History of Cape Colony
Encyclopedia
The written history of Cape Colony South Africa (later known as Cape Province
) began when Bartolomeu Dias
, a Portuguese navigator, discovered the Cape of Good Hope
in 1488. In 1497, Vasco da Gama
sailed along the whole coast of South Africa on his way to India. The Portuguese, attracted by the riches of Asia, made no permanent settlement at the Cape Colony
. However, the Dutch East India Company
settled the area as a location where vessels could restock water and provisions.
The Dutch East India Company settlement in the area began in March 1647, with the shipwreck of the Dutch ship Nieuwe Haarlem. The shipwreck victims built a small fort that they named the "Sand Fort of the Cape of Good Hope." They stayed for nearly one year, until they were rescued by a fleet of 12 ships under the command of W.G. de Jong.
After their return to Holland some of the shipwrecked crewmates tried to persuade the Dutch East India Company
to open a trading center at the Cape.
A Dutch East India Company expedition of 90 Calvinist
settlers, under the command of Jan van Riebeeck
, founded the first permanent settlement near the Cape of Good Hope
in 1652. Jan van Riebeeck was on one of the rescue ships that had come to rescue the shipwrecked sailors, and upon seeing the land, he decided to return. They arrived in the harbour of modern-day Cape Town
on 6 April 1652 with five ships:
The settlers initially built a clay and timber fort, which was replaced between 1666 and 1679 by the Castle of Good Hope
, which is now the oldest building in South Africa. The Colony began properly in 1671 with the first purchase of land from the Khoikhoi
(called "Hottentots" by the settlers) beyond the original limits of the fort built by van Riebeeck.
The earliest colonists were, for the most part, from the lower, working class and displayed an indifferent attitude towards developing the colony, but after a commissioner that was sent out in 1685 to attract more settlers, a more dedicated group of immigrants began to arrive. French refugees began to arrive in the Cape after leaving their country after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes
. This small body of immigrants had a marked influence on the character of the Dutch settlers. Owing to the policy instituted in 1701 of the Dutch East India Company which dictated that schools should teach exclusively in Dutch
and strict laws of assembly, the French Huguenot
s ceased by the middle of the 18th century to maintain a distinct identity, and the knowledge of French disappeared. By the late 1700s the Cape Colony was one of the best developed European settlements out side Europe or the Americas.
in 1869 almost every ship sailing between Europe and Asia stopped off at the colony's capital Cape Town. The supplying of these ships with fresh provisions, fruit, and wine
provided a very large market for the surplus produce of the colony.
. Besides those who died in warfare, whole tribes of Khoikhoi were severely disrupted by smallpox
epidemic
s in 1713 and 1755. A few remaining tribes maintained their independence, but the majority of the Khoikhoi took jobs with the colonists as herdsmen. The Dutch East India Company government passed a law in 1787 subjecting the remaining nomadic Khoikhoi to certain restrictions. The direct effect of this law was to make the Khoikhoi even more dependent upon the farmers, or to compel them to migrate northward beyond the colonial border. Those who chose the latter encountered the hostility of their old foes, the Bushmen
, who inhabited the plains from the Nieuwveld and Sneeuwberg mountains to the Orange River
.
profitable on Karoo
or veld
, slowed the progress made by the colonists as much as the narrow and tyrannical policy adopted by the Dutch East India Company
. The Company stopped the colony's policy of open immigration, monopolised trade, combined the administrative, legislative and judicial powers into one body, told the farmers what crops to grow, demanded a large percentage of every farmer's harvest, and harassed them. This tended to discourage further development of industry and enterprise. From these roots sprung a dislike of orderly government, and libertarian
view-point that has characterised the "boer
s" or Dutch farmers for many generations. Seeking largely to escape the oppression of the Dutch East India Company, the farmers trekked farther and farther from the seat of government. The Company, in order to control these emigrants, established a magistracy at Swellendam
in 1745 and another at Graaff Reinet
in 1786. The authorities declared the Gamtoos River
as the eastern frontier of the colony, but the trekkers soon crossed it. In order to avoid collision with the bantu tribes advancing south and west from east central Africa, the Dutch agreed in 1780 to make the Great Fish River
the boundary of the colony. In 1795 the heavily-taxed boers of the frontier districts, who received no protection against the Africans, expelled the officials of the Dutch East India Company, and established independent governments at Swellendam and at Graaff Reinet.
