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60-591: Early settlers in the Cape Colony heard rumors of mountains in the north-west that were fabulously rich in copper. Governor Simon van der Stel was inclined to believe these tales when, in 1681, a group of Namas visited the Castle in Cape Town and brought along some pure copper. Van der Stel himself led a major expedition in 1685 and reached the fabled mountains on 21 October. Three shafts were sunk and revealed

120-589: A breakwater, and Baird started landing his troops. 36 men of the highland 93rd foot drowned during the landing operation when their boat capsized, and some dragoons from the Swellendam Burghers skirmished with them to delay the landing (Janssens did not want to fight a battle on the shoreline, fearing bombardment by the British ships' broadsides). Janssens moved his forces to intercept them. He had decided that "victory could be considered impossible, but

180-514: A desire for political independence. In 1853, the Cape Colony became a British Crown colony with representative government. 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. Executive power remaining completely in

240-469: A highly important place at the middle of the sea route between Europe and India and therefore had held commercial and military importance. By holding both the Cape Colony, in addition to its possession of Mauritius , the British would be able to dominate maritime affairs in the both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans thereby protecting its wartime economy and assisting in the war effort against France. As

300-663: A number of bitter, genocidal conflicts between the colonists and the Khoe-speaking indigenes , followed by the Xhosa , both of which they perceived as unwanted competitors for prime farmland. VOC traders imported thousands of slaves to the Cape of Good Hope from the Dutch East Indies and other parts of Africa. By the end of the eighteenth century the Cape's population swelled to about 26,000 people of European descent and 30,000 slaves. In 1795, France occupied

360-480: A number of transport ships. Seven infantry battalions from the 24th , 38th , 59th , 71st , 72nd , 83rd Regiments of Foot as well as the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders participated in the invasion and battle. An additional 400 Royal Marines were believed to have been attached to the Highland Brigade. Non-infantry military elements consisted of a small number of Royal Engineers and two squadrons of

420-438: A rich lode of copper ore; the shafts exist to this day. For almost 200 years nothing was done about the discovery, largely because of its remote location. The explorer James Alexander was the first to follow up on van der Stel's discovery. In 1852 he examined the old shafts, discovered some other copper outcrops and started mining operations. Prospectors, miners, and speculators rushed to the area, but many companies collapsed when

480-597: A trading post and naval victualing station at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. Van Riebeeck's objective was to secure a harbour of refuge for VOC ships during the long voyages between Europe and Asia. 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. Vrijburgers were mostly married citizens who undertook to spend at least twenty years farming

540-628: 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. 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

600-442: The 20th Light Dragoons (without horses), in addition to 3 companies of Royal Artillery consisting of 60 men with 6 light field guns and 2 small howitzers (but no draft animals to move them) were also present. The British naval squadron assembled for the invasion included nine warships and a number of transport vessels under the command of Cmdre. Home Riggs Popham , assembled from two fleets out of Cork and Falmouth . Popham took

660-519: The Action of 21 April 1806 off the relatively nearby coast of Natal, the 40-gun French frigate, Cannonière , was nearly captured due to her crews outdated belief that the colony was still held by the Dutch. After dropping anchor near Simon's Town on 29 April 1806 the captain took a rowboat to shore, only to be fired upon once landing and the Dutch flags exchanged for British flags. The captain and crew narrowly escaped without incurring any casualties and

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720-632: 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

780-622: 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

840-704: 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

900-653: 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

960-533: 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. In 1877, the state expanded by annexing Griqualand West and Griqualand East – that is, the Mount Currie district ( Kokstad ). The emergence of two Boer mini-republics along the Missionary Road resulted in 1885 in

1020-572: The 1865, 1875, 1891 and 1904 censuses. Groups marked "nd" are Not Distinguished in the censuses for those years. * Includes both free Coloured people and Whites Battle of Blaauwberg 18th century 19th century 20th century The Battle of Blaauwberg (also known as the Battle of Cape Town ) was a successful British amphibious operation during the War of the Third Coalition which lasted from 8–18 January 1806 and resulted in

