Misplaced Pages

#211788

81-581: The Khoikhoi–Dutch Wars (or Khoekhoe–Dutch Wars ) refers to a series of armed conflicts that took place in the latter half of the 17th century in what was then known as the Cape of Good Hope , in the area of present-day Cape Town , South Africa, fought primarily between Dutch colonisers, who came mostly from the Dutch Republic (today the Netherlands and Belgium ) and the local African people,

162-559: A subspecies of its own, the Cape lion as a population is now extinct in the wilderness , though descendants could exist in captivity . The Cape of Good Hope is an integral part of the Cape Floristic Kingdom , the smallest but richest of the world's six floral kingdoms. This comprises a treasure trove of 1100 species of indigenous plants, of which a number are endemic (occur naturally nowhere else on earth). The main type of fynbos ("fine bush") vegetation at

243-757: A Javanese pilot, containing the Cape of Good Hope, Portugal and the land of Brazil, the Red Sea and the Sea of Persia , the Clove Islands, the navigation of the Chinese and the Gores, with their rhumbs and direct routes followed by the ships, and the hinterland, and how the kingdoms border on each other. It seems to me, Sir, that this was the best thing I have ever seen, and Your Highness will be very pleased to see it; it had

324-670: A coalition of Khoikhoi leaders in a series of successful cattle raids against the Dutch. Nommoa had been working for the VOC as an interpreter and he had played a major role in facilitating trade between the Dutch and the Khoikhoi. Jan Van Riebeeck had previously sent Nommoa for training in the VOC's colony in Batavia from 1657 to 1658. Whilst in Batavia, where he witnessed the VOC's subjugation of

405-475: A council chamber (which was also used for church services), a sick bay, workshops, and storerooms. Cannons were placed on the ramparts. A nearby stream was diverted and channeled to form a moat around the fort. Being built of earth, the Fort needed frequent maintenance and repairs, especially after heavy rains. In January 1666, work began on a stone fortress to replace the Fort. It took eight years to build, and it

486-637: A fatal disease which had broken out among the Khoisan people. On 24 March 1674 the Chainouquas reported that their spies had located Gonnema's camp at the Little Berg River at Tulbagh Kloof whereafter it was resolved to send combined forces to that location. There were fifty freeburghers under command of Wouter Moster, four hundred Chainouquas under command of captains Klaas, Koopman, Schaecher, and Kuiper, and fifty soldiers under Ensign Cruse, who

567-671: A large band of Chainouquas. They were unable to track down the Cochoquas location. It was then decided to send a spy named Jacob to locate Gonnema, the spy returned with news that the Cochoquas were at war with other Khoisan clans named the Namaquas and the Chariguriquas. Another force were dispatched under guidance of the spy Jacob to Saldanha Bay where they found and killed several of Gonnema's followers. They seized one hundred and sixty-five head of horned cattle and thirty sheep which

648-547: A month after peace was concluded for fthe First Khoikhoi-Dutch War. During the First Khoikhoi-Dutch War, the settlers' cattle were afflicted by a devastatingly virulent sickness which caused death to upwards of four out of five of the cattle in some herds. The settlers ritually prayed to God every Wednesday for relief from the dire situation and for victory. Another Khoisan clan under the leadership of Oedasoa, who were also at war with Doman's clan, approached

729-533: A place called Moordkuil. Cochoquas, disguised as traders, arrived at the Company's trading post at Saldanha Bay on 6 July 1673 when suddenly they attacked and murdered four of the soldiers stationed there. The Chochoquas then plundered the outpost. Only one soldier managed to escape. After receiving news of these attacks the counsel resolved to send soldiers in search of the Cochoquas. Ensign Hieronymus Cruse assembled and led 36 freeburghers and 36 Company soldiers to

