Dutch intervention in Bali (1849)
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The Dutch intervention in Bali in 1849 was a major Dutch military intervention in Northern and Southern Bali, following two failed interventions, the 1846 intervention and the 1848 intervention. The Dutch used as a pretext Balinese salvage claims over
shipwrecks A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...
, which were customary to the Balinese, but unacceptable under International law.''Bali & Lombok'' by Ryan Ver Berkmoes p.31
/ref>


Dutch naval expedition

The expedition arrived off
Buleleng Buleleng ( ban, ᬓᬩᬸᬧᬢᬾᬦ᭄ᬩᬸᬮᭂᬮᭂᬂ, Kabupatén Buléléng) is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Bali, Indonesia. It has an area of 1,365.88 km2 and population of 624,125 at the 2010 census and 791,910 at the 2020 cen ...
in 1849. It was a considerable force of the
Royal Dutch East Indies Army The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army ( nl, Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger; KNIL, ) was the military force maintained by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in its colony of the Dutch East Indies, in areas that are now part of Indonesia. The ...
, composed of 100 ships, 3,000 sailors, and 5,000 well-trained soldiers, including a majority of Dutch troops.''International Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania'' by Trudy Ring p.6

/ref>''A short history of Bali: Indonesia's Hindu realm'' Robert Pringle p.98''ff'

/ref> The Dutch landed in Buleleng and marched on
Singaraja Singaraja is a port town in northern Bali, Indonesia, which serves as the seat of Buleleng Regency. The name is Indonesian for "Lion King" (from Tamil ''singam'' and ''raja''). It is just east of Lovina, and is also the centre of Buleleng Distric ...
, only to discover that the whole town had been abandoned. The Dutch occupied the town, but soon faced a dilemma by the arrival of a Balinese delegation. Dutch General
Andreas Victor Michiels Andreas Victor Michiels (Maastricht, Netherlands, 30 May 1797 – Kusamba, Bali 25 May 1849) was a military and administrative officer in the Dutch East Indies. Early life and military career Michiels entered military service at age 17 years ...
had been ordered not to enter into negotiations with the Balinese, but to capture dead or alive the Rajas of Buleleng and Karangasem and Patih Jelantik. Hoping to lure these leaders into his grasp Michiels agreed to talk. In an apparent effort to awe his enemy Michiels ordered thousands of his troops to line the western side of the Singaraja main road. However, the plan to capture Jelantik and the Raja had to be abandoned, as they arrived with over 10,000 troops of their own who lined the other side of the street. With the two opposing armies standing literally face to face an extremely dangerous situation had developed. Michiels now had no choice but to pretend he was interested in negotiation since any attempt to capture the Balinese leaders would be sure to give way to a bloody pitched battle. Thus Michiels met with the Balinese and informed them that if they followed the general agreements laid out in the 1841-1843 treaties and destroyed all their fortifications then the government would be appeased. With the rejection of the ultimatum by the Balinese, war became the only option. On 15 April around 4,000 Netherlands Indies soldiers began the steep march to Jagaraga where they met with stiff Balinese resistance. ''Bali at War: A History of the Dutch-Balinese Conflict of 1846–49.'' By Alfons van der Kraan. Victoria: Monash University Paper No. 34. Amazon Press, 1995. x, 240 pp

/ref> When they saw their situation was desperate, the Balinese committed the first ''
Puputan ''Puputan'' is a Balinese term for a mass ritual suicide in preference to facing the humiliation of surrender. It originally seems to have meant a last desperate attack against a numerically superior enemy.: "The Balinese term ''puputan'' comes ...
'', or mass-suicide, the Dutch would witness in their conflicts with Bali. In this encounter, the Dutch lost 34 men, and the Balinese thousands, including the wife of Jelantik, who was part of the ''Puputan''.
I Gusti Ketut Jelantik I Gusti Ketut Jelantik (-1849) was a Balinese Prime Minister of the state of Buleleng, who resisted the imposition of Dutch treaties.''A short history of Bali: Indonesia's Hindu realm'' Robert Pringle p.96''ff'/ref> Military career He became a ...
and the ruler of Buleleng managed to escape to allied Karangasem.


