Early Days Of The Cape Flashcards
When did the Dutch arrive in the Cape?
6 April 1652
How many boats arrived? And what were their names?
3
Dromedaries, Reijger and De Goede
Who was in charge of the ships?
Jan van Riebeeck
What was Jan van Riebeeck’s mission?
The Dutch East India Company instructed him to start a refreshment station for ships traveling to and from the East (Asia). This was the half-way stop.
Where did van Riebeeck get goods from? And what goods?
From the Khoikhoi
He got fresh vegetables and meat
Why were these foods so important to the sailors?
Because it would prevent the sailors from getting scurvy and dying.
How did Jan Van Riebeeck try to stop the Dutch from trading with the Khoikhoi without authority?
He planted a hedge of wild almond trees on the slopes of Table Mountain.
Was this successful? And why?
No
Because one of his soldiers ate some of the fruit and died because the fruit is poisonous.
Explain what van Riebeeck’s first fort was like. And where it was.
- It was where the Grand Parade stands today.
- there was a moat around it
- 4 mud and stone bastions protected the outside
- inside there were barracks
- a church
- a hospital
What did he name the fort?
Fort de Goede Hoop
How many people did van Riebeeck bring on the 3 ships?
About 90 men, women and children
What was his wife’s name?
Maria de la Quellerie
Did they have a son or a daughter?
Son
What people did he meet on the shores of Table Bay?
The Strandlopers
What did the Khoikhoi bring to graze near the cape peninsula?
Cattle and sheep
When trading began did everything go well? Explain your answer.
No
Neither group understood the others ideas of owning land or livestock
When there was a lot of work to be done who stayed around to help?
Some strange men from passing vessels
The Cape’s new community included……..
Builders, carpenters, fisherman and blacksmiths
What is the Dutch East India Company (DEIC) called in Dutch?
Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC)
When was the DEIC founded?
1602
How and why was the DEIC formed?
When the directors of a number of small businesses agreed to combine their companies.
By doing this they transformed Holland into the most important trading nation in Europe.
The company was controlled by? And what does the name mean? 2
Heerin XVii
Means Lords Seventeen
Where were the DEIC headquarters ?
Batavia on the island of Java.
In 1651 the Lords Seventeen decided to establish a ……………… in the Cape.
Trading station
What is the companies monogram?
VOC (draw it)
Who was the capes first gardener at the Castle of Good Hope?
Hendrik Boom
What did he do to create the garden? 5
- he uprooted natural fynbos and laid it out in the garden
- sewed vegetable seeds
- imported fruit trees from Europe
- vines were planted
- wheat was soon planted at Green Point
Who started the building work of the stronger fort in 1666?
Commander Zacharias Wagenaer.
Why did he want to build a stronger fort?
To defend the settlement from the English.
How many people helped build the fort?
About 300 soldiers and slaves
Where did they get their building materials from? 4
- Timber from Hout Bay
- stones from Table Mountain
- mortar was made from Robben Island sea-shells
- wood, bricks and tiles imported from the Netherlands
When was the Castle of Good Hope completed?
April 1679
Who moved into the commanders quarters of the new Castle of Good Hope?
Simon van der stel
What was the castle referred to on the old plans? What does it mean?
The citadel
Means a refuge within a city
Name the 5 pointed bastions.
-Buren, Catzenellenbogen, Nassau, Oranje, Leerdam
What were the 5 bastions named after?
The Prince of Orange
The bastions housed……. 5
- armory
- kitchen
- food store
- soldiers barracks
- prison
Was the castle built close to the sea? How do we know this?
It was so close to the sea that the first entrance often would be swamped with waves
In 1965 what was built for extra defence?
A wall (the ‘Kat’) with a beautiful balcony was built across the courtyard
For over a century all important..…………… were made in the castle. But never in its 300-year history had a ……… been ……… there
Decisions
Shot
Fired
Which bay did some ships sail into in 1652?
Table Bay
Did the Dutch initially intend to colonise the Cape?
No, it was initially just a place to get fresh produce/ meat, half-way between Europe and Asia
Why did the Dutch end up colonizing the Cape?
To prevent the English or French occupying the Cape.
The Cape has a strategic location on the trade route between Europe and Asia.
Why did van Riebeeck complain to the VOC in 1654?
There wasn’t enough land to supply all the VOC ships and the growing settlement in the Cape.
What did the VOC give van Riebeeck permission to do in 1654?
Expand the Cape settlement into the areas surrounding Table Bay. This made the settlement sustainable, and it became semi-permanent.
