Nieuwe Republiek
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New Republic Nieuwe Republiek | |||||||||
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| 1884–1888 | |||||||||
 Coat of arms
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 Location of the Nieuwe Republiek in Southern Africa (1884-1888) | |||||||||
| Status | Boer republic | ||||||||
| Capital | Vryheid | ||||||||
| Common languages | Dutch Zulu | ||||||||
| Government | Republic | ||||||||
| President | |||||||||
• 1884–1888 | Lucas Johannes Meyer | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 5 August 1884 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 20 July 1888 | ||||||||
| Currency | Pond | ||||||||
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| Historical states in present-day South Africa |
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 South Africa portal |
The Nieuwe Republiek ("New Republic") was a small Boer republic which existed from 1884 to 1888 in present-day South Africa. It was recognised only by Germany and the South African Republic. Its independence was proclaimed on August 16, 1884, with land donated by the Zulu Kingdom through a treaty. It covered 13,600 square kilometres (5,300 sq mi) and the capital was Vryheid or Vrijheid ("Freedom" in Afrikaans or Dutch, respectively), both being alternative names of the state. The founder and president until it requested incorporation into the South African Republic on 20 July 1888 was Lucas Johannes Meyer, while Daniel Johannes Esselen acted as Secretary of State during the same period.
History
The origins of the republic can be traced to the Anglo-Zulu war of 1879, which created a power-vacuum in Zululand by eliminating the Zulu as a military threat, allowing the Boers to assert their power in the previously disputed land between Utrecht and Wakkerstroom regions and beyond. To this end, the Boers from the Utrecht and Wakkerstroom regions initially approached the recently defeated Cetshwayo and offered support in return of grants of land. They were, however, rebuked. After Cetshwayo passed away, the Boers allied with the heir to the throne: Dinizulu, and offered their help in exchange for land. Around 150 Boers joined the commando, as well as some Germans from the Luneburg settlement, with some Boers participating resigning their posts in the government of Transvaal, due to the disapproval that the government had expressed for the expedition. Howver, this disapproval was most propably nominal, due to the involvement of so many local officials in the affair, as well as the possibility of obtaining a coastal area, in the form of St Lucia, which the landlocked country of Transvaal was desperately trying to achieve. After Boer farmers, who lived in the area, helped Dinuzulu defeat his rival Zibhebhu for succession of the Zulu throne, land was given to them by way of cession by the new Zulu king along the banks of the Mfolozi River.[1] On August 5, 1884, the Boers formed the Nieuwe Republiek (New Republic) with recognition by Germany, Zuid-Afrikaanse Republiek (ZAR) and Portugal with Vryheid as its capital. The Nieuwe Republiek was finally recognized by the British on October 22, 1886, but within a few months the British annexed a stretch of the coastline of the Nieuwe Republiek and the Zulu Kingdom north of the Thukela river (1887) in order to prevent the new Boer republic from having access to the sea, which they needed for a harbor.[2]
British annexation of the Zulu territory resulted in a revolt, led by Dinuzulu (June 1888), who was defeated by the British. King Dinuzulu was tried for high treason in Eshowe and sentenced. The annexation of Zululand did not leave much hope for security in the Nieuwe Republiek against British imperialism. On July 20, 1888, the New Republic was incorporated with the Transvaal Republic on its own request, although enjoying considerable autonomy. The relations between the Boers and the Zulu remained stable until the outbreak of the Second Boer War in 1899.
In June 1900 the British forces entered Vryheid, the capital. Arthur Jesse Shepstone,[3][4] son of Sir Theophilus Shepstone, the former secretary of native affairs in the British Colony of Natal, was sent to the area and worked together with the official British military intelligence J. Roberts to conspire with some Zulus against the Boers, and had victory achieved over the Boers in Schurweberg, near Vryheid. In March 1901 he declared martial law in the region. After the Second Boer War the territory was transferred to the British Colony of Natal (1903).
Gallery
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Location of the Nieuwe Republiek in Southern Africa -
President Lucas Johannes Meijer -
Postage stamp of the Nieuwe Republiek (1886) -
![The original approved design of the New Republic flag[5]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/Flag_of_Nieuwe_Republiek_Alternative.png/287px-Flag_of_Nieuwe_Republiek_Alternative.png)
The original approved design of the New Republic flag[5] -
Original arms of the Nieuwe Republiek and subsequently taken over by the town of Vryheid
![The original approved design of the New Republic flag[5]](/https/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Nieuwe_Republiek_Alternative.png)
References
- ^ Kruger, D. W. (1977). Dictionary of South African biography: Vol III. Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council. p. 607. ISBN 0-624-00856-8. OCLC 20937.
- ^ "The New Republicans: A Centennial Reappraisal of the 'Nieuwe Republiek' (1884-1888)" (PDF).
- ^ "Arthur Jesse Shepstone". geni.com. Geni. A MyHeritage Company. 1 December 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ "Shepstone, Magistrate A J CMG". angloboerwar.com. David Biggins. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ The original approved design of the New Republic flag taken from the South African Flag Book (2008) by A.P. Burgers
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- ^ Dominy, Graham (1984). "The New Republicans: A Centennial Reappraisal of the 'Nieuwe Republiek' (1884-1888)" (PDF). Natal Society Foundation: 87–97.
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