FORT MARLBOROUGH from DEFENSE HERITAGE PERSPECTIVE

AUTHOR: ELISA TANDOKALLO

Co AUTHOR: Dr. Jeanne Francoise
social science and political science study program, president university, Indonesia.
Jababeka Education park, Jl. Ki Hajar Dewantara, RT.2/RW.4,mekarmukti,cikarang Utara,
Bekasi regency, west java 17530, Indonesia.
Elisa.tandokallo@student.president.ac.id

ABSTRAC
being a independence country we need to outing so manny effort to get a
“independence country” and after the independence era we are in pase that we need to
keep the remember our struggle in the past day era and to keep the sense of nationalism we
need remember and learning about heritage that we need to know, so manny heritage that
we can see in now day for example cultural heritage, industrial heritage, geological heritage,
and ETC. for see our struggle to get independence from colonialism we need to learn from
defense heritage, because the definition of defense heritage is all things that show the
historical narrative of a nation’s struggle for against colonialism, achieve independence and
defend independence (FRANCOISE, 2021) because before we respect out heritage we need
to know our identity because if we know our identity we will more respect with our history
and our identity because. We can see why we must be more respect into our country.
because our people before me doing anything to sacrifice their dream or life only for
Indonesia. Because Indonesia having super long story we all know in every city in Indonesia
having their own Historical monument to remember our struggle before the independence.

ABSTRAK
Negara yang merdeka tenttusaja memiliki perjuangan untuk mendapatkan gelar
kemerdekan itu. Untuk memunculkan rasa nasionalisme kit akita harus menemukan
identitas jati diri kita, karena harus mengetahui seberapa sulitnya perjuangan Indonesia
untuk meraih kata kemerdekaan, dan perngorbanan pahlawan kita supaya kita dapat
merasakan kemerdekaan tentusaja tidak lah di raih dengan waktu yang mudah dan singkat. Ii
lah penyebab kenapa kita harus memperlajari dan juga memahami kelulitan kesulitan yang
terjaid di masa lampau supaya kita bisa menumbuhkan rasa cinta tanah air kita untuk
Indonesia. Dengan merawat dan melestarikan cerita tentang perjuangan Indonesia tentusaja
menjadi pilihan kita untuk melanjutkan kemerdekaan dan menumbuhkan rasa nasionalis.

INTRODUCTION

in Bengkulu for example we can find a Big Fort that named fort Marlborough”
Marlborough fort having a sister that we can find in madras, India “ST. George” they still in
the same era, in imperialism of England, on this case we can see that Bengkulu Indonesia
and madras India already connected on that era.Fort Marlborough we are know that located
in Bengkulu Indonesia, close with Bengkulu old town, before they making a Fort
Marlborough they already creating a Fort in Bengkulu, but they must destroy it because in
one area they only have one fort in one located, from this case we can see that England and
Bengkulu doing a diplomacy start from 1685 because they start to selling herbs and spices
that we all know western country need it because the smell of Bengkulu herbs and spices we
can smell it into England at the moment and Bengkulu empire ready and open into England
because when they came Bengkulu people celebrate it and England empire give them a 8
cannon as a welcome and thanks for welcoming the England in Bengkulu. British start to
begin the Bengkulu in 1719 and England having especial characteristic because in city that
England and they having a different characteristic in Bengkulu because they focusing
Bengkulu as trade place and economical place that’s why they design the Bengkulu city close
with the India ocean more easy to transfer the spices into the ship this is why England design
the city architecture close with the ocean. after they build the fort the British built Fort
Marlborough Fort. The construction of the fort was hindered by King Selebar and Prince
Nata Dirja. The British then intended to get rid of Raja Selebar. They made a banquet and
invited King Selebar. In the middle of the banquet, they killed King Selebar and Prince Nata
Dirja. As a result of the killing, relations between Britain and Bengkulu, which had been
relatively good, became sour. Finally, in 1719, Prince Nata Dirja's son and his troops and
residents of the area attacked the British and succeeded in occupying Fort Marlborough
(dalip, 1984).
against the British also took place in other parts of Bengkulu, such as the resistance led by
Sultan Mansyur and Sultan Sulaiman in the Muko-muko and Pillow areas. Due to this
increasingly fierce popular resistance, the British finally left Bengkulu in 1719. However, the
British departure from Bengkulu was not forever. In 1742, they came and again established
trade relations with Bengkulu businessmen. The tension peaked, on the night of March 23,
1719, Fort Marlborough was attacked by around 80 people, most of whom were thought to
be from the Lembak and Selebar tribes which resulted in the British fleeing to Batavia and
Madras. The figures who are strongly suspected of being the leaders of the raid on Fort
Marlborough include Prince Mangkuradja from Sungai Lemau, Prince Intan Ali from Selebar,
Prince Sungai Itam, and also Syed Ibrahim (Abdullah, 1996).

