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The South African Boer Wars Facts & Worksheets

The South African Boer Wars were wars between the Boer Republics and the British Empire from 1880–1881 (First Boer War) and 1899–1902 (Second Boer War).

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The South African Boer Wars were wars between the Boer Republics and the British Empire from 1880–1881 (First Boer War) and 1899–1902 (Second Boer War). The wars were a result of the continuous expansion of the British Empire and the lack of independence of the Boer republics from British control.

See the fact file below for more information on the South African Boer Wars or alternatively, you can download our 27-page The South African Boer Wars worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

THE FIRST BOER WAR – ANNEXATION OF THE TRANSVAAL

  • During the late 1870s, Henry Herbert, the British Secretary of State for the Colonies, believed that forming a confederation that would unify the independent Boer republics, independent African groups, and British colonies would be the best way to expand the British Empire.
  • Herbert believed that if they were to acquire the Transvaal Republic, the Orange Free State would follow. With this in mind, he sent Sir Theophilus Shepstone to the Transvaal in January of 1877 to lead the annexation of the republic.
  • On April 12, 1877, the annexation of the Transvaal was finalized and announced to the public. Subsequently, in May 1877 a delegation was sent to England to make them aware that the majority of the Boers’ were opposed to the annexation of the Transvaal. The delegation failed to regain the republic’s independence.
  • Sir Theophilus Shepstone, the administrator of the Transvaal Colony failed to initiate the self-governing process promised by the British Empire to the Transvaal. He also failed to control the Zulu tribes resulting in many Boer farmers losing their land. Shepstone was then replaced as administrator by Owen Lanyon.

THE FIRST BOER WAR – OPPOSITION TO BRITISH RULE

  • Part of the initial plan of forming a confederation was taking ownership of Zululand. Sir Bartle Frere, British Commissioner, gave an ultimatum to Zulu king, Cetshwayo. The ultimatum was not fulfilled resulting in a war between Britain and the Zulus, known as the Anglo-Zulu War. Two major battles ensued, namely The Battle of Isandlwana and the Battle of Rorke’s Drift. Ultimately the British defeated the Zulus. Other than the Zulus, the British were successful in defeating the Pedis.
  • The rise in conflict began in November 1880 when British authorities confiscated the wagon of Piet Bezuidenhout, a Boer, for not paying the fees for his wagon. Because of this, South African Boer general Piet Cronjé, along with 100 Boer men, took Bezuidenhout’s wagon from the British authorities and returned it.
  • Tension rose when a triumvirate of leaders constituting Marthinus Wessel Pretorius, Piet Joubert, and Paul Kruger was formed. On December 13, 1880, they proclaimed the restoration of the Transvaal and raised their flag on December 16, symbolizing their fight for independence. December 16 marked the official beginning of the First Boer War with the Boers having an army of nearly 7,000 men and the British only 1,500 men.
  • On December 20, 1980, an army of at least 250 Boers lead by Francois Joubert positioned themselves by the Bronkhorstspruit river, ready for battle if Philip Robert Anstruther, a lieutenant-colonel stationed at Pretoria, declined the Triumvirate’s letter of truce. The truce was denied resulting in open fire. Anstruther and his army surrendered after  the Boer’s  abrupt and aggressive attack. This is known as the Battle of Bronkhorstspruit.
  • Following their defeat in the Battle of Bronkhorstspruit, the British were again defeated by the Boers in the Battle of Laing’s Nek. This battle is known as the last battle in which the British regiment took its colors into action. After two successive defeats by the Boers, the British were   again defeated at the Battle of Ingogo.
  • Sir George Colley, leader of the British army at the Battle of Ingogo, occupied the summit of Majuba Hill to avoid occupation by the Boers. Despite the advice of Colley’s subordinates, he did not order his army to take shelter or retreat. The Boers carried on occupying Majuba Hill and attacking the British army. Before Colley could even order a fighting retreat, he was shot to death and the remaining British army was captured. The victory at the Battle of Majuba Hill signified a victory for the Boers in the First Boer War.

THE FIRST BOER WAR – THE END

  • After their victory at the Battle of Majuba, the Boers regained their independence as the Pretoria Convention was put forth and signed. This treaty promised the Transvaal their independence and self-government while maintaining their foreign relation with the British government.
  • The First Boer War ended with the Boers victorious and independent from British rule. However, less than two decades later, a more disastrous war would break out.

