Natalia Republic

The Natalia Republic was a short-lived Boer republic on the coast of Southern Africa, established in 1839 by Voortrekkers shortly after the Battle of Blood River. The area was ceded by the Zulu king Dingane to Piet Retief and his party in 1838 and stretched from the Tugela River to present day Port St. Johns. It was previously named Natália by Portuguese sailors. The republic was annexed by Britain in 1843 to form the Colony of Natal. After the British annexation of the Natalia Republic, most local Voortrekkers trekked north into Transorangia, later known as the Orange Free State, and the Transvaal.HistoryEuropean settlement and setbacksVasco da Gama sighted the bluff at the entrance to what is now the harbour of Durban in 1497 and named the country Terra Natalis. Da Gama made no landing here and, like the rest of South Africa, Natal was neglected by the Portuguese, whose nearest settlement was at Delagoa Bay.In the 17th and 18th centuries, the region was inhabited by Xhosa people, who were overrun between 1818 and 1820 by the Zulu Kingdom's military campaigns under Shaka. The British established small settlements along the coastline, including the town of Durban, established in 1835.