Southern Bali campaign

Reluctant to follow them over land, the Dutch returned to their ships and sailed to Southern Bali, where they landed in
Padang Bai Padangbai is a small coastal town in eastern Bali, Indonesia near Candidasa. It serves as a ferry port for travel to Lembar on Lombok Lombok is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sun ...
in order to attack Klungkung, nominal overlord of Buleleng. In the meantime, however, the Dutch managed to establish an alliance with neighbouring
Lombok Lombok is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east. It is ...
against Karangasem, an old enemy of Lombok. Lombok troops were sent onboard Dutch ships, and ambushed Buleleng leaders. In this encounter both Jelantik and the
Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...
of Buleleng were killed, and the ruler of Karangasem committed ritual suicide. The Dutch continued their campaign into
Klungkung Klungkung Regency is the smallest regency (''kabupaten'') on Bali, Indonesia. It has an area of 315 km2 and had a population at the 2010 Census of 170,543 which increased to 206,925 at the Census of 2020. The administrative centre for the reg ...
, occupying
Goa Lawah Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to th ...
and Kusamba. The climate and diseases were taking their toll on the Dutch troops, which were in a precarious position. An outbreak of dysentery among Dutch troops prevented them from striking a decisive blow. The Dutch suffered heavy casualties when
Dewa Agung Istri Kanya Dewa may refer to: * Dewa, India, a town in Indian state of Uttar Pradesh * Dewa Province, a province in Japan * Dewa (band), an Indonesian rock band * Dewa (people), a Sri Lankan people/population * Dewa, Togo * Dubai Electricity and Water Authori ...
led a night offensive against the Dutch in Kusamba, killing the commander Major General Michiels. The Dutch were forced to retreat to their ships, confronted by a force of 33,000 Balinese from
Badung Badung is a regency of Bali, Indonesia. Its regency seat is in the upland town of Mangupura. It covers districts to the west of the provincial capital of Denpasar, and it has a land area of 418.52 km2. The regency had a population of 5 ...
,
Gianyar Gianyar Regency is a regency (''kabupaten'') in the Indonesian province and island of Bali, Indonesia. It has an area of 368.0 km2 and had a population of 469,777 at the 2010 Census, and 515,344 at the 2020 Census, making it the second most ...
,
Tabanan Tabanan is one of the regencies (''kabupaten'') in Bali, Indonesia. Relatively underdeveloped (compared with Badung and Denpasar to the east), Tabanan Regency has an area of 1,013.88 km2 and had a population of 386,850 in 2000, rising to 42 ...
and
Klungkung Klungkung Regency is the smallest regency (''kabupaten'') on Bali, Indonesia. It has an area of 315 km2 and had a population at the 2010 Census of 170,543 which increased to 206,925 at the Census of 2020. The administrative centre for the reg ...
. This resulted in a stalemate.


Treaty

The death of Jelantik nevertheless represented a considerable blow to Balinese resistance. Through the intervention of the trader
Mads Lange Mads Johansen Lange, nicknamed the ''King of Bali'' (18 September 1807 in Rudkøbing, Denmark13 May 1856 in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia), was a Danish trader, entrepreneur, peace maker on Bali, knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion, and rec ...
and the ruler Kesinan of
Badung Badung is a regency of Bali, Indonesia. Its regency seat is in the upland town of Mangupura. It covers districts to the west of the provincial capital of Denpasar, and it has a land area of 418.52 km2. The regency had a population of 5 ...
, a new treaty was signed in July 1849, giving control over Buleleng and Jembrana to the Dutch. The ruler of Lombok obtained control over Karangasem. The Dutch had their headquarters in Singaraja, where a Dutch Controller ruled over the local Raja from 1855.


See also

*
History of Bali The History of Bali covers a period from the Paleolithic to the present, and is characterized by migrations of people and cultures from other parts of Asia. In the 16th century, the history of Bali started to be marked by Western influence with th ...


Notes

{{reflist Conflicts in 1849 Conflicts in 1850 1849 in Southeast Asia History of Bali Wars involving the Netherlands Dutch conquest of Indonesia