The Netherlands fell to the French army
under the leadership of Napoléon Bonaparte in 1795. Reacting to the weakness of the Dutch East India Company holdings, a British army under General Sir James Henry Craig
set out for Cape Town in order to secure the colony for the Stadtholder
Prince William V of Orange against the French. The governor of Cape Town refused at first to obey any instructions from the prince, but after the British threatened to use force, he capitulated. The boers of Graaff Reinet did not surrender until an army had been sent against them, and in 1799 and again in 1801 they rose in revolt. In February 1803, as a result of the Peace of Amiens, the colony came under the control of the Batavian Republic
.
Cape Province
The Province of the Cape of Good Hope was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of South Africa...
) began when Bartolomeu Dias
Bartolomeu Dias
Bartolomeu Dias , a nobleman of the Portuguese royal household, was a Portuguese explorer who sailed around the southernmost tip of Africa in 1488, the first European known to have done so.-Purposes of the Dias expedition:...
, a Portuguese navigator, discovered the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
in 1488. In 1497, Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India...
sailed along the whole coast of South Africa on his way to India. The Portuguese, attracted by the riches of Asia, made no permanent settlement at the Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
. However, the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
settled the area as a location where vessels could restock water and provisions.
First settlement
After their return to Holland some of the shipwrecked crewmates tried to persuade the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
to open a trading center at the Cape.
A Dutch East India Company expedition of 90 Calvinist
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
settlers, under the command of Jan van Riebeeck
Jan van Riebeeck
Johan Anthoniszoon "Jan" van Riebeeck was a Dutch colonial administrator and founder of Cape Town.-Biography:...
, founded the first permanent settlement near the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
in 1652. Jan van Riebeeck was on one of the rescue ships that had come to rescue the shipwrecked sailors, and upon seeing the land, he decided to return. They arrived in the harbour of modern-day Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
on 6 April 1652 with five ships:
- Reijer,
- Oliphant,
- Goede Hoop,
- Walvisch,
- Dromedaris.
The settlers initially built a clay and timber fort, which was replaced between 1666 and 1679 by the Castle of Good Hope
Castle of Good Hope
The Castle of Good Hope is a star fort which was built on the original coastline of Table Bay and now, because of land reclamation, lies nearer to the Cape Town city centre in South Africa.-History:...
, which is now the oldest building in South Africa. The Colony began properly in 1671 with the first purchase of land from the Khoikhoi
Khoikhoi
The Khoikhoi or Khoi, in standardised Khoekhoe/Nama orthography spelled Khoekhoe, are a historical division of the Khoisan ethnic group, the native people of southwestern Africa, closely related to the Bushmen . They had lived in southern Africa since the 5th century AD...
(called "Hottentots" by the settlers) beyond the original limits of the fort built by van Riebeeck.
Edict of Nantes
The Edict of Nantes, issued on 13 April 1598, by Henry IV of France, granted the Calvinist Protestants of France substantial rights in a nation still considered essentially Catholic. In the Edict, Henry aimed primarily to promote civil unity...
. This small body of immigrants had a marked influence on the character of the Dutch settlers. Owing to the policy instituted in 1701 of the Dutch East India Company which dictated that schools should teach exclusively in Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
and strict laws of assembly, the French Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s ceased by the middle of the 18th century to maintain a distinct identity, and the knowledge of French disappeared. By the late 1700s the Cape Colony was one of the best developed European settlements out side Europe or the Americas.
Economy
The two pullers of the Cape Colony's economy for almost the entirety of its history were shipping and agriculture. Its strategic position meant that prior to the opening of the Suez CanalSuez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
in 1869 almost every ship sailing between Europe and Asia stopped off at the colony's capital Cape Town. The supplying of these ships with fresh provisions, fruit, and wine
South African wine
South African wine has a history dating back to 1659, and at one time Constantia was considered one of the greatest wines in the world. Access to international markets has unleashed a burst of new energy and new investment. Production is concentrated around Cape Town, with major vineyard and...
provided a very large market for the surplus produce of the colony.