1080-497: The 64-gun HMS  Diadem as his flagship, his warships included the 64-gun ships HMS  Raisonnable and HMS  Belliqueur , 50-gun HMS  Diomede , 38-gun HMS  Leda , 32-gun HMS  Narcissus , 18-gun HMS  Espoir , 14-gun HMS  Encounter and HMS  Protector . The East India Company ships Dutchess of Gordon , Sir William Pulteney , Europe , Streatham , Union , Comet , Northampton , Glory , and William Pitt ferried

1140-659: The Arrival of a British Force". Although Baird received two more communiques, the second providing an estimate of 1500–2000 regular enemy troops, and a 3rd warning of the possibility of 1000–1200 French troops arriving to the cape, carried by French ships that slipped out of Rochefort. By July, a British officer who visited the cape as a passenger of a Danish ship, provided Baird with more fresh eyewitness estimates, communicating to him to expect 2000 European Troops, 800 Khoekhoe and roughly 200 cavalry and artillerists, combined with earlier reports of French troops potentially arriving to

1200-503: The British 71st foot reached within only 90 meters of them, without firing a single shot, exposing the Batavian centre. The two regiments to its flanks (the 22nd line and 9th Batavian rifles), which promptly began to collapse, though Janssens managed to rally some of his troops and keep them at the fray. The 200 French sailors and marines, despite having their flanks exposed due to the Batavian line routing, fought ferociously and resisted

1260-447: 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. 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 . The districts of the colony in 1850 were: Population figures for

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1320-411: The British in a fighting withdrawal before being forced to flee due to the increasing pressure of the British attack. Janssens began the battle with 2,049 troops and was bombarded, and lost either 337 or 353 in casualties and desertions Although Baird gives the tally as "reputed to exceed 700 Men in killed and wounded", though he implicitly admitted uncertainty of the enemy's total losses. Baird began

1380-540: The Cape Colony, the battle would have many ramifications for southern Africa during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A bi-centennial commemoration of the battle was held in January 2006. In 1795, the British carried out a successful invasion of the Cape Colony during the War of the First Coalition , capturing the colony from the Dutch East India Company . Following the 1802 Treaty of Amiens and

1440-665: The Cape of Good Hope . 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. An expedition of the VOC led by Jan van Riebeeck established

1500-554: 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

1560-408: The Dutch language. Many of the colonists who settled directly on the frontier became increasingly independent and localised in their loyalties. Known as Boers , they migrated beyond the Cape Colony's initial borders and had soon penetrated almost a thousand kilometres inland. Some Boers even adopted a nomadic lifestyle permanently and were denoted as trekboers . The VOC colonial period had

1620-585: 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

1680-571: The Netherlands upon the Edict of Fontainebleau . 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. There was a degree of cultural assimilation due to Dutch cultural hegemony that included the almost universal adoption of

1740-591: The Somerset West golf course) may have been the venue. An article published in the 1820s by the then resident clergyman of the Stellenbosch district, Dr Borcherds, also points towards Croeser's farm. The terms of the capitulation were reasonably favourable to the Batavian soldiers and citizens of the Cape. Janssens and the Batavian officials and troops were sent back to the Netherlands in March. Following

1800-547: The Town Guard, and the Cape Garrison Artillery withstood a 30-day siege by Jan Smuts ’ forces. The village of Concordia, with a garrison of 100 men, surrendered a day after the siege started. On 4 May 1902 a British relief column arrived from Port Nolloth and ended the siege. A ruined blockhouse is still visible on a hill north-east of the town. As with most metals, copper suffered mixed fortunes, and in

1860-473: The Tygerberg Hills), a few kilometres ahead of Janssens. Janssens halted and formed a line across the veld. The battle began at sunrise, with exchanges of artillery fire. These were followed by an advance by Janssens's militia cavalry, and volleys of musket fire from both sides. Janssens' hired regiment of mercenary regulars out of Waldeck , placed at the centre of his line, fled from the field when

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1920-632: 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