THE SECOND  BOER WAR – A RISE IN TENSION

  • 18 years after the First Boer War ended, the British Empire still desired the unification of the whole of South Africa so it could expand its empire. However, the two Boer colonies, the South African Republic (Transvaal) and the Orange Free State, hindered the British Empire from achieving its goal.
  • In 1886 very promising gold and diamond mines were discovered on the Witwatersrand and people migrated to the Transvaal to work as miners. These migrants were known as Uitlanders. Later on, the Uitlander workers outnumbered the Boer workers. This caused concern among the Boers which is why Uitlanders, under the order of former President Paul Kruger, were denied voting rights unless they had been inhabitants of the area for 14 or more years. Uitlanders were also required to pay high taxation prices.
  • Poor treatment towards the Uitlanders caused alarm among the British, who believed that it would be easier to overthrow the Boer Republics with Uitlanders taking over the mines. Because of this, Cecil John Rhodes, premier of  the Cape Colony who made a fortune from the gold and diamond mines planned to ignite an uprising among the Uitlanders. The uprising was to coincide with the invasion of the Transvaal under the leadership of Dr. Leander Starr Jameson. The plan, however, failed and British troops were captured. This was known as the Jameson Raid.

THE SECOND  BOER WAR –  SIEGES AND BATTLES

  • To ease tension between the British Empire and the Boer republics, the Bloemfontein Conference was held in Bloemfontein, the capital of the Orange Free State. The main concern was the rights of the Uitlanders. The demands of the British were deemed impossible by Transvaal President Paul Kruger. After the Bloemfontein Conference failed, the British sent an ultimatum requesting voting rights for the Uitlanders. Before the British ultimatum, the Transvaal ultimatum was made, demanding that British troops be withdrawn from the borders of the Transvaal, and if they failed to do so, it would be interpreted as a declaration of war. It was denied and the Second Boer War began.
  • The first phase of the war began with the Boers attacking preemptively. They took hold of Natal and the Cape Colony – both colonies of the British Empire. They began by besieging Mafeking and Kimberly in the Cape Colony, which lasted nearly 220 days. Following that, they besieged Ladysmith, located in Natal, for 118 days.
  • From December 10 – 15, in the first phase of the war, in a matter of 5 days, the British suffered three consecutive defeats by the Boers. The British Army lost nearly 2,780 men at the Battles of Stormberg, Magersfontein, and Colenso. These three defeats are referred to as Black Week.
  • After the Boers took control of Natal and the Cape Colony, the British finally regained control of their colonies. Following that, the British army was successful in invading Boer lands namely, Bloemfontein, Johannesburg, and Pretoria.

THE SECOND  BOER WAR –  GUERILLA WARFARE

  • After the devastation faced by the Boers, they decided to adopt a more aggressive attack. They utilized guerilla warfare methods.
  • Herbert Kitchener, British Commander-in-Chief, implemented the “scorched earth” policy. Boer republics were burned to the ground to cut the Boer guerilla’s supply of necessities.
  • Homes and farmlands were burned to the ground.
  • Women and children were moved to concentration camps to prevent the Boer republics from rebuilding. In these concentration camps, 48,000 women and children died.

THE SECOND BOER WAR – THE END

  • The Treaty of Vereeniging was signed after the Boers surrendered. It was a peace treaty that stated that all acts of warfare were to be put to an end, all Boer forces would surrender, and that the Transvaal and the Orange Free State would exist as colonies of the British empire with the promise of self-government.
  • The signing of the treaty symbolized the official end of the Second Boer War.

The South African Boer Wars Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the South African Boer Wars across 27 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use The South African Boer Wars worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the South African Boer Wars which were wars between the Boer Republics and the British Empire from 1880–1881 (First Boer War) and 1899–1902 (Second Boer War). The wars were a result of the continuous expansion of the British Empire and the lack of independence of the Boer republics from British control.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • South Africa Boer Wars Facts
  • I Spy
  • You’re Out of Here
  • Compare and Contrast
  • The Search
  • Story Time
  • Time’s Up
  • You Give Me Meaning
  • The Ultimate Match
  • Get In Line
  • Editorial

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