The Five Nations

Fought between the British Empire and Dutch settlers of the South African Republic (commonly referred to as the Transvaal) and the Orange Free State, the Second Boer War raged from 1899 to 1902, with Britain claiming victory and annexing both republics after the war. Published just after the war's close, Kipling's 1903 collection of verse focuses heavily on themes of empire (in fact, the title references the ties between England and her colonies in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the Cape Colony in South Africa). This important collection includes the controversial poem "The White Man's Burden," originally published in 1899 as a commentary on American colonization of the Philippines, as well as "Recessional," composed for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897.