810-418: A slow, non-catastrophic process the Khoikhoi were gradually squeezed out of the lands they had once occupied as European settlers alienated the springs and permanent water courses. The survivors of this process often became clients of European settlers and applied their skills in animal husbandry to the invaders' livestock instead of their own. The disappearance of these people from the land can be attributed to

891-535: A strong Khoisan social structure created an environment in which Khoisan people were ready to acculturate to the Dutch and Bantu speaking intruders given the collapse of the existing Khoisan social structure or disruption of the existing lands being used for survival by the Khoisan. Khoisan people were spread all throughout the southern portion of Africa as seen in Map 1 . The portions of land seen in Map 1 were commonly shared with

SECTION 10

#1732772510212

972-592: A wider sense, to indicate the area of the European colony centered on Cape Town, and the later South African province . Since 1994, it has been broken up into three smaller provinces: the Western Cape , Eastern Cape , and Northern Cape ; parts of the province were also absorbed into the North West . With its diverse habitat, ranging from rocky mountain tops to beaches and open sea, the Cape of Good Hope

1053-536: Is home to at least 250 species of birds including one of the two mainland colonies of African penguins . "Bush birds" tend to be rather scarce because of the coarse, scrubby nature of fynbos vegetation. When flowering, however, proteas and ericas attract sunbirds , sugarbirds , and other species in search of nectar. For most of the year, there are more small birds in coastal thicket than in fynbos. The Cape of Good Hope section of Table Mountain National Park

1134-495: Is home to several species of antelope. Bontebok and eland are easily seen, and red hartebeest can be seen in the grazing lawns in Smitswinkel Flats. Grey rhebok are less commonly seen and are scarce, but may be observed along the beach hills at Olifantsbos. Most visitors are unlikely to ever see either Cape grysbok or klipspringer. The Cape of Good Hope section is home to four Cape mountain zebra . They might be seen by

1215-599: Is said by both these and those, and that they had therefore sailed 4,000 miles. Fra Mauro also comments that the account of the expedition, together with the relation by Strabo of the travels of Eudoxus of Cyzicus from Arabia to Gibraltar through the southern Ocean in Antiquity , led him to believe that the Indian Ocean was not a closed sea and that Africa could be circumnavigated by her southern end (Text from Fra Mauro map, 11, G2). This knowledge, together with

1296-506: Is strictly enforced throughout the Table Mountain National Park , and especially in marine protected areas . Disturbance or removal of any marine organisms is strictly prohibited between Schusters Bay and Hoek van Bobbejaan, but is allowed in other areas during season and with relevant permits. Chacma baboons ( Papio ursinus ) are the mammals most intimately associated with the Cape of Good Hope. Baboons inside

1377-586: The Cape Peninsula in South Africa . A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa , based on the misbelief that the Cape was the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian oceans. In fact, the southernmost point of Africa is Cape Agulhas about 150 kilometres (90 mi) to the east-southeast . The currents of the two oceans meet at the point where

1458-706: The Dutch East India Company's administrator Jan van Riebeeck established a resupply camp for the Dutch East India Company some 50 km north of the cape in Table Bay on April 6, and this eventually developed into Cape Town . Supplies of fresh food were vital on the long journey around Africa and Cape Town became known as "The Tavern of the Seas". On 31 December 1687, a community of Huguenots (French Protestants) arrived at

1539-503: The Indian Ocean . The Cape of Good Hope route took a toll on the sea freight industry; stretching the transit time, reducing carriers availability, and skyrocketing shipment cost and container hire. Carriers' attempts to resort to Red Sea route come at the expense of vessels and seafarers' safety; as the Red Sea witnessed multiple sunken carriers struck by Houthi movement . Many huge shipping companies and industries were afflicted by

1620-551: The Proteaceae family, of which up to 24 species occur. These include king protea , sugarbush , tree pincushion and golden cone bush ( Leucadendron laureolum ). Many popular horticultural plants like pelargoniums , freesias , daisies , lilies and irises also have their origins in fynbos. 34°21′29″S 18°28′32″E  /  34.35806°S 18.47556°E  / -34.35806; 18.47556  ( Cape of Good Hope ) Fort de Goede Hoop The Fort

