British South Africa

Present day Lesotho, originally known as Basutoland, was the territory created by King Moshoeshoe I in the early 1820s. The territory was created through the consolidation of mountain tribes, former enemies, into one entity in order to resist the Zulu. Due to the presence of the Cape Colony, European encroachment became an issue for the Basotho people. Trekboers from the Cape Colony began to claim land rights near Basutoland’s western border as early as 1838. This resulted in Basotho retreat to the mountains and the loss of most of their fertile land to the Boers.

 

In 1851, the British were defeated by the Basotho and a year after, King Moshoeshoe, after another attack from the British, negotiated a diplomatic peace. In 1858, after the British left the area, the Basotho took part in the Free State—Basotho War, in which much of their territory was lost. This led to the King’s seeking out to become a British Protectorate in 1868.  

 

After Moshoeshoe’s death in 1870, the Basotho came under the colonial era under the Cape Colony. When the Colony set aside land for white settlers and demanded that the Basotho surrender their firearms, the Gun War took place in 1880. Following the war, the Basotho were disannexed from the Cape Colony and retained Crown Colony status, providing some sort of self-governance. This granted power back to localized chiefs just as it was prior to the consolidation of the territory. The nation did not want to be incorporated into the Union of South Africa in 1910. Basutoland desired to remain a British colony seeing the way in which the racial lines were already being drawn.