On This Day

Natal forms as a British colony separate from Cape Colony

The Cape Colony (Dutch: Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope.

The Cape Colony (Dutch: Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope. It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa, then became the Cape Province, which existed even after 1961, when South Africa had become a republic, albeit temporarily outside the Commonwealth of Nations (1961–94).

The British colony was preceded by an earlier corporate colony that became an original Dutch colony of the same name, which was established in 1652 by the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The Cape was under VOC rule from 1652 to 1795 and under rule of the Napoleonic Batavia Republic from 1803 to 1806.

Historical Significance

The Cape Colony (Dutch: Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope.

Events Before

  1. British preacher and Salvation Army founder William Booth (26) weds British Salvation Army co-founder Catherine Mumford

    British preacher and Salvation Army founder William Booth (26) weds British Salvation Army co-founder Catherine Mumford (26) at Stockwell Green Congregational Church in Surrey, England

  2. Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart (22) weds Flora Cooke in Fort Riley, Kansas

    Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart (22) weds Flora Cooke in Fort Riley, Kansas

  3. Scottish explorer David Livingstone becomes the first European to see Mosi-oa-Tunya waterfall, which he christens as Vic

    Scottish explorer David Livingstone becomes the first European to see Mosi-oa-Tunya waterfall, which he christens as Victoria Falls, on the Zambezi River in Barotseland, Africa (now Zambia and Zimbabwe)

  4. Clipper "Guiding Star" disappears in Atlantic, 480 dead

    Clipper "Guiding Star" disappears in Atlantic, 480 dead

  5. First bridge over the Mississippi River in what is now Minneapolis, Minnesota, opens; today known as the Father Louis He

    First bridge over the Mississippi River in what is now Minneapolis, Minnesota, opens; today known as the Father Louis Hennepin Bridge

Events After

  1. Tim Keefe is born

    Tim Keefe, American athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1857-01-01.

  2. Novelist Jules Verne (28) weds Honorine de Viane Morel

    Novelist Jules Verne (28) weds Honorine de Viane Morel

  3. National Association of Base Ball Players is founded in New York City

    The National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) was the first organization governing American baseball (spelled as two words in the 19th century). The first convention of 16 New York City area…

  4. University of Calcutta is founded as the first full-fledged university in South Asia

    University of Calcutta is founded as the first full-fledged university in South Asia

  5. Second Opium War: France and the United Kingdom declare war on China

    Second Opium War: France and the United Kingdom declare war on China

More from the 1850s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on July 15, 1856?
The Cape Colony (Dutch: Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope. It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa, then became the Cape Province, which existed even after 1961, when South Africa had become a republic, albeit temporarily outside the Commonwealth of Nations (1961–94). The British colony was preceded by an earlier corporate colony that became an original Dutch colony of the same name, which was established in 1652 by the Dutch East India Company (VOC).
Why is Natal forms as a British colony separate from Cape Colony significant?
The Cape Colony (Dutch: Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope.

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