1701-400: The humpback whale and Bryde's whale . Seals , dusky dolphins and orcas have also been seen. The strategic position of the Cape of Good Hope between two major ocean currents, ensures a rich diversity of marine life. There is a difference between the sea life west of Cape Point and that to the east due to the markedly differing sea temperatures. The South African Marine Living Resources Act

SECTION 20

#1732772510212

1782-530: The Bantu people, but the alignment of the Bantu with Dutch goals contributed to the downfall of Khoisan political influence in Southern Africa. The loss of Khoisan political influence has also led to the decline in the commonality of the Khoisan language. Khoisan pottery was one of the few expressions of Khoisan language and most remnants of this style of pottery have been wiped out. The final conclusion of

1863-546: The Cape of Good Hope from the Netherlands. They had fled from France due to religious persecution and gone to the Netherlands, before making the journey to the Cape Colony. Members of this group included Pierre Joubert , who came from La Motte-d'Aigues , as well as Jean Roy . The Dutch East India Company needed skilled farmers at the Cape of Good Hope and the Dutch government saw opportunities to settle Huguenots at

1944-487: The Cape of Good Hope is Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos , an endangered vegetation type that is endemic to the Cape Peninsula. Coastal Hangklip Sand Fynbos grows on low-lying alkaline sands and, right by the sea, small patches of Cape Flats Dune Strandveld can be found. Characteristic fynbos plants include proteas , ericas (heath), and restios (reeds). Some of the most striking and well-known members belong to

2025-486: The Cape of Good Hope section of the park are a major tourist attraction. There are 11 troops consisting of about 375 individuals throughout the entire Cape Peninsula. Six of these 11 troops either live entirely within the Cape of Good Hope section of the park, or use the section as part of their range. The Cape Point, Kanonkop, Klein Olifantsbos, and Buffels Bay troops live entirely inside the Cape of Good Hope section of

2106-692: The Cape. The colony gradually grew over the 150 years that followed until it extended hundreds of kilometers to the north and the north-east. During the French Revolutionary Wars , the Dutch Republic was occupied by the French in 1795. The Cape Colony then became a French vassal and enemy of the British, who were at war with France. British troops invaded and occupied the Cape Colony that same year. The British relinquished control of

2187-405: The Cochoquas mobilised an attack in an attempt to recover the cattle, during the skirmish one burgher was wounded and two horses killed while about twelve Cochoquas were fatally wounded. Gonnema failed to recover the livestock and the expedition forces reached the fort again on 25 July 1673 with eight hundred head of horned cattle and nine hundred sheep. The Chainouquas, who were already at war with

2268-425: The Cochoquas would deliver as tribute thirty head of cattle yearly to the return fleet of the Company. Furthermore, the Cochoquas would instruct their people to refrain from stealing livestock from the settlers and their allies and severely punish those who committed such a crime. The Cochoquas vowed not to wage war against any of the Company's allies. Some modern scholars have observed that superior war-making ability

2349-426: The Cochoquas, now allied with the settlers. On 20 August the Chainouquas with more than a hundred of their people arrived at the fort. They had captured four of Gonnema's followers and delivered them to the governor to be tried by a court. They were found guilty of participation in the murder of the burghers and were sentenced to death at the hands of the Chainouquas. The war had been suspended for some months, owing to

2430-552: The Council approached Autshumao, the leader of the Gorinhaicona (a.k.a. 'Strandloper') clan, and he pointed out that Doman's people had already placed men as sentinels on every hill. Skirmishes between the mounted patrols and Doman's people erupted on several occasions where Doman's men were defeated owing to the advantage in weapons on the side of the settlers. During one skirmish, Doman was wounded and his party dispersed from

