Person

Lothar von Trotha

1848–1920 · 19th century

Lothar von Trotha was a German general who commanded in South West Africa during the war against the Herero and Nama. After the Battle of Waterberg in 1904 he issued an extermination order against the Herero, driving them into the Omaheke desert, where many died of thirst. Germany formally acknowledged the killings of the Herero and Nama as genocide in 2021.

Lothar von Trotha — Image: Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Herero Paramountcy German South West Africa

See also

Cite this entry

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Lothar von Trotha. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/lothar-von-trotha
MLA: “Lothar von Trotha.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/lothar-von-trotha. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Lothar von Trotha.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/lothar-von-trotha.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Lothar von Trotha’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/lothar-von-trotha (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