The Java War ( jv, ꦥꦼꦫꦁꦗꦮ) or Diponegoro War () was fought in central
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
from 1825 to 1830, between the colonial
Dutch Empire and native
Javanese rebels. The war started as a rebellion led by
Prince Diponegoro
Prince Diponegoro ( jv, ꦢꦶꦥꦤꦼꦒꦫ; born Bendara Raden Mas Mustahar, ; later Bendara Raden Mas Antawirya ; 11 November 1785 – 8 January 1855), also known as Dipanegara, was a Javanese people, Javanese prince who opposed the Dutch Colo ...
, a leading member of the Javanese aristocracy who had previously cooperated with the Dutch.
The rebel forces laid siege to
Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...
, a move that prevented a quick victory. This gave the Dutch time to reinforce their army with colonial and European troops, allowing them to end the siege in 1825. After this defeat, the rebels continued fighting a
guerrilla war
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactic ...
for five years.
The war ended in a Dutch victory, and Prince Diponegoro was invited to a peace conference. He was betrayed and captured. Due to the cost of the war, Dutch colonial authorities implemented major reforms throughout the
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
to ensure the colonies remained profitable.
History
The direct cause of the Java War was the decision by the Dutch to build a road across a piece of Diponegoro's property that contained his parents' tomb. Longstanding grievances reflected tensions between the Javanese aristocracy and the increasingly powerful Dutch. Javanese aristocratic families were resentful about Dutch laws restricting their rental profits. The Dutch, meanwhile, were unwilling to lose influence over the Yogyakartan court.
Dutch influence also affected the cultural dynamics of Java. A devout
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
, Diponegoro was alarmed by the increasingly relaxed religious observance at court. This included the rising influence of Christian Dutch colonists and the court's pro-Dutch leanings. Among Diponegoro's followers, the war was described as a
jihad
Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with Go ...
"both against the Dutch and the ''
murtad
Apostasy in Islam ( ar, ردة, or , ) is commonly defined as the abandonment of Islam by a Muslim, in thought, word, or through deed. An apostate from Islam is referred to by using the Arabic and Islamic term ''murtād'' (). It includes no ...
'' or apostate Javanese."
Following a common colonial strategy, the Dutch worked to exacerbate a succession crisis for the
Yogyakartan throne. Diponegoro was the eldest son of
Hamengkubuwono III
Hamengkubuwono III (also spelled Hamengkubuwana III, February 20, 1769 – November 3, 1814) was the third sultan of Yogyakarta, reigning from 1810 to 1811 and from 1812 to 1814.
His eldest son was Diponegoro, and his son and successor Hamengkub ...
, but his right to succeed was disputed because his mother was not the queen. Diponegoro's rivals were his younger half-brother
Hamengkubuwono IV
Hamengkubuwono IV, also spelled Hamengkubuwana IV (Yogyakarta, April 3, 1804 – Yogyakarta, December 6, 1823) was the fourth sultan of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, reigning from 1814 to 1823.
Reign
Born as Gusti Raden Mas Ibnu Jarot, he was the 18t ...
and his then-infant nephew
Hamengkubuwono V
Hamengkubuwono V (also spelled Hamengkubuwana V, Yogyakarta, 24 January 1820 – Yogyakarta, 5 June 1855) was the fifth Sultan of Yogyakarta, reigning from 19 December 1823, to 17 August 1826, and then from 17 January 1828, to 5 June 1855 being ...
, who were supported by the Dutch.
Hostilities
The Java War began 21 July 1825 when Prince Diponegoro raised the standard of revolt on his estate at Selarong.
The rebel forces were successful in the early stages of the war, taking control of central Java and besieging Yogyakarta. The Javanese population was generally supportive of Prince Diponegoro's cause, as the Javanese peasantry had been adversely affected by the implementation of an exploitive cultivation system. The system required villages to grow
export crops which got sold to the government at fixed prices. The Dutch colonial authorities were initially indecisive.