2511-457: The Fort. In order to augment the Colony's limited armed forces, some free burghers were summoned from their farms and formed into a corps, and soldiers were commandeered from VOC ships as they resupplied at the Cape. In addition, the Council resolved to release a number of slaves from their irons and give them light arms. In August of 1659, Van Riebeeck and the Council commenced the construction of

Khoikhoi–Dutch Wars - Misplaced Pages Continue

2592-671: The Island of Men and the Island of Women, off Cape Diab, between the Green Islands and the shadows. It sailed for 40 days in a south-westerly direction without ever finding anything other than wind and water. According to these people themselves, the ship went some 2,000 miles ahead until — once favourable conditions came to an end — it turned round and sailed back to Cape Diab in 70 days. The ships called junks (lit. " Zonchi ") that navigate these seas carry four masts or more, some of which can be raised or lowered, and have 40 to 60 cabins for

2673-481: The Khoikhoi's permission and with total disregard for the Khoikhoi's transhumance usage of the land, although it was central to their pastoral economy. In February 1657, the VOC granted nine free burghers land along the Liesbeek River . The Peninsular Khoikhoi objected to the settlement plan on the grounds that they were already using the land, but Van Riebeeck ignored their complaints and continued farming

2754-473: The Khoikhoi-Dutch wars is that the Khoisan people along with their culture was completely wiped out in a complex struggle balancing potential prosperity with cultural identity. The complexity of the disappearance of the Khoisan from influence in Southern Africa is often seen as the Khoisan trading away their influence for livestock. The truth is the resistance of the Khoisan was a response and reaction to

2835-613: The Khoikhoi–Dutch Wars, which eventually ended with the defeat of the Khoikhoi. The First Khoikhoi–Dutch War lasted from 1659–1660, and the Second Khoikhoi–Dutch War lasted from 1673–1677. The founding of the Dutch Cape Colony severely disrupted the Khoikhoi inhabiting the Cape Peninsula. Under the command of Jan Van Riebeeck , the VOC occupied the Cape and settled colonists on Khoikhoi land, but without

2916-462: The Khoisan to obtain livestock for passing ships. The explorers discovered that the Chainouqua and Cochoqua clans were at war with each other. In November 1672 the governor at the Cape sent three hunters to Riebeek's Kasteel to hunt for meat when upon their arrival they were ambushed and robbed by Gonnema's gang. Gonnema, the chief of the Cochoquas, frequently plundered neighbouring Khoisan camps in

2997-585: The King of Siam, and also the end of the land of the navigation of the Chinese, the direction it takes, and how they do not navigate farther." — Letter of Albuquerque to King Manuel I of Portugal, 1 April 1512. In the Early Modern Era , the first European to reach the cape was the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias on 12 March 1488, who named it the "Cape of Storms" ( Cabo das Tormentas ). It

3078-743: The Park. The Groot Olifantsbos and Plateau Road troops range into the park. Chacma baboons are widely distributed across southern Africa and are classified as "least concern" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . However, the South African Parks Department states in its publication Mountains in the Sea that the baboon population on the Cape is "critically endangered." This is due to habitat loss, genetic isolation, and conflicts with humans. Cape baboons have been eliminated from

3159-416: The VOC to not harm the indigenes, Van Riebeeck was reluctant to retaliate against the Khoikhoi, but under pressure from the free burghers, he called a meeting of the VOC's Cape Council of Policy on 19 May 1659 to deliberate on their course of action. The council, consisting of the Colony's administrators and two free burgher representatives, all handpicked by Van Riebeeck, resolved to launch a counterattack, and

3240-399: The area of Twenty Four Rivers. Reinforcements in the form of eighteen horsemen under leadership of freeburgher officer Elbert Diemer were dispatched a few days later to assist Hieronymus Cruse in his mission. The settlements combined forces marched across the area of Twenty Four Rivers when their scouts discovered a Cochoqua kraal among the mountains on 18 July. By the time the forces arrived at

