republic · Central and Southern Africa

Swellendam Republic

1795 CE – 1795 CE · capital Swellendam

A short-lived republic declared by Cape frontier burghers who expelled the Dutch East India Company's officials in 1795.

Origins

By 1795 burghers in the Swellendam district east of Cape Town resented the Dutch East India Company's trade restrictions, taxes and its failure to defend them on the frontier. In June 1795, following the example of Graaff-Reinet, they expelled the landdrost and proclaimed themselves a free republic, choosing Hermanus Steyn as president of their assembly.

Rule and society

Inspired partly by the ideas of the French Revolution, the burghers set up an assembly of national representatives to run local affairs. They demanded free trade, lower taxes and a free hand in dealings with the Khoikhoi and the Xhosa.

Decline and legacy

British forces occupied the Cape in September 1795 after the Battle of Muizenberg, and the Swellendam burghers accepted British authority later that year, ending the republic within months.

Lineage

Dutch Cape Colony 1652 CE – 1806 CESwellendam Republic

Connections (1)

Swellendam Republic was conquered by Cape Colony1795 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Swellendam Republic. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/swellendam-republic
MLA: “Swellendam Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/swellendam-republic. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Swellendam Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/swellendam-republic.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Swellendam Republic’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/swellendam-republic (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