Bechuanaland Protectorate

Botswana, 1885–1966. Draft, not yet reviewed

The Bechuanaland Protectorate was established on 31 March 1885 in Southern Africa by the United Kingdom. It became independent as the Republic of Botswana on 30 September 1966. The protectorate was administered from Mafeking, which placed the capital of the territory outside of the territory. In 1895, Khama III, Sebele I, and Bathoen I travelled to Britain and successfully persuaded the British government not to transfer the protectorate to Cecil Rhodes's British South Africa Company.

Seat of power: Mahikeng

No rulers documented for this era yet.

Culture

• Originally the local Tswana rulers were left in power, and British administration was limited to the police force to protect Bechuanaland's borders against other European colonial ventures.
• Tswana society became organized into merafe, a type of tribal government ruled by chiefs known as dikgosi.
• The story of Seretse and Ruth forms the basis of the 2016 film A United Kingdom.

Picture

Khama III was the Kgosi (meaning king) of the Bangwato people.

Image: Photograph by S.B. Bernard, Cape Town, Public domain, file

Sources

• Bechuanaland Protectorate (Wikipedia)
• Bechuanaland Protectorate (Wikidata)
• About the picture (Wikipedia)

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.