Gerald Portal
Encyclopedia
Sir Gerald Herbert Portal (1858 – 1894) was a British
diplomat
, who was the Consul General for British East Africa and British Special Commissioner to Uganda
, and a main figure in the establishment of the Uganda Protectorate.
in England. He joined the diplomatic service as an attaché
in 1879, and was posted to the Egyptian Agency the same year. In 1886 he became, Acting Agent and Consul General, and the following year he was sent to Ethiopia
. In 1889 he was appointed to Zanzibar
as the Consul General for British East Africa.
. The British East Africa Company, which was the administrator of British East Africa (including the territory of Uganda), was becoming increasingly ineffective in its venture as a commercial company with colonial administrative rights – amidst conflicts between rival factions, including the Kabaka
(King) of Buganda
, French Catholic
, and British Protestant
missionaries
.
Portal established a settlement between the French and British Missionaries in Uganda, and on May 29, 1893, he signed a treaty with Kabaka Mwanga
of Buganda. On April 1, 1893, Portal hauled down the flag of the British East Africa Company at Mengo
(the Kabaka's residence) and hoisted the Union Jack
.
Portal returned to Britain and recommended the declaration of Uganda as a protectorate. He died from typhoid fever
in London on January 25, 1894. On June 18, 1894, Uganda was declared a British Protectorate.
The town of Fort Portal
in western Uganda, where Portal had his base, is named after him.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
diplomat
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
, who was the Consul General for British East Africa and British Special Commissioner to Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, and a main figure in the establishment of the Uganda Protectorate.
Diplomatic career
Portal was educated at Eton CollegeEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
in England. He joined the diplomatic service as an attaché
Attaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
in 1879, and was posted to the Egyptian Agency the same year. In 1886 he became, Acting Agent and Consul General, and the following year he was sent to Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. In 1889 he was appointed to Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
as the Consul General for British East Africa.
Mission to Uganda
In 1892 Portal was appointed British Special Commissioner to Uganda. His mission was to report to the British Government on the desirability of setting up a British Protectorate to replace the Imperial British East Africa CompanyImperial British East Africa Company
The Imperial British East Africa Company was the administrator of British East Africa, which was the forerunner of the East Africa Protectorate, later Kenya. The IBEAC was a commercial association founded to develop African trade in the areas controlled by the British colonial power...
. The British East Africa Company, which was the administrator of British East Africa (including the territory of Uganda), was becoming increasingly ineffective in its venture as a commercial company with colonial administrative rights – amidst conflicts between rival factions, including the Kabaka
Kabaka of Buganda
Kabaka is the title of the king of the Kingdom of Buganda. According to the traditions of the Baganda they are ruled by two kings, one spiritual and the other material....
(King) of Buganda
Buganda
Buganda is a subnational kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Ganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day Uganda, comprising all of Uganda's Central Region, including the Ugandan capital Kampala, with the exception of the disputed eastern Kayunga District...
, French Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, and British Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
missionaries
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
.
Portal established a settlement between the French and British Missionaries in Uganda, and on May 29, 1893, he signed a treaty with Kabaka Mwanga
Mwanga II of Buganda
Danieri Basammula-Ekkere Mwanga II Mukasa was Kabaka from 1884 until 1888 and from 1889 until 1897. He was the thirty-first Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
of Buganda. On April 1, 1893, Portal hauled down the flag of the British East Africa Company at Mengo
Mengo, Uganda
Mengo is a hill in Lubaga Division, Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city.-Location:Mengo is bordered by Kampala Hill to the north, Nsambya Hill to the east, Kibuye to the southeast, Ndeeba to the south, Lubaga Hill to the west and Namirembe Hill to the northwest. The coordinates of Mengo Hill...
(the Kabaka's residence) and hoisted the Union Jack
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
.
Portal returned to Britain and recommended the declaration of Uganda as a protectorate. He died from typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
in London on January 25, 1894. On June 18, 1894, Uganda was declared a British Protectorate.
The town of Fort Portal
Fort Portal
Fort Portal is a town in Western Uganda. It is the seat of both Kabarole District and Toro Kingdom.-Location:Fort Portal is located approximately by road, west of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city, on an all-tarmac two-lane highway...
in western Uganda, where Portal had his base, is named after him.
Honours
- Companion of the Order of the BathOrder of the BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(CB) - 1886 - Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St GeorgeOrder of St Michael and St GeorgeThe Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(KCMG) - 1893