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In 1899 the British Empire began a war in the country we now call South Africa. To be honest the British Empire which, at its height was four times the size of the old Roman Empire, was also having the same problems as that empire as it was overstretched. At one time, Victoria ruled one quarter of the population of the world. South Africa was, at that time, just a mixture of different colonies. There had already been a short war in 1880-81. The British wanted to have control of the region for three reasons. Firstly because the Cape of Good Hope, at the foot of South Africa, was on the trade route to India. Secondly diamonds and gold had been discovered in the region and thirdly to stop anyone else.
This second war was known as the second Boer War although the first one had been so insignificant, this one has tended to just be called The Boer War. The Boers were the descendants of the original Dutch settlers and had been forced out when Britain took control of the Cape and other places.
No fighting took place anywhere else in the world and no other countries joined in. The war ended in 1902, so next time really.
One other interesting fact about this war was that a certain soldier resigned from the army in 1899 and travelled to South Africa as the war correspondent for The Morning Post. He was actually captured by the Boers but managed to escape and continued to send his reports back to England. He returned to Britain in 1900 and was then elected to Parliament in the general election held that year. His name.................Winston Churchill and we will hear much more about his career and his effect on our country later.
Forward to 1900AD
