European farmers of Dutch origin, who formed a settlement of their own in South Africa, are known as the
Boers. They reached the shores of South Africa in the 17th century and formed the Boer community, which is a product of the merger between them and other European communities.
History of Boers in South Africa:
- The Boers of South Africa have played a critical role in the growth of farming settlements. They dislocated the original inhabitants, the African and turned them into slaves.
- The Boers were the followers of Dutch Protestantism. They were affiliated to the Dutch Reformed Church and nurtured anti-Catholic sentiments.
- The period following the Congress of Vienna in 1815, saw the intrusion of the British into South Africa. As the British banned slavery, the Boers reacted by beginning a search for a new place for inhabitation. This has been termed as the Great Trek.
- The following years marked the formation of two separate Boer states. These were the Orange Free State and Transvaal, where the Boers lived amicably with the British as their neighbors.
- 1881 is famous in history as the year in which the Boers revolted against the British to save their states. Later the Boers also engaged in wars with the British from 1899-1902.
- History shows that the Boers have always remained cut off from the rest of the world.
The
Boers of South Africa have always been an important part of the history of South Africa.