RESERCH METODE:
- Field reserch
The location: Jl. Benteng, Kebun Keling, kec. Tlk. Segara,Bengkulu, Bengkulu. 38116
Indonesia.
DATE: 14 april 2023
 “source: author, 2023”
“8 canons gift from England to bengkulu kingdom”
 “source: author 2023”
(the logo of the england kingdom at the moment)q
 “source: author, 2023”
bengkulu old town (the arsitecture really uniqe because they use the eropean style in
england era they use it as a market and some of chinese people epen their store at there
and people say China town in england era and dutch era, but in japanese era they use this
bulding as a bar or night club)
 In 1686 England build one fort we know as a Fort York In Bengkulu. Because of the
bad weather and endemic of a disease, dysentery, malaria and plague. making the fort
losing the power, because of that England sending burkan army to build the fort
Marlborough in India (on this perspective we can see that England don’t use local people to
build the fort because they come to Bengkulu not for colonialism the Bengkulu people but
only for buying the herb and spices, so they not use Bengkulu people as their labor) but
England destroy York fort in 1715 because they think impossible in 1 area having a two fort,
so England asking people to destroy the Fort York. That’s why we can’t find the York ford
building again, only York younger sister fort Marlborough. England looking for specific herbs
we all know as a nutmeg, cloves. Pepper.

In 1686 we can smell our herbs in European country because in nusantara and India
at the moment they produce the herb and spices that having an international grade of the
quality, the best quality that we can find in European. And European country buying the
spices and herbs from EIC, this is giving the European a big benefit so at the moment
England in their money from the colonialism country like India and Bengkulu. First of at the
center of spices that England buying the spices is banten, because of Dutch having more
power in banten and bring a conflict with king of banten and England, England must log out
from banten, and Bengkulu kingdom respond to the England latter that they looking for a
place to invest and England will protect Bengkulu kingdom. After that Bengkulu that’s why
Bengkulu people open and welcoming the England, and giving England the opportunity to
build the fort (first one York fort after that Fort Marlborough)

In fort Marlborough we know they are the center of military and archive center so
inside the Fort we can see the office for England people. In 1685-1713 Benyamin bloome
become the head of EIC in Bengkulu “because of Benyamin bloome EIC achieve their
successfully in England because Benyamin really kind and welcoming Bengkulu people and
stability of the purchase price of herbs and spices in. Bengkulu, so they not doing a trade
monopoly with Bengkulu people, and Bengkulu people for respect the England at the
moment they build a house or place for England people who bring their family to stay in
Bengkulu and burial place for England people. In that era Bengkulu was success doing a
business with England especially EIC. (sidiki, 1996) but because of competition between
Dutch and England, and England only get their place in sukadana, makassar, jayakarta,
jepara, aceh, jambi, and bengkulu.

EIC really success in Bengkulu, and the function of fort Marlborough not only as a
military base, but we can see from the place that view with hindia ocean, they put one space
that having a cannon that ready to use if VOC try to fight EIC, by bombing the VOC ship and
making their shipwrecked. And the construction of fort Marlborough they using a brick they
arranged with thickness 3 meter and they built the fort Marlborough on coral reefs that is
the reason why the fort is resistant from earthquake who always attacking the Bengkulu.
From the architectures we can see that this fort is very strong one, because they design it for
military base, and they having special room that using as an interrogation room, that room
very special because they having a special feature.

So the room can reflect the sound and making the sound more louder and break the
mentally of people because they will scared, and Dutch using this room to interrogation the
England people. From this perspective we can see that 3 country using this fort first the
builder is England and Dutch using as a military base after they win from England, and last is
japan using as military base. After Indonesia independence they using the Fort as palace
military base too. This is why fort Marlborough having super long history that we can see 3
country using it and as a military base we can see too they having a great asitecture that
people already think about the architectures, the trap they create super perfect so people
think they put a water around the fort, no they using a sharp iron around the fort so if the
enemy try to hide and go to inside fort their feet embedded and the sniper already hide
around the wall they using a small hole, the enemy don’t know where they are to kill them
using a GUN.