3321-487: The area. After the conflict ended, the Strandloper clan moved back to the area near the Fort where they had lived before and a time of peace emerged. On 6 April 1660 Doman and his followers arrived at the Fort and concluded a treaty. Both parties agreed that neither would attack each other in future and that Doman's people would only enter the settlement's territory, and remain on the designated paths as pointed out, for

Khoikhoi–Dutch Wars - Misplaced Pages Continue

3402-400: The area. Gonnema was displeased because of the assistance which the settlement provided in trade with his enemies the Chainouquas. In June 1673 the governor sent another hunting party consisting of nine men with two wagons to hunt large game, the hunters went up into the mountains where they were surrounded and captured by the Cochoquas who detained them for several days and then murdered them at

3483-518: The attentive or lucky visitor, usually in Smitswinkel Flats. There are a wealth of small animals such as lizards , snakes , tortoises and insects . Small mammals include rock hyrax , four-striped grass mouse , water mongoose , Cape clawless otter and fallow deer . The area offers excellent vantage points for whale watching. The southern right whale is the species most likely to be seen in False Bay between June and November. Other species are

3564-657: The cape. As one of the great capes of the South Atlantic Ocean, it has long been of special significance to sailors, many of whom refer to it simply as " the Cape ". It is a waypoint on the Cape Route and the clipper route followed by clipper ships to the Far East and Australia , and still followed by several offshore yacht races . The term Cape of Good Hope is also used in three other ways: Eudoxus of Cyzicus ( fl. c.  130 BC )

3645-488: The conflicts of the Khoikhoi Dutch Wars and the political and legal aftermath in the resulting areas. The hunter-gatherer lifestyle associated with the Khoisan faced new barriers from legal changes around activities necessary to maintain a hunter gatherer society. Additional contributions to the disintegration of the Khoisan ethnicity revolve around the loose structure of the Khoisan society. The relative lack of

3726-474: The council's adjournment, news of the Khoikhoi attack reached the Fort De Goede Hoop , causing panic and confusion to set in among the colonists. The Khoikhoi who had been living in and around the Fort immediately fled from the area, fearful of getting caught up in the conflict. Some free burghers fortified their houses in order to better defend their settlements, but others evacuated to the safety of

3807-507: The disposition of the Boers. The downfall of the Khoisan came at the hands of violence that is often overlooked when considering the ethnic identities that vanished from the African continent in the 17th and 18th centuries. Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( Afrikaans : Kaap die Goeie Hoop [ˌkɑːp di ˌχujə ˈɦuəp] ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of

3888-443: The disputed land. Van Riebeeck also ordered the construction of a line of forts, connected by a series of hedges, today known as Kirstenbosch , with the intention of fortifying the expanding free burgher farms. Over the next two years, the free burghers committed several acts of violence against the Khoikhoi, with the VOC taking a number of Khoikhoi hostage in 1658. In May 1659, a Khoikhoi man named Nommoa , also known as 'Doman', led

3969-456: The first modern European explorers to reach the cape. When lined up, these crosses point to Whittle Rock , a large, permanently submerged shipping hazard in False Bay . Two other beacons in Simon's Town provide the intersection. The Cape of Good Hope saw an increase of ship activity after the 2021 Suez canal obstruction , and the 2024 Red Sea Crisis with ships needing a different route from

4050-465: The first modern rounding of the cape in 1487 by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias was a milestone in the attempts by the Portuguese to establish direct trade relations with the Far East (although Herodotus mentioned a claim that the Phoenicians had done so far earlier ). Dias called the cape Cabo das Tormentas ('Cape of Storms'; Dutch : Stormkaap ), which was the original name of

