1713
Smallpox epidemic devastates Cape society
Smallpox reached the Cape through maritime contact and spread through settler, enslaved and Khoekhoe communities, causing severe mortality and social disruption.
established
epidemic
Smallpox reached the Cape through maritime contact and spread through settler, enslaved and Khoekhoe communities, causing severe mortality and social disruption.
Significance
One of the century’s most consequential demographic shocks, especially for Khoekhoe communities.
Why it matters
One of the century’s most consequential demographic shocks, especially for Khoekhoe communities.
Disputed interpretations
The epidemic and its severe effects are established, but precise mortality figures and the geography of spread beyond the colonial population remain uncertain.