Andries Pretorius

Andries Pretorius (1798 - 1853) was a Politician of South Africa, general Boer, and a chief of the Voortrekkers.

Andries Pretorius was born the November 27th 1798 with Graaff-Reinet at the borders from the Colonie from the Cape in South Africa, in an old family of Dutch origin arrived at the 17th century in the country.

In 1837, it is notable and a farm rich person in the district of Graaf-Reinet but it is also a boer.

In 1838, it does not hesitate to join the Grand Trek, crosses Orange and the mountains of the Drakensberg and takes part in many battles in particular with the Natal against the Zoulou S.

Promoted commander-general of the army of the boers, it returned to him to avenge the massacre for Piet Retief and his while launching a forwarding against Dingane, the King Zoulou.

The December 16th 1838, the 464 men ordered by Pretorius faced more than 5000 Zulu warriors at the edge of the Ncome river. The triumphal victory of the boers at the time of the Bataille Blood River put an end to the expansion domination Zulu on the area.

In 1840, Pretorius, combined to the warriors of Mpande, the brother of Dingaan, demolishes this last with Magono definitively.

In 1842, the British annex the Native one.

In 1847, Pretorius, bench close to Pietermaritzburg gives up its command with the head of the armies boers and becomes prone Britannique to try to render comprehensible with the colonial authorities the aspirations of Voortrekkers of Native but it fails.

The rupture which follows leads Pretorius and of many Voortrekkers definitively to leave the Native one for the Transvaal, territory annexed since 1848 by the British but without any imperial administration.

Pretorius is established in Rustenburg and takes the head of an active campaign anti-British and for which he was declared rebellious and its head put at price.

Nevertheless, and although Voortrekkers themselves are divided, Pretorius starts talks with the British government to make of Transvaal, an independent republic. Once its situation was regularized near the colonial administration, it could officially take share with the negotiations which were going to lead to convention Sand River by which the January 17th 1852, the British were going to recognize the independence of Transvaal.

Respected as well by the local black chiefs as by the British, Andries Pretorius is deceased the July 23rd 1853 in the area of the Magaliesberg mountains.

His/her son Marthinus Wessel Pretorius will make baptize in his honor in 1855 the new capital of the country, Pretoria.

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