thumb|Boer republics and [[Griqua people|Griqua states in Southern Africa, 19th century]]
The Boer republics (sometimes also referred to as Boer states) were independent, self-governing republics formed (especially in the last half of the 19th century) by Dutch-speaking inhabitants of the Cape Colony and their descendants. The founders – variously named Trekboers, Boers, and Voortrekkers – settled mainly in the middle, northern, north-eastern and eastern parts of present-day South Africa. Two of the Boer republics achieved international recognition and complete independence: the South African Republic (, ZAR; or Transvaal) and the Orange Free State. The republics did not provide for the separation of church and state, initially allowing only the Dutch Reformed Church, and later also other Protestant churches in the Calvinist (specifically Afrikaner) tradition. The republics came to an end after the Second Boer War of 1899–1902, which resulted in British annexation and later (in 1910) incorporation of their lands into the Union of South Africa.
Background
thumb|left|Flag used by the Voortrekkers during the Great Trek
The Dutch East India Company (VOC) first issued land to the Free Burghers in 1657. The Free Burghers established two colonies at the Liesbeeck River near Rondebosch in the Western Cape. Following an application process, the Free Burghers formed two groups, the first group named their settlement Harman's Colony and the second group named theirs Stephen's Colony. By 1670, the VOC decided to grant additional land to the Free Burghers in order to increase grain production for the purpose of sustainability since grain had to be imported. The Free Burgher settlements gradually expanded towards the interior of South Africa.
The United Kingdom took over from the Netherlands as the colonial power at the Cape of Good Hope in 1806, replacing the Dutch Cape Colony with its own colony of the same name. Subsequently, a number of its Dutch-speaking inhabitants trekked (moved) inland, first in smaller numbers, then in groups as large as almost a hundred people, after 1834 in groups of hundreds. There were many reasons why the Boers left the Cape Colony; among the initial reasons were the language laws. The British had proclaimed the English language as the only language of the Cape Colony and prohibited the use of the Dutch language. As the Bible, churches, schools and culture of many of the settlers were Dutch, this caused a lot of friction. Britain abolished slavery in 1834 and allocated the sum of 1,200,000 British pounds as recompense for the Dutch settlers' slaves. The Dutch settlers disputed the requirement that they had to lodge their claims in Britain and objected that the value of the slaves was many times the allocated amount. This caused further dissatisfaction among the Dutch settlers.
Republic of Swellendam
left|thumb|Flag of the [[Republic of Swellendam, also the flag of the Netherlands.]]
thumb|Swellendam in 1795 shown in red.
By 1795 the dissatisfaction towards the Dutch East India Company caused the burghers of Swellendam to revolt, and on 17 June 1795 they declared themselves a Republic. Hermanus Steyn was appointed as President of the Republic of Swellendam. The burghers of Swellendam started to call themselves "national burghers" – after the style of the French Revolution. However, the Republic was short-lived and was ended on 4 November 1795 when the Cape was occupied by the Kingdom of Great Britain.
Republic of the Graaff-Reinet
thumb|The Republic of Graaff-Reinet in 1796 shown in red.
Public farmers and the government authorities could not agree on policies with regards to the frontier resulting in the 'Cape Frontier Rebellion' of 1795 where after the Boers declared Graaff-Reinet an independent republic, called the Republic of Graaff-Reinet. Following the Invasion of the Cape Colony in 1795, the British took possession of the area which led to another revolt in 1799, the uprising were suppressed by British troops that same year.
South African Republic
left|thumb|[[Flag of the South African Republic]]
Louis Tregardt and Jan van Rensburg split off from Hendrik Potgieter's group, and continued on to establish Zoutpansberg. Potgieter's group remained at the Vet river and founded a town called Winburg. disallowing the franchise (citizenship) to anyone not a member of the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1858, these clauses were altered in the constitution to allow for the Volksraad to approve other Dutch Calvinist churches that separated from the Dutch Reformed Church in the wake of a number of splits. Members of the Roman Catholic Church and other Christian churches were not allowed to become citizens of the ZAR. Dingane responded by attacking the Voortrekkers; on 16 December 1838 the battle of Ncome River (later named the Battle of Blood River) occurred, during which 300 Voortrekkers survived and won a decisive battle against thousands of Dingane's impis.
The Natalia Republic was established in 1839 by the local Boers after Pretorius entered into an alliance with Mpande, the new Zulu king.
Orange Free State
left|thumb|Flag of the Orange Free State
In June 1852 a public meeting was held in Bloemfontein where all the European people voted on a resolution whether to pursue independence or remain under British rule. The vast majority of people voted to remain under British rule. Sir Harry Smith, however, had instructions to hand the country over to the Boers. In 1853, Sir George Clerk was sent as special commissioner to give up the land and to establish self-rule.
Stellaland
West of the Transvaal 400 Boers allied with David Massouw, leader of the Koranna Khoisan tribe, when they invaded and took a piece of land, which they declared the Republic of Stellaland. The first president was Gerrit Jacobus van Niekerk and the town of Vryburg was founded and declared its capital. In 1883, The Republic of Stellaland united with The State of Goshen to form the United States of Stellaland.
