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=== The Great Trek ===

=== The Great Trek ===

The origin of the Boer people can be seen as the [[Great Trek of the Boers|Great Trek]] (1835-1845), it was the northern migration of 12,000–14,000 Boer settlers from Cape Colony in South Africa when the British arrived and took control of the government. They sought freedom and [[self-determination]] in their own homeland. The leaders of the "Trek" was Andries Pretorius, Piet Retief, Piet Uys, Hendrik Potgieter and Gerrit Maritz. The Boers migrated northward into what became known as the [[Orange Free State]] and later into the Transvaal ([[South African Republic]]). Although the Boers found no indigenous people at the time of settlement in these areas, Retief chose to settle in Natal, where he came into conflict with the [[Zulus]]. After various battles in Natal in 1838, help from the other [[Voorttrekker]] leaders arrived in December. Some 438 Trekkers made a [[Covenant]] with God, that they would give the glory of the victory to Him. Charl Cilliers was the author of the Covenant. On 16 December 1838, the Trekkers defeated nearly 12,000 Zulus during the [[Battle of Blood River]]. Various Boer Republics were founded after the "Trek": in 1838, the Republic of Natalia was founded, but it was short-lived, it ceased to exist in 1843. The South African Republic and the Orange Free State gained independence from [[Great Britain]] in 1852 and 1854, respectively.<ref>

The origin of the Boer people began among the nomadic pastoralists known as Trekboers who trekked inland during the late 1600s & throughout the 1700s but became renown during a series of mass migrations later called the [[Great Trek of the Boers|Great Trek]] (1835-1845), which was the northern migration of 12,000–14,000 Boer settlers from Cape Colony in South Africa when the British arrived and took control of the government. They sought freedom and [[self-determination]] in their own homeland. The leaders of the "Trek" was Andries Pretorius, Piet Retief, Piet Uys, Hendrik Potgieter and Gerrit Maritz. The Boers migrated northward into what became known as the [[Orange Free State]] and later into the Transvaal ([[South African Republic]]). Although the Boers found no indigenous people at the time of settlement in these areas, Retief chose to settle in Natal, where he came into conflict with the [[Zulus]]. After various battles in Natal in 1838, help from the other [[Voorttrekker]] leaders arrived in December. Some 438 Trekkers made a [[Covenant]] with God, that they would give the glory of the victory to Him. Charl Cilliers was the author of the Covenant. On 16 December 1838, the Trekkers defeated nearly 12,000 Zulus during the [[Battle of Blood River]]. Various Boer Republics were founded after the "Trek": in 1838, the Republic of Natalia was founded, but it was short-lived, it ceased to exist in 1843. The South African Republic and the Orange Free State gained independence from [[Great Britain]] in 1852 and 1854, respectively.<ref>

http://www.groottrek.za.cx/</ref>

http://www.groottrek.za.cx/</ref>