1980-540: The attack longer than the rest. 10 pieces of foot artillery placed in the centre, manned by 54 Javanese artillerists and 104 Mozambican slaves, were firing at the advancing Highlanders. A gallant charge of the 71st Highlanders captured the guns after a ferocious defence from the Javanese artillerists. As Janssens' centre began collapsing, he ordered a withdrawal, which his regulars promptly commenced, but his militia and auxiliary troops did not carry out immediately, engaging

2040-450: The authority of the British governor did not relieve tensions in the colony between its eastern and western sections. 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

2100-643: The battle included 305 men of the Hottentot Light Infantry , 183 men of the Swellendam Dragoons and 224 men of the Burgher Militia. The British land forces comprising the invasion force were made up of around 7,000 professional soldiers from established veteran battalions, along with a number of camp followers . All supported by a significant naval squadron that included 4 ships of the line , 2 frigates , 3 brigs and

2160-636: The battle with 5,399 men, and his troops suffered 204 casualties in the form of 189 wounded and 15 killed. From Blaauwberg, Janssens moved inland to a farm in the Tygerberg area, and from there his troops moved to the Elands Kloof in the Hottentots Holland Mountains , about 50 km from Cape Town. The British forces reached the outskirts of Cape Town on 9 January. To spare the town and its civilian population from attack,

2220-597: The bottom". He agreed to capitulate, and the final Articles of Capitulation were signed on 18 January. Uncertainty reigns as to where the Articles of Capitulation were signed. For many years it has been claimed that it was the Goedeverwachting estate (where a copy of the treaty is on display), but more recent research, published in Dr Krynauw's book Beslissing by Blaauwberg suggests that Croeser's farm (now

2280-467: The cape from Rochefort, this brought the total estimate of the defending force of the cape to 4,500. Later still, A Royal Navy Captain named Woodruff sent a letter providing estimates from late July, indicating "1500 Regulars, or thereabouts, and 1500 Khoekhoe, free blacks, and Burghers of every description" although this letter arrived to Britain after Baird has already departed to South Africa. Janssens placed his garrison on alert after receiving reports of

2340-723: The capture of the Dutch Cape Colony . After defeating their Batavian opponents, the British signed a treaty under the Treaty Tree in Woodstock, Cape Town which established Britain's control over the Cape Colony. The colony later became a permanent part of the British Empire following the Congress of Vienna that marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1814. Due to establishing permanent British rule over

2400-504: The commandant of Cape Town, Lieutenant-Colonel Hieronymus Casimir von Prophalow, sent out a white flag. He handed over the outer fortifications to Baird, and terms of surrender were negotiated later in the day. The formal Articles of Capitulation for the town and the Cape Peninsula were signed the following afternoon, 10 January, at a cottage at Papendorp (now the suburb of Woodstock) which became known as "Treaty Cottage." Although

2460-485: The cottage has long since been demolished, Treaty Street still commemorates the event. The tree under which they signed remains to this day. Janssens had not yet surrendered himself and his remaining troops. He was following his plan to hold out for as long as he could, in the hope that the French troopships for which he had been waiting for months would arrive and save him. He had only 1,238 men with him, and 211 deserted in

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2520-525: The days that followed. Janssens held out in the mountains for a further week. Baird sent Brigadier General William Beresford to negotiate with him, and the two generals conferred at a farm belonging to Gerhard Croeser near the Hottentots-Holland Mountains on 16 January without reaching agreement. After further consideration, and consultation with his senior officers and advisers, Janssens decided that "the bitter cup must be drunk to

2580-522: The early 20th century, the copper price dropped below the profitable level, so that mining operations ceased, but were resumed when prices rose. [REDACTED] Media related to Okiep at Wikimedia Commons Cape Colony 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

2640-632: The end of the French Revolutionary Wars , the British handed the Cape Colony back to the newly established Batavian Republic , a French sister republic which replaced the Dutch Republic . Following Napoleon 's rise to power in France and outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars a year later in 1803, the Cape Colony again became an issue of strategic concern for the British. Britain's economy depended on its vast trade routes, particularly those with British India . The Cape Colony occupied