4131-441: The free burghers were ordered to seize or shoot the Khoikhoi on sight. This went against the VOC's express orders to not harm the indigenous Khoikhoi, but the council determined that war would be the only way to protect the profitability of the Colony, being the VOC's main objective. During the council meeting a party of Khoikhoi, led by Nommoa, raided a farm for cattle and killed a man named Simon Janssen in battle. Within an hour of

SECTION 50

#1732772510212

4212-424: The herders were killed and a large portion of their cattle were taken. During the skirmish fifteen Cochoquas were killed. By the time reinforcements from the settlement arrived Gonnema had already escaped into the mountains. In 1676 the council dispatched a military expedition under the command of Lieutenant Cruse, in search of the Cochoquas, consisting of fifty foot-soldiers, twenty-three horsemen, fifty burghers and

4293-411: The indigenous Khoikhoi . Under the Dutch East India Company (VOC), and starting in 1652, colonists ( Vrijburghers ) – initially and predominantly the VOC's European employees and emancipated servants, but later also including a minority of the VOC's Asian and African employees and emancipated servants and slaves – were permanently settled at the Cape of Good Hope on land which had been seized from

4374-763: The indigenous people, including the Khoikhoi (called Hottentots or Kaffirs by the Dutch), and the Bushmen (also known as the San ), collectively referred to as the Khoisan . Though Europeans had already been trading with Khoikhoi for more than a century, the VOC's colonisation of the Cape in 1652 caused serious disputes to break out over the ownership of land, and especially livestock. Tense competition, deteriorating into violent attacks and counter-attacks by both sides, resulted in

4455-466: The kraal it had been abandoned. They found property belonging to the murdered settlers inside the abandoned huts. The following day the horsemen followed the fugitives resulting in the Chochoquas fleeing into the mountains and leaving their cattle behind. Hieronymus Cruse then took possession of the cattle and ordered his forces to return to the fort. When the forces stopped to set up camp for the night

4536-446: The majority of their range across the Cape Peninsula, and the Cape of Good Hope section of Table Mountain National Park provides a sanctuary for the troops that live within its boundaries. It provides relative safety from nearby towns, where people have killed many baboons after the baboons raid their houses looking for food. Baboons are also frequently injured or killed outside of the park by cars and by electrocution on power lines. Inside

4617-461: The map depiction of the African continent, probably encouraged the Portuguese to intensify their effort to round the tip of Africa. In 1511, after Afonso de Albuquerque conquered Malacca , the Portuguese recovered a chart from a Javanese maritime pilot , which, according to Albuquerque, already included the Cape of Good Hope. Regarding the chart Albuquerque said: "...a large map of

4698-615: The merchants and only one tiller. They can navigate without a compass , because they have an astrologer , who stands on the side and, with an astrolabe in hand, gives orders to the navigator. —Text from the Fra Mauro map, 09-P25 Fra Mauro explained that he obtained the information from "a trustworthy source", who traveled with the expedition, possibly the Venetian explorer Niccolò da Conti who happened to be in Calicut , India at

4779-571: The most probable conclusion is that he perished on the journey. In the 1450 Fra Mauro map , the Indian Ocean is depicted as connected to the Atlantic. Fra Mauro puts the following inscription by the southern tip of Africa, which he names the "Cape of Diab", describing the exploration by a ship from the East around 1420: Around 1420 a ship, or junk, from India crossed the Sea of India towards

4860-519: The names in Javanese writing, but I had with me a Javanese who could read and write. I send this piece to Your Highness, which Francisco Rodrigues traced from the other, in which Your Highness can truly see where the Chinese and Gores come from, and the course your ships must take to the Clove Islands, and where the gold mines lie, and the islands of Java and Banda, of nutmeg and mace, and the land of

4941-434: The native people there, as well as native resistance to colonial rule, Nommoa turned against the Dutch. Shortly after his return to Africa, Nommoa led his people to revolt against the VOC's colonial rule in the Cape. Nommoa timed the Khoikhoi's attacks to coincide with the rainy season, knowing that the downpour would render the VOC's matchlock muskets useless, which were incapable of firing while wet. With express orders by