Further expansion
The Cape colonists gradually acquired all of the land of the Khoikhoi to the north and east of their base at Cape TownCape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
. Besides those who died in warfare, whole tribes of Khoikhoi were severely disrupted by smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
s in 1713 and 1755. A few remaining tribes maintained their independence, but the majority of the Khoikhoi took jobs with the colonists as herdsmen. The Dutch East India Company government passed a law in 1787 subjecting the remaining nomadic Khoikhoi to certain restrictions. The direct effect of this law was to make the Khoikhoi even more dependent upon the farmers, or to compel them to migrate northward beyond the colonial border. Those who chose the latter encountered the hostility of their old foes, the Bushmen
Bushmen
The indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...
, who inhabited the plains from the Nieuwveld and Sneeuwberg mountains to the Orange River
Orange River
The Orange River , Gariep River, Groote River or Senqu River is the longest river in South Africa. It rises in the Drakensberg mountains in Lesotho, flowing westwards through South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean...
.
Conflicts with the Dutch East India Company
Neither the hostility of the natives, nor the struggle to make agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
profitable on Karoo
Karoo
The Karoo is a semi-desert region of South Africa. It has two main sub-regions - the Great Karoo in the north and the Little Karoo in the south. The 'High' Karoo is one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the larger South African Platform division.-Great Karoo:The Great Karoo has an area of...
or veld
Veld
The term Veld refers primarily to the wide open rural spaces of South Africa or southern Africa and in particular to certain flatter areas or districts covered in grass or low scrub...
, slowed the progress made by the colonists as much as the narrow and tyrannical policy adopted by the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
. The Company stopped the colony's policy of open immigration, monopolised trade, combined the administrative, legislative and judicial powers into one body, told the farmers what crops to grow, demanded a large percentage of every farmer's harvest, and harassed them. This tended to discourage further development of industry and enterprise. From these roots sprung a dislike of orderly government, and libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
view-point that has characterised the "boer
Boer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
s" or Dutch farmers for many generations. Seeking largely to escape the oppression of the Dutch East India Company, the farmers trekked farther and farther from the seat of government. The Company, in order to control these emigrants, established a magistracy at Swellendam
Swellendam
Swellendam is the third oldest town in the Republic of South Africa, a town with 28,072 inhabitants situated in the Western Cape province. The town has over 50 National monuments most of them buildings of Cape Dutch architecture....
in 1745 and another at Graaff Reinet
Graaff Reinet
Graaff-Reinet is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is the fourth oldest town in South Africa, after Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Swellendam.-History:...
in 1786. The authorities declared the Gamtoos River
Gamtoos River
Gamtoos River formed by the Kouga and the Groot is situated in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa and is approximately 645 km long with a catchment area of 34,635 km²...
as the eastern frontier of the colony, but the trekkers soon crossed it. In order to avoid collision with the bantu tribes advancing south and west from east central Africa, the Dutch agreed in 1780 to make the Great Fish River
Great Fish River
The Great Fish River is a river running through the South African province of the Eastern Cape, it originates east of Graaff-Reinet and runs through Cradock, just south of this the Tarka River joins it...
the boundary of the colony. In 1795 the heavily-taxed boers of the frontier districts, who received no protection against the Africans, expelled the officials of the Dutch East India Company, and established independent governments at Swellendam and at Graaff Reinet.
The Netherlands fell to the French army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
under the leadership of Napoléon Bonaparte in 1795. Reacting to the weakness of the Dutch East India Company holdings, a British army under General Sir James Henry Craig
James Henry Craig
General Sir James Henry Craig KB was a British military officer and colonial administrator.-Early life and military service:...
set out for Cape Town in order to secure the colony for the Stadtholder
Stadtholder
A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...
Prince William V of Orange against the French. The governor of Cape Town refused at first to obey any instructions from the prince, but after the British threatened to use force, he capitulated. The boers of Graaff Reinet did not surrender until an army had been sent against them, and in 1799 and again in 1801 they rose in revolt. In February 1803, as a result of the Peace of Amiens, the colony came under the control of the Batavian Republic
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....
.