Editing History of Lesotho (section)

===Free State–Basotho Wars===
{{Main|Free State–Basotho Wars}}

In 1818, [[Moshoeshoe I]] {{IPAc-en|m|oʊ-|ˈ|ʃ|w|eɪ|ʃ|w|eɪ}} consolidated various Basotho groupings and became their king. During Moshoeshoe's reign (1823–1870), a series of wars (1856–68) were fought with the [[Boers]] who had settled in traditional Basotho lands.  These wars resulted in the extensive loss of land, now known as the "Lost Territory".

A treaty was signed with the Boers of [[Griqualand]] in 1843 and an agreement was made with the British in 1853 following a minor war. The disputes with the Boers over land, however, were revived in 1858 with [[Senekal's War]] and again, more seriously, in 1865 with the [[Seqiti War]]. The Boers had several military successes, killing possibly 1,500 Basotho soldiers, and annexed an expanse of [[arable land]] which they were able to retain following a treaty at [[Thaba Bosiu]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Basotho Wars 1858 - 1868 |url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/basotho-wars-1858-1868 |website=South African History Online (SAHO) |access-date=18 May 2020 |archive-date=3 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210103152425/https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/basotho-wars-1858-1868 |url-status=live }}</ref>  Further conflict led to an unsuccessful attack on Thaba Bosiu and the death of a Boer commandant, [[Louw Wepener]], but by 1867, much of Moshoeshoe's land and most of his fortresses had been taken.<ref name="About">[http://www.gov.ls/about/default.php About Lesotho] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130161424/http://www.gov.ls/about/default.php |date=2016-01-30 }}, Government of Lesotho</ref>

Fearing defeat, Moshoeshoe made further appeals to [[List of High Commissioners of the United Kingdom to South Africa|High Commissioner]] [[Philip Wodehouse (colonial administrator)|Philip Wodehouse]] for British assistance.<ref name="About"/> On 12 March 1868, the British Cabinet agreed to place the territory under British protection and the Boers were ordered to leave. In February 1869, the British and the Boers agreed to the Convention of Aliwal North, which defined the boundaries of the protectorate.<ref name="About"/>  The arable land west of the [[Caledon River]] remained in Boer's hands and is referred to as the Lost or Conquered Territory. Moshoeshoe died in 1870 and was buried atop Thaba Bosiu.