Jusqu’à XIXᵉ siècle
Southern Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Griqualand West was a diamond-bearing territory contested by the Orange Free State, the Transvaal, African states, and Britain. Britain annexed it, together with the remaining diamond fields, on 27 October 1871 after Nicolaas Waterboer sought British protection. Its mineral wealth made the territory central to disputes over labour, sovereignty, and the proposed political reorganization of Southern Africa.
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Le récit
Griqualand West occupied a central place in the territorial conflicts that followed the discovery of diamonds in the South African interior. The Orange Free State and the Transvaal advanced competing claims in the region between the Harts and Vaal rivers, while African states, including the Rolong and Tlhaping, also submitted claims. Arbitration by Natal’s Lieutenant-Governor Robert Keate rejected the Transvaal case in favour of the African claimants.
President Brand of the Orange Free State sought arbitration over his own territorial conflict with Griqualand West, but the British refused, fearing that such a procedure would challenge their position as the paramount power in Southern Africa. Nicolaas Waterboer consequently applied for British protection. Britain annexed Griqualand West and the rest of the diamond fields on 27 October 1871.
The annexation embittered the Boer republics and obstructed British plans for a South African confederation. The Cape government declined an offer to annex Griqualand West, partly because its large Boer population sympathized with the republics, which continued to claim the diamond fields. By the middle of 1873, Lord Kimberley acknowledged that quarrels over the mines were blocking the confederation project.
Jusqu’à XIXᵉ siècle
Southern Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Griqualand West was a diamond-bearing territory contested by the Orange Free State, the Transvaal, African states, and Britain. Britain annexed it, together with the remaining diamond fields, on 27 October 1871 after Nicolaas Waterboer sought British protection. Its mineral wealth made the territory central to disputes over labour, sovereignty, and the proposed political reorganization of Southern Africa.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
Griqualand West occupied a central place in the territorial conflicts that followed the discovery of diamonds in the South African interior. The Orange Free State and the Transvaal advanced competing claims in the region between the Harts and Vaal rivers, while African states, including the Rolong and Tlhaping, also submitted claims. Arbitration by Natal’s Lieutenant-Governor Robert Keate rejected the Transvaal case in favour of the African claimants.
President Brand of the Orange Free State sought arbitration over his own territorial conflict with Griqualand West, but the British refused, fearing that such a procedure would challenge their position as the paramount power in Southern Africa. Nicolaas Waterboer consequently applied for British protection. Britain annexed Griqualand West and the rest of the diamond fields on 27 October 1871.
The annexation embittered the Boer republics and obstructed British plans for a South African confederation. The Cape government declined an offer to annex Griqualand West, partly because its large Boer population sympathized with the republics, which continued to claim the diamond fields. By the middle of 1873, Lord Kimberley acknowledged that quarrels over the mines were blocking the confederation project.
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