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Java War: Diponegoro's Rebellion

The Java War broke out in 1825 in central Java between Dutch colonial forces and Javanese rebels led by Prince Diponegoro. The war began as a rebellion against the Dutch decision to build a road through Diponegoro's property containing his parents' tomb. Diponegoro's forces were initially successful in controlling central Java and besieging Yogyakarta. However, over time the Dutch recruited more troops and were able to defeat Diponegoro, capturing him in 1830. The war severely weakened the Dutch financially but allowed them to implement a new cultivation system without opposition to generate wealth from crop exports.

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488 views1 page

Java War: Diponegoro's Rebellion

The Java War broke out in 1825 in central Java between Dutch colonial forces and Javanese rebels led by Prince Diponegoro. The war began as a rebellion against the Dutch decision to build a road through Diponegoro's property containing his parents' tomb. Diponegoro's forces were initially successful in controlling central Java and besieging Yogyakarta. However, over time the Dutch recruited more troops and were able to defeat Diponegoro, capturing him in 1830. The war severely weakened the Dutch financially but allowed them to implement a new cultivation system without opposition to generate wealth from crop exports.

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The Java War or Diponegoro

The Java War or Diponegoro war broke out in central Java from 1825 to 1830,between the
colonial Dutch Empire and native Javanese rebels. It started as a rebellion led by Prince Diponegoro,a
leading member of the Javanese aristocracy who had previously cooperated with the dutch.

The proximate cause was the Dutch decision to build a road across a piece of Dipoegoro’s
property that contained his parents tomb. Amongst other causes was a sense of resentment felt by
members of the Javanese aristocratic families at Dutch measure intended to restrict the renting out of
land at high prices.

The forces of Prince Diponegoro were successful in the early stages of the war,taking control of
the middle of Java and besieging Yogyakarta. The Javanese population was supportive of Prience
Diponegoro’s cause,whereas the Dutch colonial authorities were initially indecisive. The Javanese
peasantry had been adversely affectd by the implementation of an exploitative cultivation system,which
required villages to grow export crops to be sold to the government at fixed prices.

As the java war became prolonged, PrinceDiponegoro had difficulties in maintaining the
numbersof his troops. The Dutch colonial army,however,was able to fill its ranks with indigenous troops
from Sulawesi , and later on with European reinforcements from the Netherlands it self. The Dutch
commander,General de Kock, raised the siege of Yogyakarta on 25 september 1825.

Prience Diponegoro then began an extensive guerrilla war. It was not until 1827 that the Dutch
army were able to gain the upper had through the deployment of mobile detachments of colonial
troops,based in a number of small located throughout central Java. It is estimated that 200,000 died
over the course of the conflict, 8,000 of them Dutch.

The rebellion finaly ended in 1830, after Prience Diponegoro was tricked into entering Dutch
controlled territory near Magelang,believing he was there for negotiations for a possible ceasefire. He
was captured and exiled to Manado and then to Makasar,where he died in 1855

Altough the war had severely exhausted the Dutch finances, the pacification of Java enable the
colonial government of Dutch East Indies to implement Cultuurstelsel ( “ The Culture System”) in Java,
without any local opposition. Implement in 1830 by the new governor general, Johannes van den Bosch,
this cultivation system requires 20% of village land had to be devted to government crops for export or,
alternatively, peasants had to work in govermentowned plantationts for 60 days of the year. The policy
brought the Dutch and their native allies enormous wealth through the export of cash croops. It brought
the Netherlands back from the brink of bankruptcy, and made the Dutch East Indies a self-sufficient and
profitable

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