From the welcoming gate we can see that they using a Teknik that welcoming gate that
skewed, because if they create it straight people really easy to smashed the gate, and the
gate they put a sharp iron and paint it black so this is not only create the elegant look but
dangerous, because the architectures of this fort quite wester and more into European
vintage style because they build this fort at 1719
manny things that we can see from this ford, and in every era they putting a little bit a
change into the fort, especially in Indonesia era after the independence they using a Fort
Marlborough as a place as a jail and administration room. Because we can see from this
place in England era, this place using as a dorm for a BOY, but in Indonesia era, they using as
a jail that’s why the architectures now quite random because in so manny era, they change
the architectures and functional too.

(source: author,2023)

“Boys dorm in England era, after the colonialism Indonesia use this place as a introgression
room and jail”
 For the greave that we can meet, especially in opening date, we can see tombstone.
The standing Tombstone is the tombstone of the creator name of Marlborough, because
their leader is from Marlborough (small village name) they use it as a name of that fort. But
sadly that guy die young because of endemic of a disease that happen in Bengkulu, and
another people who having a standing Tombstone is important people, leader of EIC, British
honor Guard.
 (source: author,2023)

George Shaw (1704), Richard Watts Esq (1705), James Cune (1737) and Henry Stirling (1774)

*standing Tombstone in fort, using the old grammar English

 (source: author,2023)
“EIC OFFICE CENTER INSIDE THE FORT”

After that we can see too that for the fort malboorouth they having the EIC center
who the place next to the military base, inside the EIC center they having a special Tunnel for
putting the Gold and money for trade with spices from Bengkulu people, but some tragedy
happen, because of EIC choosing the wrong person, they choosing Thomas parr this tragedy
making Bengkulu people mad and start to do demonstration and attaching par with poison
arrow because of Bengkulu people really having an attitude, they only kill the Thomas parr
not parr family and another tragedy happen because of the bodyguard try to protect their
boss, their bodyguard get injured by poison arrow, but Bengkulu people at the moment still
believe with England but they don’t want parr body buried in local people cemetery, so
England people use to buried the Thomas parr and his body guard inside the fort.
 source: author,2023
“the picture of cemetery from Charles muray, Thomas parr, Robert Hamilton inside the forth
Marlborough”

This is how England protect their people. And the office of EIC in England era they use to be
2 level of budling , but in Dutch era they change it become the one floor budling, this is
because in England era, the fort some of people living in there and in Dutch era, they only
use that area as an office and the place that troops can live only in boys dorm area. This is
why we must know that so many change from the forts from the original version into
another era, for example in Dutch era, Japanese era and last is the Indonesia era. This is why
the museum fort Marlborough until now they using the real building and they keep the
building maintenance so the people can see the real building that we can see from 100 years
ago, from the kingdom of Bengkulu until Indonesia independence and Bengkulu become the
part of Bengkulu this is super long story that they keep so we still remember that 3 country
before Indonesia independence creating a history into the Bengkulu area.
And some fun fact we all know about rafflesia flower, the one who find the rafflesia is France
people (because at the moment England lose from France) because of England can Fight
back the France, and they find the notes about Rafflesia Flower, England people start to do
expedition about rafflesia flower, so the England giving the patent of rafflesia flower The one
who find the flower is Dr. Arnoldi but because they respect the authority who send them to
see the flower they give the name of Flower from the governor of Dutch Bengkulu MR.
rafflesia. Because of that the Bengkulu icon Flower is rafflesia arnoldi. And this is showing
that in England era France come and using that fort too, but in short era.

(source : author, 2023)

Not only that the fort but Bengkulu having the house of sukarno (the resident house
in they exile era) so Dutch put them in Bengkulu, because of that too our president meeting
with the third wife Fatmawati sukarno
In this tragedy Dutch asking sukarno to create the monument about Dutch in Bengkulu, but
sukarno refuse the idea from Dutch and in their exile era, the reason why Dutch put the
sukarno in Bengkulu because they hope sukarno get malaria and pass away because of sick
at the moment half the troops pass away because of outbreaks of malaria and bubonic
plague happen in Bengkulu and they hope skarn getting the malaria or bubonic plague and
pass away , but in reality because sukarno got exile in Bengkulu he got a new wife fatmawati
sukarno become the parents of our Third president megawati sukarno Putri. And in Dutch
era we can see that Dutch authority very different with England era.
 (source: author,2023)
“Dutch leader asking sukarno for creating a monument about Dutch and sukarno refuse the
idea”