SECTION 60

#1732772510212

5022-457: The park, some management policies such as allowing barbecues and picnics in the baboon home ranges cause detriment to the troops, as they become embroiled in conflicts with guests to the park. At the Cape in particular, the baboon is known for eating shellfish and other marine invertebrates. In 1842, Charles Hamilton Smith had described a black-maned lion from the Cape under the scientific name Felis (Leo) melanochaita . No longer seen as

5103-414: The purpose of trade in order to replace the stolen cattle. It was further declared that the free burghers and the Company would retain ownership of the land occupied by them and that the settlers would not treat the natives harshly for what had happened during the war, upon which all parties agreed. In 1672 the settlement dispatched explorers in search of Khoisan to trade with since they relied on trade with

5184-468: The redoubts Kijkuijt (The Lookout), Keert de Koe (Stops the cow), and Ruijterwacht, connected by timber fences, in order to further fortify the borders of the VOC's occupation against the threat of cattle raids. Keert de Koe was a 2.4m-tall, stone structure, constructed about a half-hour's walk away from the Fort, at the junction of the Liesbeek River and Salt River at Table Bay. Its location

5265-483: The rocks found at the two capes, and indeed over much of the peninsula, are part of the Cape Supergroup , and are formed of the same type of sandstones as Table Mountain itself. Both the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point offer spectacular scenery; the whole of the southernmost portion of the Cape Peninsula is a wild, rugged, scenic and generally unspoiled national park. The term "the Cape" has also been used in

5346-511: The settlers and offered an alliance. The Council decided to accept Oedasoa's advice on expedition matters but not to accept any men from his clan for the purpose of conducting military operations since they felt that additional manpower were unnecessary and costly. The arrival of 105 additional European soldiers greatly strengthened the garrison at the Cape. The additional men enabled the settlers to carry out several expeditions, of which most were unsuccessful. Seeking assistance with their expeditions,

5427-443: The situation such as IKEA , Amazon (company) , Automotive companies, and Maersk . The Cape of Good Hope is at the southern tip of the Cape Peninsula , about 2.3 kilometers (1.4 mi) west and a little south of Cape Point on the south-east corner. Cape Town is about 50 kilometers to the north of the Cape, in Table Bay at the north end of the peninsula. The peninsula forms the western boundary of False Bay . Geologically,

5508-668: The territory in 1803, under the peace of Amiens , but reoccupied the Colony on 19 January 1806 following the Battle of Blaauwberg . The Dutch formally ceded the territory to the British in the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 . It would remain a separate British colony until its incorporation into the Union of South Africa in 1910. The Portuguese government erected two navigational beacons, Dias Cross and da Gama Cross , to commemorate Bartolomeu Dias and Vasco da Gama , who were

5589-410: The time the expedition left: What is more, I have spoken with a person worthy of trust, who says that he sailed in an Indian ship caught in the fury of a tempest for 40 days out in the Sea of India, beyond the Cape of Soffala and the Green Islands towards west-southwest; and according to the astrologers who act as their guides, they had advanced almost 2,000 miles. Thus one can believe and confirm what

5670-423: The voyage and attempt a circumnavigation of the continent. Organising the expedition on his own account he set sail from Gades and began to work down the African coast. The difficulties were too great, however, and he was obliged to return to Europe. After this failure he again set out to circumnavigate Africa. His eventual fate is unknown. Although some, such as Pliny , claimed that Eudoxus did achieve his goal,

5751-433: The warm-water Agulhas current meets the cold-water Benguela current and turns back on itself. That oceanic meeting point fluctuates between Cape Agulhas and Cape Point (about 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) east of the Cape of Good Hope). When following the western side of the African coastline from the equator, however, the Cape of Good Hope marks the point where a ship begins to travel more eastward than southward. Thus,

