Why 2 and not 1 Boer states?

[KPJ]

I've never been able to figure out why the Boer states in South Africa were 2 and not 1.
Did they have significant differences in political system, ideology, history? Was it just an administrative division in the same way that US were divided into the 13 colonies originally?

edit: Thank you mod for moving this to the history forum!

 

[Kazmir]

I'd need to dig into my books to see what the main differences and conflicts between the two were, but if my memory serves me right, the Orange Free State was borne out of British territory, and partly 'created' by the British themselves as a buffer against the RSA.

Also, there were many more than just 2 republics, some of them no larger than consisting of a handful of families. Most of them amalgamated into some of the larger republics in the end though.

Also, keep in mind that these republics were born out of the Great Trek, when dissatisfied Afrikaners moved further inland from the British colonies, and hence were the result of different groups of people settling in different areas previously void of European inhabitants. Hence, they were able to claim more or less as much land as they wanted, and rule those areas as they pleased. Thus, if you are part of group consisting several hundred or even thousand people, why would you necessarily settle in an existing 'republic' when you can establish your own just next to it and have even more land and more independence for you and your group.

 

[KPJ]

I'd need to dig into my books to see what the main differences and conflicts between the two were, but if my memory serves me right, the Orange Free State was borne out of British territory, and partly 'created' by the British themselves as a buffer against the RSA.

Also, there were many more than just 2 republics, some of them no larger than consisting of a handful of families. Most of them amalgamated into some of the larger republics in the end though.

Also, keep in mind that these republics were born out of the Great Trek, when dissatisfied Afrikaners moved further inland from the British colonies, and hence were the result of different groups of people settling in different areas previously void of European inhabitants. Hence, they were able to claim more or less as much land as they wanted, and rule those areas as they pleased. Thus, if you are part of group consisting several hundred or even thousand people, why would you necessarily settle in an existing 'republic' when you can establish your own just next to it and have even more land and more independence for you and your group.

Thanks, that's pretty informative!

 

[Kazmir]

Thanks, that's pretty informative!

Also, these republics often cooperated closely despite being nominally independent, especially in wars against the Bantu tribes and the British. The president of the Transvaal (RSA) was even elected as a president of the Orange Free State at one point, though this led to a small-scale civil war in the republics (because it was against the constitution of the RSA to hold offices abroad, but the president accepted both presidencies).

EDIT: Here's a Wikipedia list of the larger republics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boer_..._states_and_Boer_republics_in_Southern_Africa