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Jan 1, 1511
The Portuguese arrive in Indonesia
In 1511, The Portuguese became the first Europeans to set foot on Indonesia. They sought to dominate spice trade in the spice islands of Maluku, promote Christianity, as well as search for natural resources. Staying mainly on Timor, Solor, and Flores, the Portuguese maintained strong military control over Indonesia, which enabled expansion. -
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The Dutch Arrive in Indonesia
The Dutch merchants launched an expedition led by Cornelis de Houtman to acquire much needed information about the East Indies. It was a crucial key to opening up the Indonesian spice trade to merchants whom eventually formed the Dutch East India Company. During the 16th century, the Portuguese possessed Indonesia as well as the only routes to it. However, a map displaying the exact routes published spurred the Dutch to launch their first expedition to Indonesia. -
Dutch East India Company is formed
When the Dutch East India Company (VOC) was formed in 1602, European trade with Asia was still dominated by Portugal. Soon, the VOC had driven the Portuguese out of Indonesia and established their own monopoly there. They were given “sovereign power” to rule over Indonesia by the Dutch States-General and dominated it until the company’s fall. -
Amboina Massacre
10 Englishmen, 10 Japanese and 1 man of Portuguese descent were killed by Dutch local authorities in Amboina (present day Ambon, Indonesia). This signified the beginning of Dutch domination in Indonesia and ended all hope of the British working with them in the region. -
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The Three Javanese Wars of Succession
The first war was from 1704-1708, against the Dutch East India Company because Indonesia wanted independence. The casualties is unknown and there was no resolution. The war started because one slave, Amangkurat, decided to gather a group and rebel against Dutch traders. The second war was from 1719-1723, over the Amangkurat’s uncle, Pakubuwono's, death. The third war was from 1749-1757, between a kingdom called Mataram in Java and his brother, ending with two different kingdoms. -
Netherlands/France Conflict
In 1793 France declared war on Britain, the Netherlands, and Spain and the end result was the French conquering Geertruidenberg, Netherlands. The French Revolutionary Wars began on February 1, 1793. The war was actually an attempt to defend the French but turned into multiple wars. -
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French Rule in the Netherlands
In 1806, the Batavian republic in the Netherlands ended when Napoleon conquered the Netherlands and set up the Kingdom of Holland, ruled by his brother Louis Bonaparte. In 1815 Battle of Waterloo marked French defeat. William I declared himself king of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and worked to rebuild the economy from the decline it had faced during the time of French rule. Rebuilding the economy required the colonies to produce and export many goods in order to restore trade. -
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The Java War
The Java War lasted from 1825 to 1830 and was led by Prince Diponegoro of the Javanese aristocracy. Rebels fought the Dutch in order to end the repressive system of Dutch regulated farmland. The Java War ended with a Dutch victory. This resulted in a more repressive system of farmland regulation, which ended the time of bankruptcy in The Netherlands (caused by the loss of Belgium early in 1830) and strengthened Dutch control over Indonesia.
