Remove ads
The Republic of Graaff-Reinet (Afrikaans: [χrɑːf 'rɛɪnɛt]) was from 1795 to 1796 a self-proclaimed Boer republic that existed in and around the city of Graaff-Reinet in present-day South Africa.[2] It was named after Cornelis Jacob van de Graaff and his wife, Cornelia Reynet.
 | An editor has performed a search and found that sufficient sources exist to establish the subject's notability. These sources may be described in edit summaries or found on the talk page. (May 2024) |
The Republic of Graaff-Reinet | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1795–1796 | |||||||||||
 Flag | |||||||||||
  | |||||||||||
| Capital | Graaff-Reinet | ||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||
| Marthinus Prinsloo[1] | |||||||||||
| Independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands | |||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
• Revolt Against the Dutch | 1795 | ||||||||||
• British Invasion of the Cape | 1796 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Today part of | South Africa | ||||||||||
In the 18th century, the first mounted commandos of the Dutch settlers reached the area where Graaff-Reinet currently lies. They moved east from the Cape Colony. The first farms were established in the 1770s. In the first years there was anarchy and lawlessness in the area. After a new magistrate was sent to the region to maintain law and order, the peaceful development of the settlement could begin. In 1795, after years of oppression by the Dutch East India Company (VOC), the inhabitants proclaimed a republic. The residents of Swellendam also did this (see map). Before the leaders of the Cape Colony could retake the new republics, the Cape Colony (together with the two rebellious areas) was itself conquered by Great Britain in 1795 (and Graaff-Reinet until August 1796). After the Netherlands regained the Cape Colony from the British, it was finally taken over by the British in 1806. Many inhabitants of the colony were very dissatisfied with this. For this reason, especially many people from the Graaff-Reinet district participated in the Great Trek.[3]
Fictional map of the country in 1890.
Map of the Dutch Cape Colony in 1795.
The flag of the Republic of Graaff-Reinet if it was mixed with its coat of arms.
Remove ads
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
Remove ads