Treaty of Vereeniging
Table on which the treaty was signed on 31 May 1902, at Melrose House, Pretoria, modern day South Africa
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| Context | End of the Second Boer War and defeat of the South African Republic and the Orange Free State |
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| Signed | 31 May 1902 |
| Location | Melrose House, Pretoria, South African Republic (Negotiated in Vereeniging, South African Republic) |
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| Language | English |
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The Treaty of Vereeniging (commonly referred to as Peace of Vereeniging) was the peace treaty, signed on 31 May 1902, that ended the Second Boer War between the South African Republic and the Republic of the Orange Free State, on the one side, and the British Empire on the other.
This settlement provided for the end of hostilities and eventual self-government to the Transvaal (South African Republic) and the Orange Free State as colonies of the British Empire. The Boer republics agreed to come under the sovereignty of the British Crown and the British government agreed on various details.
On 9 April 1902, with safe passage guaranteed by the British, the Boer leadership met at Klerksdorp, Transvaal. Present were Marthinus Steyn, Free State president and Schalk Burger acting Transvaal president with the Boer generals Louis Botha, Jan Smuts, Christiaan de Wet and Koos de la Rey and they would discuss the progress of the war and whether negotiations should be opened with the British.
On 12 April, a ten-man Boer delegation went to Melrose House in Pretoria and met General Kitchener bringing with them a seven-point proposal for a treaty of friendship. Their position was to return to a pre-war status-quo for the republics with certain changes such as a commercial union with the British colonies, votes for uitlanders, equal languages in schools and an amnesty. Kitchener was astounded but forwarded the proposal to London, knowing it would not be accepted but wanted the dialogue between the two parties to continue.Alfred Milner joined the negotiations on 14 April but he was hostile to the Boers and wanted an unconditional surrender and a free rein in administering the two republics as colonies. The British government rejected the Boers terms and the delegation asked Kitchener for a series of armistices so that the could return and consult with the commandos as to whether they could negotiate a surrender and its terms.
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