Setting the Record Straight on South Africa’s Past: From Jan van Riebeeck to the Great Trek and Beyond

Artistic impression of Jan van Riebeeck having a braai with Cyril Ramaphosa.
Artistic impression of Jan van Riebeeck having a braai with Cyril Ramaphosa.

In the early 17th century, slavery had largely fallen out of practice in the Habsburg Netherlands, influenced by decrees like Pope Eugene IV’s ban on enslaving Christians in the Late Middle Ages and the principle of “Stadslucht maakt vrij” (city air makes free), which granted freedom to escaped slaves in Dutch cities. However, the Dutch…

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