The term "Boer War" refers to two related wars fought in southern Africa between the British Empire and the Boer (Afrikaner) settlers who had established independent republics. These conflicts shaped the region's political map, accelerated changes in modern warfare and left a contested legacy that influenced South African politics throughout the 20th century.

  • First Boer War (1880–1881) — A short conflict in which Boers of the South African Republic (Transvaal) resisted British annexation and regained limited self-government after British military setbacks.
  • Second Boer War (1899–1902) — A larger and more destructive war in which the British sought to bring the two Boer republics (Transvaal and the Orange Free State) under imperial control, ultimately ending in British victory and formal annexation.

Boer society was largely rural and descended from Dutch, German and French settlers; their word "Boer" means "farmer." Tensions with Britain grew over sovereignty, control of resources and the rights of foreign workers after the discovery of diamonds and gold in the region.

The wars featured a mix of conventional and irregular fighting. Boer forces used mobility, marksmanship and knowledge of terrain to win early successes. In the Second Boer War, after initial Boer advances, the British reinforced and adapted by employing blockhouses, mobile columns and a scorched-earth campaign to deny guerrillas supplies.

One of the most controversial aspects of the Second Boer War was the British use of concentration camps for civilians, where overcrowding and disease caused significant suffering and death. The conflict also saw the use of modern rifles, entrenchments and logistical systems that foreshadowed warfare in the 20th century.

Outcomes included the Treaty of Vereeniging (1902), temporary British control of the republics, and later political developments that led to the Union of South Africa in 1910. The Boer Wars remain important in studies of imperialism, guerrilla warfare and the social consequences of total war.