However, as the war persisted, Prince Diponegoro had difficulties retaining his army. By contrast, the Dutch colonial army was able to fill its ranks with
indigenous troops from
Sulawesi
Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Ar ...
, and eventually received reinforcements of European troops from the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. The Dutch commander
General de Kock ended the rebel siege on Yogyakarta on 25 September 1825.
Prince Diponegoro then began an extensive
guerrilla war
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactic ...
. Until 1827, the Dutch army struggled to protect the Javanese hinterland, so they bolstered their territorial defense by deploying mobile detachments of colonial troops, based in small forts throughout central Java. It is estimated that 200,000 died over the course of the conflict, including 8,000 Dutch.
[M.C. Ricklefs: ''A History of modern Indonesia since 1300'', p. 117.]
The rebellion ended in 1830, after Prince Diponegoro was tricked into entering Dutch-controlled territory near
Magelang
Magelang () is one of six cities in Central Java that are administratively independent of the regencies in which they lie geographically. Each of these cities is governed by a mayor rather than a ''bupati''. Magelang city covers an area of 18. ...
, under the pretense of negotiations for a possible ceasefire. He was captured and exiled to
Manado
Manado () is the capital City status in Indonesia, city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of North Sulawesi. It is the second largest city in Sulawesi after Makassar, with the 2020 Census giving a population of 451,916 distribu ...
, and then to
Makassar
Makassar (, mak, ᨆᨀᨔᨑ, Mangkasara’, ) is the capital of the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, Surabaya, Med ...
, where he died in 1855.
[Toby Alice Volkman: ''Sulawesi: island crossroads of Indonesia'', Passport Books, 1990, ,]
page 73
Aftermath
Due to the Dutch forces' heavy losses, the colonial government decided to enlist African recruits in
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
: the so-called "''
Belanda Hitam
Belanda Hitam (from Indonesian meaning "Black Dutchmen", known in Javanese as ''Landa (Walanda) Ireng'') were a group of African (primarily Ashanti and other Akan peoples) recruits in the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army during the colonial ...
''" ("Black Dutchmen"), to augment its East Indian and European troops.
The war was detrimental to Dutch finances; thus, the pacification of Java enabled the colonial government of the
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
to implement ''
Cultuurstelsel'' ("The Cultivation System") in Java without any local opposition in 1830. Overseen by the new governor general,
Johannes van den Bosch
Johannes, Count van den Bosch (2 February 1780 – 28 January 1844) was a Dutch officer and politician. He was Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (1830–1833), commander of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army, Minister of Colonies ...
, this cultivation system required that 20% of village land be devoted to growing
cash crop
A cash crop or profit crop is an Agriculture, agricultural crop which is grown to sell for profit. It is typically purchased by parties separate from a farm. The term is used to differentiate marketed crops from staple crop (or "subsistence crop") ...
s for export at government rates.
Alternatively, peasants had to work in government-owned plantations for 60 days of the year. Dutch colonialists and their native allies amassed enormous wealth through this forced-export system. The profits from the colony more than repaid the Netherlands for the war, and made the
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
self-sufficient.
References
Bibliography
*
Carey, P.B.R. ''Babad Dipanagara: an account of the outbreak of the Java War (1825–30): the Surakarta court version of the Babad Dipanagara'' Kuala Lumpur: Printed for the Council of the M.B.R.A.S. by Art Printing Works, 1981. Monograph (Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Malaysian Branch); no. 9.
* MC Ricklefs, A History of modern Indonesia since 1300, 2nd ed, 1993, pp. 116–117.
* Sagimun M. D. ''Pangeran Dipanegara: pahlawan nasional''
akarta Proyek Biografi Pahlawan Nasional, Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, 1976. (In Indonesian)
External links
*
{{Authority control
Diponegoro
Dutch conquest of Indonesia
History of Java
Military history of Indonesia
Wars involving the Netherlands