History glossary
Boer
Dutch-descended settler communities in southern Africa, later called Afrikaners.
- Category
- People and identity
- Region
- Modern South Africa
What it means
Boers were Dutch-descended settler farmers and communities in southern Africa. In the nineteenth century, Boer republics in what is now South Africa came into conflict with the British Empire over land, independence, gold, and imperial control.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Anglo Boer Conflict
A war between Britain and Boer republics that exposed imperial costs and reshaped South Africa.
The British Empire
Britain built the largest empire in history through sea power, trade, slavery, industrial wealth, conquest, and rule, before decolonisation reshaped the modern world.
