Charles Leonard

In 1895 a group of unlikely revolutionaries plotted to overthrow the Boer government of President Paul Kruger in the South African Republic in an armed insurrection. Had they succeeded, their leader, Charles Leonard, would in all probability have become the new President and would have been ideally placed to defuse the tensions which culminated in the Second South African War (otherwise known as the Anglo-Boer War). As things turned out, he and his co-conspirators did not succeed because Dr Jameson, who was to ride in with a force to lend support, disobeyed orders and invaded the Transvaal prematurely, thereby precipitating an international diplomatic crisis. The Jameson Raid changed the course of South African, and, according to Sir Winston Churchill, even world history. In this meticulously crafted and beautifully written biography, Simon Winter uncovers Charles Leonard's humble beginnings on the eastern frontier of the Cape, his rise to the top of the legal profession in Cape Town and early Johannesburg, and his outspoken opposition to President Kruger and his government. It was only after numerous peaceful petitions had been repudiated that he was persuaded to lead an armed uprising, secretly supported by both the Prime Minister of the Cape, Cecil John Rhodes, and the British Colonial Secretary, Joseph Chamberlain. Charles Leonard emerges from the shadows of the past as a remarkably compelling and attractive character. The human drama of his life, both public and private, makes for engrossing reading. He was certainly not a coward, as many historians have unfairly portrayed him. Conversely, he is a man who deserves - belatedly - to be accorded his rightful place among the leading figures of South African history. Packed with illustrations, copious footnotes, a comprehensive index and a select bibliography, this biography will satisfy the needs of both the general reading public and scholars. It is a valuable addition to the corpus of biographies on leading South Africans.