Orange River Sovereignty

The Orange River Sovereignty ( German as: " Oranje River territory " ) was a British colony in present-day South Africa and Lesotho, which existed from 1848 to 1854.

History

The Orange River Sovereignty was born on 3 February 1848 annexation of a territory by the then British Governor of the Cape Colony, Harry Smith. The check was for a British Resident, who was supported by a legislative council, whose members were determined by the authorities. The area was northeast of the British Cape Colony between the eponymous Oranje (English Orange River ) in the south, the Vaal in the north and the Drakensberg Mountains in the east. The aim was to avoid hostilities against the British sphere of influence. The area included a part of the dominions of the Basotho Chiefs Moshoeshoe I, the degree of independence but was granted. The western boundary of the area, however, was as Warden limit, named after the British Resident Henry Warden, moved to the detriment of the Basotho. Moshoeshoe was disappointed despite his concessions, because his country was still threatened from outside. As a result, it came to fighting the Basotho against other small Bantu peoples such as the Batlokoa. Warden then united his troops with troops of several Bantu peoples against Moshoeshoe I, who were defeated by troops at Moshoeshoes Viervoet in Ladybrand in June 1851. In 1852 it came with a counter-offensive to a fight on the Berea Plateau in Maseru, in which there were deaths on both sides. Moshoeshoe I sought then the peace.

In 1852 the Sand River Convention concluded between the British and Boer settlers, who confirmed the status of the Orange River Sovereignty. In June 1852 confirmed the majority of European settlers at a meeting in Bloemfontein that they wanted to remain under British rule. In April 1854 the United Kingdom announced its claim to the territory of the Orange River Sovereignty at his own request on, against the interests of British settlers in the area. On February 23, 1854 the British and the Boers closed in accordance with the Bloemfontein Convention; the British soldiers left the area on March 11, 1854. To the west of the area the resident Boers founded the Orange Free State, while the Basotho in the East were temporarily without British control.