
* Governor of Burma
* Governor of Ceylon
* High Commissioner for the Federated Malay States
* Senior British representatives in the constituent protected states
* Senior British representatives in the neighbouring Malayan protected states
* General Adviser to the Government of Johore
* Adviser to the Sultan of Kedah
* Adviser to the Government of Kelantan
* Adviser to the Government of Perlis
* Adviser, Trengganu
* Governor of Hong Kong
* Viceroy and Governor-General of India
* Heads of the provinces of British India
* Governor of Aden
* Governor of Bengal
* Governor of Bombay
* Governor of Madras
* Governor of Sindh
* Senior British representatives in neighbouring protected states
* Resident of Gwalior
* High Commissioner for Iraq
* Governor of Labuan
* Representative in Muscat and Oman
* High Commissioner for Malaya
* Governor of the Malayan Union
* Governor of North Borneo
* Resident Minister in Nepal
* High Commissioners for Palestine and Transjordan
* Governor of Penang
* Representative in the Raj of Sarawak
* Governor of the Crown Colony of Sarawak
* Governor of Singapore
* Representative in the Trucial States

Europe|

* Governor of Cyprus
* Lieutenant Governor of Heligoland
* High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands
* Governor of the Isle of Wight
* Civil Commissioner of Malta
* Governor of Malta
* Governor of Minorca
* Governor of Northern Ireland

Oceania|

* Governor-General of Australia
* Government Resident of Central Australia
* Governor of New South Wales
* Government Resident of North Australia
* Governor of Queensland
* Governor of South Australia
* Governor of Tasmania
* Governor of Victoria
* Governor of Western Australia
* Governor of Fiji
* Governor-General of New Zealand
* Governor-General of Papua New Guinea
* Governor of the Solomon Islands
* Lieutenant Governor of the Swan River Colony
* Consul in Tonga
* High Commissioner for the Western Pacific

category

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Israel

Other|

* Yale LUX

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*[e]: Edit this template