5832-593: Was a Greek navigator for Ptolemy VIII , king of the Hellenistic Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt . In or about 116 BCE, while returning from a voyage to India, Eudoxus found the wreck of a ship that appeared to have originated in Gades (later Cádiz), in what was then Roman Hispania Baetica . At the time, the only way such a vessel could have reached the Indian Ocean was by rounding the Cape. When Eudoxus

5913-402: Was also commandant-general of the expedition. The Cochoquas anticipated an attack and fled leaving their possessions and livestock behind. The army seized eight hundred head of horned cattle and four thousand sheep. The spoils were divided among the soldiers and the Company. In November 1675 Gonnema led a surprise attack at Tigerberg where the Chainouquas kept their cattle during which several of

5994-493: Was built by the Dutch East India Company , when it established a replenishment station under Jan van Riebeeck on the shore of Table Bay in 1652. Constructed of earth and timber, it was square, with a pointed bastion at each corner. The bastions were named Drommedaris , Walvisch , Oliphant , and Reijger . The bastions were named after the ships in Van Riebeeck's fleet. Within the Fort were living quarters, kitchens,

6075-524: Was chosen because of its proximity to a river crossing the Khoikhoi customarily used when approaching Table Bay from the north. The redoubt's main function was to guard this river crossing, for which purposes a gate, or boom, was constructed in the fence along the river. The gate was also visible from the Kijkuijt, which was located close to the beach on the northern bank of the Salt River. Ruijterwacht

6156-457: Was erected about 4.8km south of the shore, among the free burghers' farmsteads, and as the name suggests, it served as a mounted infantry station. However, Ruijterwacht wasn't of much use during the war because the company had so few horses at the time. Although horses had been delivered as early as 25 February 1652 (originally entrusted to the care of Autshumao (a.k.a. 'Herry' or 'Harry'), the VOC's stables remained unoccuppied until 27 May 1660 —

6237-460: Was later renamed by John II of Portugal as "Cape of Good Hope" ( Cabo da Boa Esperança ) because of the great optimism engendered by the opening of a sea route to India and the East. The Khoikhoi people lived in the cape area when the Dutch first settled there in 1652. The Khoikhoi had arrived in this area about fifteen hundred years before. The Dutch called them Hottentots , a term that has now come to be regarded as pejorative. In 1652,

6318-496: Was not the only means whereby the Dutch forced the Khoikhoi to submit and concluded that, in addition to having superior technology, European settlers also used bureaucratic support from the Dutch East India Company to occupy better watered and more productive lands in the interior, whereas Khoikhoi pastoralists were denied access to these lands. The settlers could defend these lands from Khoikhoi by firearms: In

6399-702: Was not until 1674 that it was ready for occupation. On 2 May 1674, the council resolved to demolish the Fort, except for some stores which were retained for a while longer, until their contents had been moved into the Castle. The Fort is sometimes confused with the Redoubt Duijnhoop , which was built some distance away, at the mouth of the Salt River , in 1654. In 1732 it was erected the first Masonic lodge in South Africa, Lodge De Goede Hoop, which

6480-493: Was returning from his second voyage to India, the wind forced him south of the Gulf of Aden and down the coast of Africa for some distance. Somewhere along the coast of East Africa, he found the remains of the ship. Due to its appearance and the story told by the natives, Eudoxus concluded that the ship was from Gades and had sailed anti-clockwise around Africa, passing the Cape and entering the Indian Ocean. This inspired him to repeat

6561-493: Was taken by the Chainouquas as spoils of war. On 8 June 1677 Cochoqua messengers arrived at the Castle of Good Hope to initiate peace negotiations of which the council were in favour. On 24 June a delegation of high ranking Cochoquas arrived at the Castle with nine head of cattle to negotiate for peace. The following terms were agreed upon: trade relations between the Cochoqua and the Dutch East India Company would be restored and

#211788