The Pretoria Convention was the peace treaty that ended the
First Boer War
The First Boer War ( af, Eerste Vryheidsoorlog, literally "First Freedom War"), 1880–1881, also known as the First Anglo–Boer War, the Transvaal War or the Transvaal Rebellion, was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881 betwee ...
(16 December 1880 to 23 March 1881) between the
Transvaal Boers
Boers ( ; af, Boere ()) are the descendants of the Dutch-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled this a ...
and Great Britain. The treaty was signed in
Pretoria
Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa.
Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foothi ...
on 3 August 1881, but was subject to ratification by the
Volksraad The Volksraad was a people's assembly or legislature in Dutch or Afrikaans speaking government.
Assembly South Africa
* Volksraad (South African Republic) (1840–1902)
* Volksraad (Natalia Republic), a similar assembly that existed in the Natalia ...
within 3 months from the date of signature. The Volksraad first raised objections to a number of the clauses of the treaty, but did eventually ratify the version signed in Pretoria, after Britain refused any further concessions or changes to the treaty.
British preparation work for the Pretoria Convention of 1881 was done at
Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal
Newcastle is the third-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The city is KwaZulu-Natal's industrial centre. The majority of its citizens reside in Newcastle East in the main townships of Madadeni and Osizweni, with the bal ...
.
Under this agreement, the South African Republic regained self-government under nominal British
suzerainty
Suzerainty () is the rights and obligations of a person, state or other polity who controls the foreign policy and relations of a tributary state, while allowing the tributary state to have internal autonomy. While the subordinate party is ca ...
.
This convention was superseded in 1884 by the
London Convention.
Background
By the time of the
Battle of Majuba
The Battle of Majuba Hill on 27 February 1881 was the final and decisive battle of the First Boer War that was a resounding victory for the Boers. The British Major General Sir George Pomeroy Colley occupied the summit of the hill on the night ...
, the governments of the
South African Republic
The South African Republic ( nl, Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, abbreviated ZAR; af, Suid-Afrikaanse Republiek), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer Republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when i ...
and Britain were in contact,
President Brand of the
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...
acting as intermediary.
See also
*
Treaty of Vereeniging
The Treaty of Vereeniging was a peace treaty, signed on 31 May 1902, that ended the Second Boer War between the South African Republic and the Orange Free State, on the one side, and the United Kingdom on the other.
This settlement provided f ...
References
External links
Treaties of the United Kingdom (1801–1922)
History of South Africa
History of Pretoria
1881 in South Africa
First Boer War
1881 treaties
Treaties of the South African Republic
South Africa–United Kingdom relations
Peace treaties of the United Kingdom
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