South africa

British empire in South africa

  • First European missions

    First European missions
    The first European missionaries to south-central Africa, inspired by Livingstone, set up their Universities Mission in 1861
  • Discovery of diamonds in South Africa

    Vaal River, West Griqualand near Kimberly. Triggered a diamond rush and increased British interest in annexation.
    A chance find in 1867 had drawn several thousand fortune seekers to alluvial diamond diggings along the Orange, Vaal, and Harts rivers. Richer finds in “dry diggings” in 1870 led to a large-scale rush. By the end of 1871 nearly 50,000 people lived in a sprawling polyglot mining camp that was later named Kimberley.
  • Annexation of Basutoland

    claimed that they had requested protection from the Boers
  • British annexed West Griqualand

    this was due to the discovery of diamonds in 1867, but also threats from the Boers to British interests.
    incorporated into the cape colony.
    2000 Griqua people left to establish Griqualand East in 1873, but this too was annexed the following year.
  • Frere Proposes federation

    wants to create a federation of British, Boer and Zulu territory but the Boers refuse, causing the first Boer war.
  • Annexation of the Transvaal

    to protect British interests in South Africa. followed discovery of gold and diamonds.
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    Xhosa war

    1879 King Cetshwayo refused Frere's demands for federation- British invaded Zululand. British defeat at Iswalanda Jan 22 with 20,000 Zulu warriors, British defence victory of Rorke's Drift jan 22-23, and Decisive victory at Ulundi
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    Zulu war

    Provoked by Bartle Frere to attempt to control South Africa and create a British federation. Eventual victory, but suffered embarrassing defeats at Isandlwana in late Jan. After reinforcements are sent, they are able to defeat the Zulu at their capital Ulundi, which they burn to the ground. Zululand is incorporated into Natal. Gladstone recalled and denounced Frere in 1880.
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    first Boer War

    Boers announce independence from Britain and attack Army garrisons across the Transvaal. British suffer a humiliating defeat at Majuba Hill in Feb 1881 where 150 Britons are killed. Forced to sign the Convention of Pretoria, recognizing Boer's right to self-government, but retaining control of external affairs.
  • Berlin West Africa conference

    At the Berlin West Africa Conference of 1884–85, Portugal secured the Cabinda exclave and a portion of the left bank of the Congo River on the Atlantic coast—considerably less than it claimed—and in 1886 the Kunene-Okavango region went to Germany. Portugal gained even less in Mozambique, which remained a narrow coastal corridor.
  • annexation of Bechuanaland

    triggered by the creation of German South West Africa in 1884.fears that the Boers and Germans might ally and combine their colonies. 4,000 British and local troops asserted control in Bechuanaland (between Boer and German colonies) with the north becoming a protectorate and the south a crown colony.
  • Gold discovered at Witwatersrand

    Prospectors established in 1886 the existence of a belt of gold-bearing reefs 40 miles (60 km) wide centred on present-day Johannesburg. The rapid growth of the gold-mining industry intensified processes started by the diamond boom: immigration, urbanization, capital investment, and labour migrancy.
  • De Beers mining company formed

    after discovery of diamonds in 1866, Rhodes established a monopoly inKimberly, South Africa. controlled 90% of the world's supply. He merged multiple companies to form the Diamond Syndicate in 1890.
  • Cecil Rhodes received royal charter

    After gold discovery at Witwatersrand (near Pretoria), there was an influx of European traders. Cecil Rhodes set up the British south Africa company. his aim was to establish a land route from cape to Cairo and crated a fort at Salisbury in Mashonaland in sept 1890
  • British Central Africa protectorate

    (later Nyasaland, present day Malawi))
    The British Central Africa Protectorate (BCA) was a British protectorate proclaimed in 1889 and ratified in 1891 that occupied the same area as present-day Malawi: it was renamed Nyasaland in 1907.
  • Zanzibar becomes british protectorate

    sultan agreed to British rule to prevent a German take-over.
  • Kimberly Diamond Syndicate formed

    Rhodes controlled mining companies in South Africa. British south Africa company given a royal charter 1889.
  • Rhodes invades Mashona and Ndbele land

    Rhodes invades Mashona and Ndbele land
    Rhodes secured concessionary rights to land north of the Limpopo River, founded the British South Africa Company, and in 1890 dispatched a pioneer column to occupy and annex the territory of Mashonaland and Ndeblele land what became known as Rhodesia, later part of Zimbabwe.
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    Rhodes as PM of cape colony

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    First Ndebele war

    started by Rhodes and the British south Africa company. King Lobengula was defeated, and the British destroyed Ndebele capital Bulawayo. British won using maxim guns against King Lobengula, but he escaped afterwards and resistance to British rule continued.
  • Rhodesia founded

    South Zambezia was home to Ndebele, ruled from capital Bulawayo by King Lobengula. After mining concessions and protectorate established: first Ndebele was 1893-4, British won using maxim guns. British South Africa Company took over land in the interior of Africa.
  • Matabeleland Incorporated into Rhodesia

  • Jameson raid

    Starr Jameson tried to raid the Transvaal due to Kruger's denial of Uitlanders' citizenchip and voting rights. The raid was intended to trigger an uprising by the uitlanders in the Transvaal, but it failed.
  • Ndebele and Shona revolt

    the Ndebele rose in revolt and were joined by a number of eastern Shona polities
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    Second Ndebele war

    British South Africa company won, gaining control over Matabeleland and Mashonaland, against the Ndebele and Shona. Mlimo (spiritual leader) led an unsuccessful uprising. Known as first Chimurenga in Zimbabwe today.
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    Second Boer war

    1899 Boers invaded Natal and besieged Ladysmith. 400,000 troops were supplied by the British as the cost of £250 million. the British used scorched earth policies to remove civilian support of the Boers by burning farms, which removed food and shelter. Women, children, and 100,000s of black families put in concentration camps where thousands died of disease and starvation. the Boers were defeated in 1902.
  • Southern Rhodesia created (protectorate)

  • Peace of Vereeniging

    Boers became British subjects, boer republics became colonies with the promise of responsible self government in 1905.
  • Transvall into British Union of South Africa

  • Bambatha rising in Natal

  • Nyasaland becomes Protectorate

    British Central Africa Protectorate in May 1891, opposition from Portuguese backed Arab attacks. Guerrilla warfare continued until 1897. The territory was officially renamed the Nyasaland Protectorate in 1907.
  • Union of South Africa becomes single dominion

    constitution 1908 between leaders of the Transvaal, Orange free State, Cape Colony, and Natal. Black Africans were given no protection from settler-colonial racism under the new union.
    Union of South Africa was created as a self-governing dominion of the British Empire on 31 May 1910 in terms of the South Africa Act 1909
  • Northern Rhodesia created (Protectorate)

  • South African Native National Congress founded

    South African Native National Congress founded
    The South African Native National Congress (SANNC), later known as the Africa National Congress (ANC) was founded on the 8 January 1912.
  • South Africa becomes fully sovereign state

    Although the Union of South Africa was not among the Dominions that needed to adopt the Statute of Westminster for it to take effect, two laws—the Status of the Union Act, 1934, and the Royal Executive Functions and Seals Act of 1934—were passed to confirm South Africa's status as a fully sovereign state.

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