Jameson Raid

The Jameson Raid was a failed 1895 military incursion into the South African Republic (Transvaal) led by Leander Starr Jameson, intended to overthrow the Boer government and triggered by mining magnates’ grievances. Its failure paradoxically strengthened the position of mine owners in negotiations with the Boers and ultimately precipitated British annexation of the gold-rich Transvaal.

Claims that use this term

• The failed Jameson Raid paradoxically strengthened mining magnates’ bargaining position with the Boer state
• The failed Jameson Raid ultimately triggered British takeover of the gold-rich Transvaal