Kyai Ronggo Ngabehi Soero Pernollo (1720 – 1776), or Surapernala, born Han Tjien Kong, was a Chinese-Javanese nobleman, government official and ally of the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

. He founded the senior Muslim branch of the

Han family of Lasem The Han family of Lasem, also called the Han family of East Java or Surabaya, was an influential family of the 'Cabang Atas' or the Chinese gentry of the Dutch East Indies (today known as Indonesia). They came to power in the Indies through their ...

, a branch that became part of the Javanese ''priyayi'', or aristocracy, and distinguished itself in the history of

East Java East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean bord ...

. Han Tjien Kong was born in 1720 at Lasem, a port city in

Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...

, to

Han Siong Kong Han Siong Kong (1673-1743) is best known as the founder of the Han family of Lasem, one of the oldest dynasties of the ''Cabang Atas'' or the Chinese gentry (''baba bangsawan'') of colonial Indonesia. As government bureaucrats, landlords and poli ...

(1672 – 1743), a Chinese migrant of ancient lineage, and an unnamed mother of at least part-

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

ancestry. He had four brothers, including the younger Han Bwee Kong, Kapitein der Chinezen (1727 – 1778). Han Tjien Kong converted to

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

at an unknown date, and subsequently assumed the

Javanese name Javanese people have various systems for naming. Some Javanese, especially those from older generations, have only one name and no surname. Others use their father's names as well as their own, in a similar manner to European patronymics. For exa ...

of Soero Pernollo. Sometime in the mid-eighteenth century, Soero Pernollo moved to East Java, at the time still a frontier territory contested by the Dutch East India Company, the

Mataram Sultanate The Sultanate of Mataram () was the last major independent Javanese kingdom on the island of Java before it was colonised by the Dutch. It was the dominant political force radiating from the interior of Central Java from the late 16th centu ...

and the Balinese princely state of

Mengwi Mengwi is a district (''kecamatan'') in the Badung Regency, Bali, Indonesia and also covers Bali's heaviest tourist regions, situated to the north of Kuta District and North Kuta District (including Seminyak Seminyak is a mixed tourist resi ...

. He entered the service of Hendrik Breton, a senior official of the Company. Breton held the post of

Resident Resident may refer to: People and functions * Resident minister, a representative of a government in a foreign country * Resident (medicine), a stage of postgraduate medical training * Resident (pharmacy), a stage of postgraduate pharmaceuti ...

Rembang Rembang Regency ( id, Kabupaten Rembang) is a regency ( id, kabupaten) on the extreme northeast coast of Central Java Province, on the island of Java (bordering on the Java Sea) in Indonesia. The regency covers an area of 1,035.70 km2 on Java ...

, and was promoted in 1763 to ''Opperhofd van den Osthoek'', or 'High Head of the Eastern Salient', before his eventual elevation in 1768 to the powerful ''Raad van Indië''. Throughout this period, Soero Pernollo was Breton's right-hand man, initially as ''gezaghebber'', or overseer, of three merchant ships, then as

harbourmaster A harbourmaster (or harbormaster, see spelling differences) is an official responsible for enforcing the regulations of a particular harbour or port, in order to ensure the safety of navigation, the security of the harbour and the correct operat ...

Surabaya Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Indonesia, Indonesian province of East Java and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. L ...

, the most important commercial

entrepôt An ''entrepôt'' (; ) or transshipment port is a port, city, or trading post where merchandise may be imported, stored, or traded, usually to be exported again. Such cities often sprang up and such ports and trading posts often developed into co ...

in East Java. During the consolidation of Dutch rule in the Eastern Salient, Soero Pernollo was appointed ''politiehoofd'', or police chief, of

Besuki Besuki is the name of a district (''kecamatan'') in Situbondo Regency, East Java, Indonesia with an area of 26.08 km2. In 2004, its population was 57,109 people. In ancient time the city was important because it was the capital of the Resid ...

and

Panarukan Panarukan is a district in Situbondo Regency, East Java, Indonesia. This sub-district is about 8 km from the capital city Situbondo to the west. The center of government is in the village of Wringin Anom. Localities * Alas Malang * Duwe ...

in 1764 with the Javanese noble title of Ngabehi. In this capacity, he played an important role as a source of military intelligence for the Company during the Dutch-Blambangan War of 1767 to 1768. It was thanks to his influence that his younger brother, Kapitein Han Bwee Kong, eventually managed to acquire the lease for the districts of

in 1768, and of

in 1777. Soero Pernollo died in 1776, but his two sons,

Adipati Soero Adinegoro Adipati Soero Adinegoro (1752–1833), also spelt Adipati Suroadinegoro, born Han Sam Kong (), and sometimes known as Baba Sam, was a Chinese-Javanese nobleman and government official, famous during his lifetime for the good governance of his te ...

and Raden Soero Adiwikromo, both attained prominence as government officials, particularly during the

French and British interludes in the Dutch East Indies The French and British interregnum in the Dutch East Indies were a relatively short period of French and then British interregnum in the Dutch East Indies that took place between 1806 and 1816. The French ruled between 1806 and 1811, while t ...

(1806 – 1815). One of his daughters married a fellow ally of the Dutch East India Company, Pakunataningrat I,

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

Sumenep Sumenep Regency (Indonesian: ''Kabupaten Sumenep'', Madurese: ''Kabhupatèn Songennep'', Carakan: ''꧋ꦏꦧꦸꦥꦠꦺꦤ꧀ꦱꦺꦴꦔꦼꦤ꧀ꦤꦼꦥ꧀꧉'', Pèghu: ''كابوڤاتين سَوڠٓنّٓڤ'', Lontara': ᨀᨅᨘᨄᨈ ...

(reigned 1812 - 1854). Their descendants continued to play an important role in the colonial administration of East Java.

References

{{Reflist 1720 births 1776 deaths People from Surabaya Javanese people Indonesian Muslims Converts to Islam People of the Dutch East Indies Indonesian people of Chinese descent Han family of Lasem Priyayi