The next meeting of the History Discussion Group will take place on Tuesday, April 8th at 4:30pm via Zoom. The topic of the April meeting will be the examination of three wars of the Victorian era.

The Crimean War (1853-1856) was fought between the British, Russians, French, and Ottoman Turks. The conflict was the result of several factors, including: Russian demands to exercise protection over the Orthodox subjects of the Ottoman Sultan, and the dispute between Russia and France over the privileges of the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches in Palestine. 

The Boer Wars, also known as the South African Wars, were fought between 1880-81 and again from 1899-1902. The first war grew of out of tensions between the Boers (descendants of Dutch, German and Huguenot settlers) and the British after the British annexed the Transvaal. In the first conflict, the Boers were victorious, gaining partial independence. However, in 1899, conflict arose again. A longer, bloodier war followed, with the British deploying ‘scorched earth’ tactics, that saw Boer women and children herded into camps, where many died of starvation, and Boer territory  deliberately and systematically devastated, forcing the Boers to concede and lose their independence.

All are welcome to join us to discuss these pivotal wars in Britain’s history."

RESOURCES

A Timeline of the Crimean War  https://lovelivingathome.helpfulvillage.com/documents/1419/download

April History Discussion group Supplemental Readings  https://lovelivingathome.helpfulvillage.com/documents/1420/download

What was the Legacy of the Crimean War  https://lovelivingathome.helpfulvillage.com/documents/1422/download