Person

Cecil Rhodes

1853–1902 · 19th century

Cecil Rhodes was a British businessman and politician in southern Africa who made a fortune in Kimberley diamonds through De Beers and in gold. Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896, he used his British South Africa Company to occupy Mashonaland in 1890 and conquer the Ndebele kingdom in 1893, lands named Rhodesia after him. His part in the failed Jameson Raid of 1895 forced his resignation.

Cecil Rhodes
Image: Alexander Bassano · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 5 profiles

BarotselandImpactCape ColonyGovernance, SummarySouth African RepublicImpactCongo Free StateMilitaryKingdom of ZimbabweImpact, Summary

Mentioned in 8 state histories

Cape ColonyNdebele KingdomGriqualand West ColonyStellalandGoshenBechuanaland ProtectorateCompany rule in RhodesiaMozambique Company

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Cecil Rhodes. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cecil-rhodes
MLA
“Cecil Rhodes.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cecil-rhodes. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Cecil Rhodes.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cecil-rhodes.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Cecil Rhodes’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cecil-rhodes (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