2700-514: 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

2760-417: The honour of the fatherland demanded a fight". His intention was to attack the British on the beach and then to withdraw to the interior, where he hoped to hold out until the French troopships arrived. However, on the morning of 8 January, while Janssens's columns were still slowly moving through the veld , Baird's brigades began their march to Cape Town, and reached the slopes of Blaauwberg Hill (now known as

2820-598: The invasion force in their holds. The British force, under David Baird , departed England in August 1805. The first British warship reached the Cape on Christmas Eve 1805, and attacked two supply ships off the Cape Peninsula . The government instructed Baird that the colony would be "defended by not more than 1500 Regular Troops, not of the best description; and that the Militia and Inhabitants look with anxiety for

2880-413: The land within the fledgling colony's borders; in exchange they received tax exempt status and were loaned tools and seeds . Reflecting the multi-national nature of the early trading companies, the VOC granted vrijburger status to Dutch, Swiss, Scandinavian and German employees, among others. In 1688 they also sponsored the immigration of nearly two hundred French Huguenot refugees who had fled to

2940-530: The last of these, the Clara , stands at Nababeep . Nowadays, road transport is used to convey the ore to the railhead at Bitterfontein . The other principal mines of the area are at Carolusberg and Nababeep. Okiep’s mine saw action on 4 April 1902 during the Anglo-Boer war when some 700 officers and men of the 3rd Battalion Queen's Royal Regiment , 5th Royal Warwickshire Regiment , Namaqualand Border Scouts,

3000-649: The logistical difficulties became apparent. The first miners were Cornish , and brought with them the expertise of centuries of tin-mining in Cornwall . The ruins of the buildings they constructed, as well as the stonework of the bridges and culverts of the railway built to transport the ore to Port Nolloth , can still be seen. The Namaqualand Railway started operating in 1876 and lasted for 68 years, carrying ore to Port Nolloth and returning with equipment and provisions. The carriages were initially pulled by mules and horses, which were later replaced by steam locomotives —

3060-560: 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

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3120-524: The same year). The British , who set up a colony on 8 January 1806, 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

3180-437: The ship returned to the French colony at Reunion island . The British forces occupied the Cape from 13 August 1814, when the Netherlands ceded the colony to Britain as a permanent possession. It remained a British colony until it was incorporated into the Union of South Africa on 31 May 1910. Summary of the Articles of Capitulation signed by Lt Col Von Prophalow, Maj Gen Baird and Cdre Popham on 10 January 1806: Summary of

3240-606: 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. In 1814 the Dutch government formally ceded sovereignty over the Cape to the British , under the terms of the Convention of London . The British started to settle the eastern border of the Cape Colony, with the arrival in Port Elizabeth of

3300-616: 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 . In 1806,

3360-463: The trade routes around the Cape Colony was important to the British, they decided to seize the colony in order to prevent it and nearby trade routes from coming under French control. A British fleet was dispatched to the Cape in July 1805, to forestall French troopships Napoleon had sent to reinforce the Batavian garrison there. The Cape Colony was governed by Lieutenant-General Jan Willem Janssens , who

3420-410: The upcoming British invasion. When the main fleet sailed into Table Bay on 4 January 1806, he mobilised the garrison, declared martial law, and called up the militia. After a delay caused by rough seas, two British infantry brigades, under the command of Baird, landed at Melkbosstrand , north of Cape Town, on 6 and 7 January. Popham ordered a small merchantman to be scuttled at Losperd's Bay to form

3480-461: Was also commander-in-chief of the colony's military forces. His forces were small in number and of poor quality. Regular forces Janssens commanded during the battle included 584 men of the mercenary 5th Waldeck Battalion, 764 men of the 22nd Batavian Regiment, 420 men of the 9th Jagers, 402 men of the 5th Battalion of Artillery and 240 French sailors and marines from the beached warships Atlante and Napoleon . Colonial troops Janssens mustered for

3540-403: Was known as the Great Trek , and the migrating Boers settled inland, eventually forming the Boer Republics . 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

3600-466: Was under VOC rule from 1652 to 1795 and under rule of the Napoleonic Batavia Republic from 1803 to 1806. 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

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