The Java War or Diponegoro War was fought in Java between 1825 and 1830. It started as a rebellion led by the illustrious Prince Diponegoro. The trigger was the Dutch decision to build a road across a piece of his property that contained his parent's tomb. Among other causes was a sense of betrayal by the Dutch felt by members of the Javanese aristocratic families, as they were no longer able to rent land at high prices. There were also some problems with the succession of the throne in Yogyakarta: Diponegoro was the oldest son, but as his mother was not the queen, he did not have any right to succeed his father.The troops of Prince Diponegoro were very successful in the beginning, controlling the middle of Java and besieging Yogyakarta. Furthermore the Javanese population was supportive of Prince Diponegoro's cause, whereas the Dutch colonial authorities were initially very indecisive.
However, as the Java war prolonged, Prince Diponegoro had difficulties in maintaining the numbers of his troops.
The Dutch colonial army however was able to fill its ranks with troops from Sulawesi and later on with troops from the Netherlands. The Dutch commander, General De Kock, was able to end the siege of Yogyakarta on September 25, 1825.
Prince Diponegoro started a fierce guerilla war and it was not until 1827 that the Dutch army gained the upper hand.
It is estimated that 200,000 died over the course of the conflict, 8,000 being Dutch. The rebellion finally ended in 1830, after Prince Diponegoro was tricked into entering Dutch custody near Magelang, believing he was there for negotiations for a possible cease-fire, and exiled to Manado on the island of Sulawesi.
Because of the large number of European soldiers who perished in the war, the Dutch government decided to recruit African soldiers in Gold Coast, the so-called "Belanda Hitam" ("Black Dutchies").
Diponegoro
Pangeran Diponegoro (born Yogyakarta 1785- died Makassar 1855) was a Javanese prince who opposed the Dutch colonial rule. He played an important role in the Java War (1825-1830). In 1830, the Dutch exiled him to Manado.
Diponegoro was a prince in the Javanese court of Yogyakarta. In the early 19th century the Javanese nobles were deprived of their right to lease land, which right was taken over by the Dutch colonial authority in order to improve their finances. Infuriated by the loss of prestige, and also by not having been chosen for promotion, Diponegoro believed that he had been chosen by divine powers to lead a rebellion against the secular colonials and started a holy war against them. Dipenogoro was widely believed to be the Ratu Adil, the Just Ruler predicted in the Pralembang Joyoboyo.
The beginning of the war saw large losses on the side of the Dutch, due to their lack of coherent strategy and commitment in fighting Diponegoro's guerrilla warfare. Ambushes were set up, and food supplies were denied to the Dutch troops. Diponegoro also enjoyed popular support among the population of Central Java.
The Dutch finally committed themselves to controlling the spreading rebellion by increasing the number of troops and sending General De Kock to stop the insurgencies. De Kock developed a fortress wherein he established a series of heavily-fortified and well-defended soldiers to limit the movement of Diponegoro's troops. Then Diponegoro was invited to negotiate. He accepted but later it was known that it was only Dutch trick to abduct him. He was placed under arrest while meeting under the auspices of negotiation in 1830. The Dutch exiled him to Makassar.
Today Diponegoro is a National Hero in Indonesia, and The Central Java Military Region is named after him.
