Joubert, Petrus Jacobus

Joubert's family had French roots: his ancestor and namesake, Provençale Pierre Joubert, being a Huguenot , after Louis XIV canceled the Edict of Nantes in 1685, he first moved to the Netherlands , and in 1688 he moved to the Cape Colony .

Petrus Joubert was born in the Cape Colony, in the Oudtshoorn district, in the Damascus tract, on the Cango farm, and then, during the Great Trek , he moved with his father to Natal (in Peter Retif's squad). Retif and his entire delegation were treacherously murdered by the Zulu King Dingaan immediately after the signing of the peace treaty. The same fate threatened the entire detachment of Retif, including the Joubert. They were rescued by the flying commando squad (Vlug Kommando ^[1] ) of the valiant Andris Pretorius ...

In 1847, Petrus Joubert moved to the Transvaal Republic . First, the young Pete Joubert worked on farms, and then he began to study jurisprudence. In 1851, Pete Joubert married Hendrin Johanna Susanna Botha (Botha). In 1852, Joubert fought Sechele, the ruler of the Bakwen tribe belonging to the Tswana ethnic community. Joubert gained great respect among Wakkerstrom county residents. In 1864 he was elected a deputy of the Volksraad . Soon Joubert became its president. In 1875, Petrus Jacobus Joubert was appointed Prosecutor General of the Transvaal Republic.

In the years 1880-1881, Petrus Joubert led the Boer war for the independence of Transvaal, which was occupied by British troops. From 1880, he was a commandant- general (supreme commander-in-chief) of the Transvaal army. Successfully fought with the British , won a brilliant victory in the battle for Majuba Hill . In 1893 ^[2] and 1898 he was a candidate of the Progressive Party for the post of president of the republic, but was not elected; In 1898, he was elected Vice-President (under President Paula Kruger ).

When President Kruger expressed his joy at the discovery of new gold mines, Joubert told him: "We should not be happy, but cry, because our land is soaked with blood because of gold." His prophecy is completely fulfilled.

After the Boers of Transvaal in 1895, they surrounded and captured a detachment of the British Jameson , who planned to raise the Outlanders anti-Boer uprising in the Transvaal ^[3] , Juber led the construction of a fortification system in the country in case of war. At the same time, he was a supporter of moderate concessions to the requirements of England and in this connection clashed with P. Kruger. However, during the war with England, he was appointed commander of the Transvaal armed forces. But in the conduct of hostilities, he did not take the initiative and concentrated his main forces (about 21,000 people) around besieged Ladysmith (with a garrison of 12,500). This was a mistake, since the time when it was possible to occupy Natal was missed, and the British were able to transfer necessary reinforcements to the country.

Joubert died from the consequences of falling from his horse. Kruger at his funeral said that he “lost his right arm” ... After Joubert, the command of the Boer troops in Natal was entrusted to Louis Bot .

Leonid Pokrovsky, a Russian officer and volunteer who fought on the side of the Boers, described P. Joubert as follows:

Despite his already significant gray hair, he still did not look old, kept straight, a little full, above average height, personable, he made a pretty impression. He was also dressed like all the Boers, and also had the dirty tanned stale hands of a simple peasant.

- ^[4]

George White, English General:

It was a soldier and a gentleman, a courageous and worthy opponent.

• Joubert, Petrus Jacobus // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : in 86 tons (82 tons and 4 extra). - SPb. , 1890-1907.