19th century – 19th century
Matabeleland and Mashonaland
The Rudd Concession was the agreement negotiated with Lobengula by agents of Cecil John Rhodes to secure exclusive mineral rights in Ndebele territories. Its written terms granted extensive authority over metal and mineral resources while promising Lobengula money, rifles, ammunition, and a steamboat. Verbal conditions he regarded as part of the agreement were omitted from the final text. Rhodes's company used the concession to occupy Mashonaland on 12 September 1890.
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The Story
After the Moffat Treaty narrowed Ndebele diplomacy, British concessionaires and syndicates entered Matabeleland and Mashonaland seeking mineral and land rights. Cecil John Rhodes wanted more than local rights shared among competing adventurers: he sought sole command of the mineral resources of the whole country. He dispatched Rudd, Thompson, and Maguire to negotiate a monopolistic agreement with Lobengula that could support an application for a royal charter.
The written agreement gave the concessionaires complete and exclusive domain over metal and mineral resources in Lobengula's kingdoms, principalities, and dominions. It also empowered them to take necessary and lawful steps to exclude competing claims and prevented Lobengula from granting other land or mining rights without their consent. In return, they promised a perpetual monthly payment of £100, 1,000 Martini-Henry rifles, 100,000 cartridges, and a steamboat with defensive guns for the Zambezi.
Lobengula's verbal conditions were substantially more restrictive. He apparently required no more than ten white men at a time for mining work, prohibited digging in or near towns, required whites to obey Ndebele laws, and expected miners to defend the country under Ndebele command if necessary. Because these conditions were not written into the final agreement, they were not enforceable under European contractual law.
When Lobengula and his indunas learned that the concession had been published and that Rhodes had already formed a company to occupy Matabeleland and Mashonaland, they recognized the danger. Lobengula repudiated the concession in February 1889 and appealed to Queen Victoria, but Rhodes obtained a monopolistic royal charter. The company occupied Mashonaland on 12 September 1890, turning the disputed agreement into a mechanism of colonial expansion.
19th century – 19th century
Matabeleland and Mashonaland
The Rudd Concession was the agreement negotiated with Lobengula by agents of Cecil John Rhodes to secure exclusive mineral rights in Ndebele territories. Its written terms granted extensive authority over metal and mineral resources while promising Lobengula money, rifles, ammunition, and a steamboat. Verbal conditions he regarded as part of the agreement were omitted from the final text. Rhodes's company used the concession to occupy Mashonaland on 12 September 1890.
Continue exploring
The Story
After the Moffat Treaty narrowed Ndebele diplomacy, British concessionaires and syndicates entered Matabeleland and Mashonaland seeking mineral and land rights. Cecil John Rhodes wanted more than local rights shared among competing adventurers: he sought sole command of the mineral resources of the whole country. He dispatched Rudd, Thompson, and Maguire to negotiate a monopolistic agreement with Lobengula that could support an application for a royal charter.
The written agreement gave the concessionaires complete and exclusive domain over metal and mineral resources in Lobengula's kingdoms, principalities, and dominions. It also empowered them to take necessary and lawful steps to exclude competing claims and prevented Lobengula from granting other land or mining rights without their consent. In return, they promised a perpetual monthly payment of £100, 1,000 Martini-Henry rifles, 100,000 cartridges, and a steamboat with defensive guns for the Zambezi.
Lobengula's verbal conditions were substantially more restrictive. He apparently required no more than ten white men at a time for mining work, prohibited digging in or near towns, required whites to obey Ndebele laws, and expected miners to defend the country under Ndebele command if necessary. Because these conditions were not written into the final agreement, they were not enforceable under European contractual law.
When Lobengula and his indunas learned that the concession had been published and that Rhodes had already formed a company to occupy Matabeleland and Mashonaland, they recognized the danger. Lobengula repudiated the concession in February 1889 and appealed to Queen Victoria, but Rhodes obtained a monopolistic royal charter. The company occupied Mashonaland on 12 September 1890, turning the disputed agreement into a mechanism of colonial expansion.
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