Battle Blood River

The battles Blood River took place the December 16th 1838 in South Africa and opposed the Boer S to the Zoulou S.

Under the control in particular of Louis Trichardt, Hendrik Potgieter, Gert Maritz or Piet Retief, Boers had started to leave the Colonie of the Cape in 1835 for the interior of the grounds of South Africa on board their oxcarts.

In 1837, under the control of Gert Maritz, Piet Retief and Piet Uys, they had crossed the mountains of Port-Native Drakensberg and had reached (future Durban), modest counter at the edge of the Indian Ocean, conceded formerly by the king Zoulou Shaka with British tradesmen come to be established on the Côte of Native the.

In February 1838, the boers chiefs try to negotiate a treaty of peaceful coexistence with the Zulu King Dingane. Accommodated well and put in confidence, Piet Retief, his/her son and 70 their companions accepted the invitation of the Zulu King in his Kraal. They agreed to come without weapons under the terms of the local habits. Accommodated by dances, they all were massacred with blow of stones and of sticks, their bodies impaled and delivered to the Charognard S. Retief attended dead of his/her son and all his companions before being cut down in the last.

The king of the Zulus then launched his armies against the campings boers to massacre the occupants there. In Blaauwkrans and Boesmanspruit, 280 Boers and 200 mongrels, men, women and children were thus massacred by the armies Zulus of Dingaan.

Boers tried against offensives but Piet Uys and Gert Maritz are killed whereas the other chief boer Hendrik Potgieter gives up the Natal and leaves to be established with the Transvaal.

Alerted by survivors who escaped, the boers families gathered around Andries Pretorius, a farm rich person coming from Graaff-Reinet, and Sarel Cilliers.

The December 7th 1838, Pretorius makes swear with his/her companions to devote to God the day of their hypothetical victory on the armies of Dingaan and to build a church. Each evening until December 15th, they will reiterate this wish. It is the December 16th 1838 which great confrontation take place between 15 thousand Zulus and 500 Boers accompanied by their 340 mongrels folded up behind their carriages arranged in circle (laager). It ended in a true hecatomb for the Zulus (3 000 killed) whose blood coloured of red the Ncome river which was henceforth called Blood River.

Boers had only some casualties. They poursuivèrent the armies overcome until Kraal de Dingaan in escape towards north. His/her half-brother, Umpande, were then recognized king by Boers to which it yielded half of the Native one.

This victory devoted the faith of Boers in their biblical destiny.

The Republic boer of Natalia was then proclaimed. However, the British refused to recognize this republic and as of 1842, an English task force unloaded in Native Port and faced Boers. The latter convinced of their military inferiority capitulated and the May 12th 1843, the governor of the Cape made proclaim the annexation of Native with the British crown.

Boers then took again to them trek towards north to create 2 independent republics there: Zuid-afrikaansche Republiek (Transvaal) in 1852 and Oranje Vrystaat (free State of Orange) in 1854.

Commemorations

The December 16th was declared bank holiday with the Transvaal as of 1865 and in 1880 the first official celebration referring to the marked oath took place. In 1881, it was called Jour of Dingane. The town of Pietermaritzburg, capital of the Native , bears the name of the 2 chiefs boers Piet Retief and Gert Maritz.

Until 1994, on December 16th was one bank holiday known under the name of " Day of Vœu". Since, this day is remained one bank holiday, but it was renamed: " Day of the réconciliation" .

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