Treaty of Vereeniging
Melrose House, Pretoria (talks held at Vereeniging), South Africa
What happened
Lord Kitchener and Sir Alfred Milner for Britain, and Boer leaders including Louis Botha, Koos de la Rey and Christiaan de Wet for the South African Republic and the Orange Free State. The Second Boer War was fought between Britain and the two Boer republics of southern Africa. Boer leaders met at Vereeniging to discuss peace terms and then signed the treaty at Melrose House in Pretoria. The republics came under British rule, and in return Britain gave reconstruction money, allowed Dutch in schools and courts, and promised self-government later.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It ended the Second Boer War. It brought the Boer republics into the British Empire.
What came next
The former republics gained their own governments in 1906 and 1907. On 31 May 1910, exactly eight years after the treaty, the Union of South Africa was created.
Did you know?
The room and the table where the treaty was signed can still be seen at Melrose House, which is now a museum.
Timeline
- May 1902Boer leaders meet at Vereeniging to discuss peace.
- 31 May 1902The treaty is signed at Melrose House, Pretoria.
- 1906-1907The former republics gain self-government.
- 31 May 1910The Union of South Africa is formed.