Natalia
Natalia | |
|---|---|
|
Flag | |
Anthem: Our Natalia | |
| Location of Natalia | |
| Capital | Lawrence |
| Largest city | Farewell |
| Official languages | English |
| Demonym | Natalian |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Establishment | 1851 as the Natal Colony 1942 independence |
The Dominion of Natalia is a country in southern Africa, bordered by the Cape Republic to the south, Mozambique and Rozvi to the north, Namibia to the west, and the Indian Ocean to the east. It is formerly a British colony established in the 19th century, and later gaining independence as a Dominion in 1942. Natalia is a member of the Organization of Democratic Nations (ODN).
History
19th century
Early settlement and establishment
In 1843, the trading post of Farewell was established on the southeastern coast of Africa to serve as a waystation for ships traveling to India and to facilitate trade with natives on the coast. British merchants settled in Farewell, bringing their families and establishing a community of settlers. By 1851, resource competition eventually led to conflicts between the natives and British settlers. Several Nguni tribes aligned with the Dutch in the south for protection. During the Canton War (1850-1855), where the Dutch and British were on opposing sides, the British used this alliance between the Nguni tribes and the Dutch as justification to attack the Nguni, driving them westward and expanding British-controlled territory, leading to the establishment of the Natal Colony in 1851.
In 1862, the Treaty of Lawrence was signed between Portugal and Britain, ceding the Portuguese settlement of Lourenço Marques and its environs to Britain, in exchange for recognition of Portuguese claims in Zambezia, effectively expanding the Natalia colony north.
Westward expansion and the Cislikwan gold rush
In the 1860s, British influence expanded westward, reaching the Likwa River. The territory north of the river, which they had explored and established as the frontier, became known as Cislikwa (from cis, meaning "on this side of," and Likwa, referring to the river). At the same time, Afrikaner settlers from the newly independent Cape Republic began exploring the Cislikwa region. Conflict ensued between the British and the Afrikaners, culminating in a British victory, forcing the Cape Republic to relinquish its claims over Cislikwa.
Throughout the 1870s to 1890s, British influence continued to grow in Cislikwa, where native protectorates were established. These protectorates, while under British influence, remained largely sovereign and populated primarily by native communities. Kweneng, located south of Johannesburg, emerged as the largest population center of the Tswana people and the seat of the southeastern-most Tswana chiefdom, with a population of 10,000-20,000 and serving as a significant trade hub for ivory and gold.
In 1890, British prospectors, following Tswana traders' gold sources, discovered large gold deposits in Kweneng, sparking a gold rush. Initially dominated by Tswana locals, the rush attracted increasing numbers of British settlers. These newcomers settled on the outskirts of Kweneng, rapidly developing a town named Gauteng (or Gowteng) by the Tswana and Goldtown by the British.
There were numerous calls from British settlers in the 1890s and early 20th century for the Gauteng and the Cislikwa region to be annexed into the Natal Colony, but Britain rejected these requests due to concerns about the Tswana allying with the Cape Republic and causing a colonial war. White settlers in Gowteng start to become resentful for being under the Tswana protectorates' administration.
20th century
Home rule (1920) and independence (1942)
In 1920, the Natal Colony was granted responsible government and officially renamed Natalia. In 1942, Natalia achieved independence, becoming a dominion via a Home Rule Act. In exchange for their independence, the Natalian government was forced to adhere to the Paramaribo Accords, a set of agreements that aimed to ban the implementation of racist policies in the post-colonial governments and prepare them for eventual majority rule.
Despite the Accords' intentions, their effectiveness remains a subject of debate. Natalia strategically negotiated special exemptions, allowing them to circumvent some provisions. Consequently, de facto institutional racism persisted in Natalia throughout the latter half of the 20th century. In 1946, Natalia implemented additional eligibility criteria for voting rights, despite the system being non-segregated on paper. Consequently, during the national elections of 1947, the turnout among the black population, constituting the majority, barely reached 10 percent.
Annexation of Cislikwa
Upon independence, Natalia also inherited a mandate over the native Cislikwa protectorates, much to the dismay of the Tswana natives. There were tensions regarding the level of autonomy afforded to the Cislikwan protectorates within the Natalian government. Calls for reducing their self-governance gained traction within Natalia.
In 1948, the new Natalian government moved to annex the Cislikwan protectorates into Natalia proper, using a corrupted interpretation of the Paramaribo Accords as justification. However, this action was contentious, perceived as a thinly veiled power grab rather than a genuine commitment to the accords. This sparked unrest and radical militancy among the Cislikwan population, culminating in a low-level insurgency, which spilled over into neighboring regions, notably the Cape.
Cape-Natalia War
List of leaders
Prime ministers of Natalia
- Alfred Barnard Thompson (1942-1957)
- Maxwell George Chambers (1957-195x)
