colony · Central and Southern Africa

Province of Queen Adelaide

1835 CE – 1836 CE · capital King William's Town

A short-lived British annexation of Xhosa land between the Keiskamma and Kei rivers, reversed by London after barely a year.

Origins

During the Sixth Frontier War of 1834-1836, the Cape governor Sir Benjamin D'Urban proclaimed in May 1835 that the territory between the Keiskamma and Kei rivers was British, naming it after Queen Adelaide, wife of William IV. The Xhosa king Hintsa was shot while in British custody during the campaign.

Rule and society

Colonel Harry Smith governed the province from the new military headquarters of King William's Town. The plan was to expel or control the Rharhabe Xhosa, settle loyal Mfengu and open land to colonists, but it required a costly garrison and provoked continued resistance.

Decline and legacy

The Colonial Secretary Lord Glenelg, influenced by humanitarian critics, ordered the annexation reversed, and the province was abandoned in December 1836 in favour of treaties with Xhosa chiefs. Smith restored the idea in 1847 as British Kaffraria.

Connections (1)

  • Province of Queen Adelaide was part of Cape Colony1835 CE – 1836 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Province of Queen Adelaide. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/province-of-queen-adelaide
MLA
“Province of Queen Adelaide.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/province-of-queen-adelaide. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Province of Queen Adelaide.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/province-of-queen-adelaide.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Province of Queen Adelaide’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/province-of-queen-adelaide (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