Because in Dutch era local people more frequent to do demonstration with the
Dutch. And in Bengkulu kingdom era they having a robin hood that stealing from Dutch and
they give it into local people because this king having a empathy with the local residents
who tormented by the Dutch who colonized them and Bengkulu king become the Robbin
hood (stealing in good way) is “Ratu Samba” in Indonesia ratu means queen identic with the
woman but in Bengkulu Ratu samban is a man and he is the king right now Bengkulu people
try to vote his name as a Indonesia national hero from Bengkulu. In Dutch era too the
colonialism for Bengkulu people making Bengkulu people suffer

In Japanese era they use the fort Marlborough as a military base and in Japanese era
they not only torturing the local people but they torturing the Dutch people too. The proof
that Japanese doing a Torturing Dutch people we can see the hand writing on the wall, so
Japanese army arrest Dutch people and start to torture the Japanese people

“source: author,2023”

“the hand writing on the wall, we can see it the Dutch people write the Compass on the
wall”
 CONCLUSION

From defense heritage we can see this place as a defense heritage view this fort is a
defense. Heritage because of 3 country who using this fort for their military base, and that
this fort having a good maintenance, Jambi Government really take care that Fort, and so
manny stuff that still real from Dutch era, but sadly this fort super underrated, only local
people know, not same like their sister fort in madras India.

This fort was built as proof that Bengkulu was once in the lyrics of European
countries as a branch of their economy because they knew that Bengkulu had a lot of
potentials and also a lot of enthusiasts who tried to control Bengkulu even though at that
time Bengkulu experienced an outbreak of disease which caused some foreign soldiers to
die as a result of cholera and also the plague but the British still dared to invest in Bengkulu
with the initial intention of the British government initially only to establish trade relations
by creating various agreements that only benefited the colonial side, this was also over time
the colonial side tried to control the government Bengkulu at that time, from there emerged
the attitude of resistance from the Bengkulu Party who felt disadvantaged by the colonial
party in their era.

now using as a tourism object but fort Marlborough we can see too they use it as a
Bengkulu tourism but the maintenance under the Jambi government but the fort still
maintained and clean so Its good, but the branding of this fort still low, why this is happen
because Indonesia tourism still focus on some part, not all part of Indonesia, and the
branding of this fort quote low, not really strong, but over all we can see that fort is very
good, for defense heritage society we can say this is on the second level because, the fort
still in good maintained but they only need a little bit of a serious branding.

not only that we can put the history of Marlborough on our curriculum especially in
junior high school and senior High school, so people can more recognize about Marlborough
history from Bengkulu, especially for Bengkulu people, because in Bengkulu we all know that
this object super important for Bengkulu people, because they need to understand that
Bengkulu having a big potential because they having a sea, and close with Mountain, so the
Bengkulu Crops super well because Bengkulu people looking for money and economic come
from the sea, mountain and they sell the Tourism aspect too, like Palau tikus from Bengkulu,
we using a Local people yatch and Go to Bengkulu.

So on this aspect the tourism era in Bengkulu really having a big impact into
Bengkulu people, we all know that Bengkulu is the place with long history, and we need to
know and adore that the beauty of Bengkulu history and they still keep the historical
evidence that still real and that’s not easy, because normaly in another place, they have the
story but they don’t have the historical evidence because of a natural disasters that happen
in Indonesia, because Indonesia is the land of volcano, so super hard for us to keep the
historical evidence and Bengkulu can keep it with super great condition, this is why we need
to more appreciate the Bengkulu city by support the historical place like bung karno house,
fort Marlborough become to participate in our historical country by put them and make
them as a icon and put them in our curriculum. And put Bengkulu hero become Indonesia
national hero. Because super hard to find Indonesia hero from Bengkulu, we can put the
Bengkulu one for our respect to Bengkulu people who already attended in Bengkulu and
support local people by support the Bengkulu idea to make Bengkulu great again.

Because we all know that we must support our local historical place because we
need to learn and know our identity, after that we can showing the world why we need this
kind of history. But we need to forgive the country that colonialism us but we still remember
what they do to us and we must know that because of them we are one now, Indonesia, and
don’t look back in anger because of them we all rich in historical aspect, in now days we can
use or historical things become an economical aspect, like this fort we can use it as a
museum because the interesting story we can find inside the fort and our job is taking care
the fort because we all know that this fort having a special historic we want to share this fort
into next generation too.
Bibliografi

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(DEFENSE HERITAGE) SEBAGAI SARANA PROGRAM BELA NEGARA. jakarta : universitas
pertahanan republik indonesia .
Abdullah, S. (1996). sejarah bengkulu . jakarta: balai pustaka.

dalip, a. (1984). sejarah perlawanan terhadap imperialisme dan kolonialisme daerah

bengkulu. jakarta: departemen pendidikan dan budaya .