1835–1840
The Great Trek
Thousands of Dutch-speaking colonists left the Cape in several streams, seeking political autonomy and moving into regions occupied or claimed by African communities and polities.
View in timelineFrom the mid-1830s, thousands of Dutch-speaking colonists—often called Voortrekkers—left the Cape in several migration streams. They sought combinations of political autonomy, land, labour access and security beyond British colonial rule, entering regions occupied or claimed by African communities and polities. The Great Trek was not one single expedition: different parties followed different routes and formed shifting alliances and conflicts.
Significance
The migration produced new settler republics and intensified contests over land, labour, sovereignty and trade across the interior.
Why it matters
The migration produced new settler republics and intensified contests over land, labour, sovereignty and trade across the interior. It was a series of movements rather than one centrally organised expedition.
Disputed interpretations
Motives varied and included dissatisfaction with British rule, labour policy, frontier insecurity, land ambitions and the desire for political autonomy.
Perspective notes
Voortrekkers often described the movement through grievances against British rule and the search for independence. African polities and communities experienced the arrival of armed migrant groups through diplomacy, alliance, incorporation, resistance and dispossession.