New Republic
thumb|left|Flag of Nieuwe Republiek
The New Republic (comprising the town of Vryheid) was established in 1884 on land given to the local Boers by the Zulu King Dinuzulu, the son of Cetshwayo, after he recruited local Boers to fight on his side. The Boers were promised and granted land for their services and were led by Louis Botha who would go on to prominence during the second Anglo-Boer War. This republic was later absorbed into the Transvaal/South African Republic.
Little Free State
thumb|Flag of Little Free State
Officially founded in 1886 by Boers living on south-western Swati land (modern Mpumalanga) leased from the Swati King since the mid-to-late 1870s. The land of the Little Free State, having largely been granted to local hunters Joachim Ferreira and Franz Maritz by King Dlamini IV in 1877, would become an official presidential republic in 1886, only ceasing to exist after its annexation the South African Republic (Tranvaal) in 1891.
Griqualand
thumb|left|Flag of Griqualand
States were also established by other population groups, most notably the Griqua, a subgroup of South Africa's heterogeneous and multiracial Coloured people. Most notable among these were Griqualand West and Griqualand East.
International recognition
The people north of the Vaal River in the South African Republic were recognised as an independent country by the United Kingdom with the signing of the Sand River Convention on 17 January 1852. These two countries continued to exist for several decades, despite the First Boer War with Britain. However, later developments, including the discovery of diamonds and gold in these states, led to the Second Boer War. In this war, the Transvaal and Orange Free State were defeated and annexed by the overwhelmingly larger British forces, ceasing to exist on 31 May 1902, with the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging. A new British dominion, the Union of South Africa, was established under the South Africa Act 1909, in which the Transvaal and the Orange Free State became provinces along with the Cape and Natal.
2014 land claim
On 24 April 2014, political party Front Nasionaal (FN) submitted a land claim to the Land Claims Commissioner in Pretoria on behalf of the Afrikaner nation. The claim pertains to the land described in National Archives of South Africa R117/1846: "From Ohrigstad to the north till the Olifantsrivier, then downwards to the Delagoa Bay line; to the south till the Crocodile River; to the west to Elandspruit till the 26 degrees line; east till where the Crocodile River joins the Komati River." FN states that the sale of said land was between King Masous (representative of the Zulu) as seller; and Commandant SJZR Burg (representative of the Dutch South African nation) as buyer. A copy of the agreement is filed in the Government Archives under file R117/46. FN further states that the land was legally bought and paid for on 25 July 1846 as an ethnic group and not as individual landowners and was only in custodianship of the pre-1994 government as they were regarded as descendants of the ethnic group. There was therefore no legal right to hand this land over to a "foreign" government in April 1994 and away from the original ethnic group.
<!-- commenting out: writing in a non-English language all in capital letters is not appropriate for English Wikipedia:
Description of document R117/46: "GEWAARMERKTE KOPIE MET EEN DAARAAN GEHECHT NIETGEWAARMERKT AFSCHRIFT EN ENGELSCHE VERTALING VAN EEN VERKOOPBEWIJS, WAARBIJ DE KONING DER SOELAS VERKLAART AAN DE HOLL. ZUID AFRIK. NATIE VOOR ALTOOS TE HEBBEN AFGESTAAN ZEKERE DOOR ZIJN VADER SEPOESA VEROVERDE GRONDEN, DIE THANS ZIJN WETTIG EIGENDOM ZIJN, EN WEL VOOR EEN GETAL VAN 100 AANTEELBEESTEN, IN TWEE TERMIJNEN TE WORDEN GELEVERD. ONDER AAN HET VERKOOPBEWIJS IS GESCHREVEN DE KWITANTIE DER KOOPSOM, GEDATEERD 5 JANUARI 1860."
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The new land claims process has not yet been finalised however.
2026 land claim
In 2 February 2026, a White separatist group, Boervolk of the Orange Free State, filed a formal claim in a government gazette seeking land in KwaZulu-Natal, citing historical transactions with Zulu rulers and invoking a United Nations decolonization resolution.
List of states and republics
Boer republics
- Freeburgher Colonies (1656–1795)
- Republic of Swellendam (1795)
- Republic of Graaff-Reinet (1795–1796)
- Republic of Zoutpansberg (1835–1864)
- Winburg (1836–1844)
- Potchefstroom (1837–1844)
- (1839–1843)
- Winburg-Potchefstroom (1844–1848)
- Republic of Klip River (1847–1848)
- Republic of Lydenburg (1849–1860)
- Utrecht Republic (1852–1858)
- (1852–1877, 1881–1902)
- (1854–1902)
- Klein Vrystaat (1886–1891)
- State of Goshen (1882–1883)
- Republic of Stellaland (1882–1883)
- United States of Stellaland (1883–1885)
- New Republic (1884–1888)
- Republic of Upingtonia/Lijdensrust (1885–1887)
Griqua states
- Griqualand East (1862–1879)
- Griqualand West (1870–1871)
- Philippolis/Adam Kok's Land (1826–1861)
- Waterboer's Land (1813–1871)
See also
- Boer
- Burgher (Boer republics)
- Trekboers
- Afrikaner nationalism
- Afrikaner Calvinism
- History of South Africa