Battle of Aceh (1599)

Assault on Aceh
Part of Acehnese–Dutch conflict
Date 11 September 1599 Location Near Banda Aceh, Aceh Sultanate Result Acehnese victory Cornelis De Houtman was killed by Keumalahayati [1]
Belligerents
Sultanate of Aceh	Dutch Republic
Commanders and leaders
Alauddin Ri'ayat Syah Keumalahayati	Cornelis De Houtman   † Frederick de Houtman  (POW)
Units involved
Inong Balee

In the Battle of Aceh (1599) Malahayati attacked Dutch expeditionary forces led by Cornelis De Houtman to avenge their insults and respond to the arrogance of Cornelis de Houtman. The attacks resulted in the success of Inong Balee forces and the death of de Houtman.

Background

In 1599, Dutch expedition commander Cornelis de Houtman arrived at the port of Aceh. The Sultan met him peacefully until de Houtman insulted him. The Dutchman had clashed with the Banten Sultanate in northwest Java. Upon his arrival in Aceh he hijacked many Aceh ships. Malahayati attacked the Dutch trader's ships by order of Sultan Alauddin Ri'ayat Syah. ^[2]

Battle

Malahayati led her Inong Balee Army in response to the Dutch challenge and after several violent battles she avenged her husband's death by Dutch forces. On 11 September 1599 the Inong Balee forces attacked and Malahayati successfully expelled the two Dutch ships. Malahayati killed de Houtman in a duel and imprisoned Frederick de Houtman. ^{[3] [4]}

Aftermath

After Cornelis got killed by Malahayati, his brother Frederick de Houtman was imprisoned by the Sultan. After this battle, the Inong Balee armies stormed many of the Dutch forts during the Second Dutch Expedition to the East Indies to force the Dutch to sign a treaty. ^[5]

Legacy

Because of the Acehnese victory in this battle, Malahayati is considered to be the first modern woman admiral. ^[6]

In November 2017, President Joko Widodo awarded her honorary National Hero of Indonesia. ^[7]

References

1. "Tewasnya Cornelis de houtmam saat berduel dengan Malahayati." Kompas (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2024-11-06.
2. "Duel Cornelis de Houtman dan Perempuan Aceh Laksamana Malahayati". Tempo.com (in Indonesian). 2022-06-27.
3. "Kisah Malahayati, Pahlawan Perempuan dari Aceh yang Menaklukan Cornelis de Houtman". merdeka.com (in Indonesian). 2023-11-23. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
4. Iswara, Raditya (2020-09-10). "Cornelis de Houtman Tewas dalam Tikaman Rencong Malahayati". Tirto.id (in Indonesian).
5. Rokhmi, Noviastussani (2023-11-23). "Kisah Malahayati, Laksamana Wanita asal Aceh Penakluk Cornelis de Houtman dalam Duel Satu Lawan Satu". Liputan6.com (in Indonesian).
6. "Duel Cornelis de Houtman dan Perempuan Aceh Laksamana Malahayati". Tempo.com (in Indonesian). 2022-06-27.
7. Okezone (2017-11-09). "Sah! Jokowi Anugerahkan Gelar Pahlawan Nasional ke Laksamana Malahayati dan 3 Tokoh Ini: Okezone Nasional". Okenews (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2020-11-06.