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For many years, the Basutos under King Moshweshwe (c. 1786-1880) successfully
resisted encroachments of the Boers of the Orange Free State, with who they
competed for pature and farmland. By the mid-1860s, however, Moshweshwe's powers
were waning and Boer strength had grown; and , as fighting intensified, the
Boers gained the upper hand. Moshweshwe appealed for British protection, but
British negotiators were unsuccessful, and by the Treaty of Thaba Bosiu in 1866
the Orange Free State acquired most of Basutoland. Further fighting erupted in
1867, but just as the Basutos approached total collapse, Sir Philip Wodehouse,
British high commissioner, cut off the Orange Free State's ammunition supply and
annexed Basutoland.
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