Trunajaya's Pasisir offensive

Trunajaya's North Coast offensive
Part of the Trunajaya rebellion
Date October 1676 – January 1677 Location Pasisir (Northern coast of Java), between Surabaya and Karawang (in today's Indonesia) Result Rebel victory Territorial changes Nearly all coastal towns from Surabaya to Karawang were captured by Trunajaya [a]
Belligerents
Mataram Sultanate Dutch East India Company (VOC)	Forces of Trunajaya Banten Sultanate
Commanders and leaders
Wangsadipa Ngabehi Martadipa  Singaperbangsa   †	Trunajaya Kraeng of Galesong Rd. Senapati
Strength
Unknown	9,000 [1]

After his victory at the Battle of Gegodog in October 1676 in northeast Java, the Madurese rebel leader Trunajaya proceeded westwards to conquer Mataram Sultanate's remaining towns in Pasisir, the north coastal region of Java.

Background

Further information: Trunajaya rebellion and Battle of Gegodog

The Trunajaya rebellion began in 1674 as Trunajaya's forces conducted raids against the cities under Mataram control. ^[2] In 1676, a rebel army of 9,000 invaded East Java from their base in Madura, and captured Surabaya, the principal city of East Java, shortly after. ^[1] Mataram King Amangkurat I sent a large army to take him on under the Crown Prince (later Amangkurat II), but this army was decisively defeated on 13 September at the Battle of Gegodog in northeast Java. ^[2] After Gegodog, the Javanese north coast was open to Trunajaya's forces. ^[2]

Offensive

The rebel forces quickly proceeded westwards after the victory. ^[2] The Javanese northern coastal region, Pasisir, contained many trading towns such as Surabaya, Tuban, Juwana, Pati, Jepara, Semarang and Kendal. ^[3]

In 1676, the rebels met Mataram forces in battle at Tuban. The rebels defeated the Mataram forces and created an opportunity to capture Surabaya. ^[2] The rebels succeeded in defeating the Mataram forces there and captured Surabaya. ^[2] After the Mataram forces withdrew from East Java, the rebels launched an offensive on the coastal city in Java. In Gresik, the rebels initiated a battle against the Dutch and succeeded in expelling them. Later the rebels burned down the city. ^[2]

After the battles in Gresik, rebels fought battles against the Dutch in Jepara and succeeded in defeating the Dutch and burned the city. Soon after, the Dutch and Mataram forces expelled the rebels. ^[2] The rebels then captured Cirebon from Dutch forces, and they also burned and looted the city. ^[2]

Trunajaya's forces met with significant resistance in Jepara. In response to the rebellion, Amangkurat had installed a military man, Angabei Wangsadipa, as governor in Jepara overseeing the entire northern coast. ^{[2] [4]} Subsequently, the town's defenses had been reinforced and additional cannons had been placed. ^[2] Jepara's defender also had help from a Dutch East India Company (VOC) force of 200 men, who were reinforced by sea. ^{[5] [4]} They arrived on 20 November 1676 and began besieging the city. ^{[6] [7]} The joint Mataram-VOC defense, as well as the quarrel between the Madurese and Makassarese groups of attackers, caused the attack to ultimately fail. ^{[7] [5] [4]}

After failing to capture Jepara, Trunajaya's captains attacked other towns along the coast. ^[5] The attacks were made easy by many towns having their fortifications dismantled due to their conquest with Mataram's Sultan Agung about five decades before. ^[5] Trading towns were laid in ruin and ships were taken over to carry out further attacks. ^[5] According to H. J. de Graaf, Mataram troops conducted "courageous" defenses of Kudus and Demak, but ultimately fell. ^[5] On 5 January 1677, Trunajaya reached as far west as Cirebon and captured the town, after other coastal towns (except Jepara) had been captured. ^{[5] [8]} VOC forces in their Batavia headquarters prevented a further westward advance. ^[5]

References

Citations

1. Andaya 1981, pp. 214–215.
2. "Pemberontakan Trunojoyo: Penyebab, Kronologi, dan Dampak". Kompas - Jernih melihat dunia (in Indonesian). 2023-06-22. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
3. Pigeaud 1976, p. 59.
4. Ricklefs 1993, p. 34.
5. Pigeaud 1976, p. 70.
6. Kemper 2014, p. 143.
7. Andaya 1981, p. 215.
8. Kemper 2014, p. 68.

1. except Jepara

Bibliography

• Andaya, Leonard Y. (1981). The Heritage of Arung Palakka: A History of South Sulawesi (Celebes) in the Seventeenth Century. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff. doi:10.1163/9789004287228. ISBN   9789004287228.
• Kemper, Simon (2014-05-08). War-bands on Java (Thesis). Leiden University. hdl:1887/25549.
• Ricklefs, M.C. (1993). War, Culture and Economy in Java, 1677–1726: Asian and European Imperialism in the Early Kartasura Period. Sydney: Asian Studies Association of Australia. ISBN   978-1-86373-380-9.
• Ricklefs, M.C. (2008-09-11). A History of Modern Indonesia Since C.1200. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN   978-1-137-05201-8.
• Pigeaud, Theodore Gauthier Thomas (1976). Islamic States in Java 1500–1700: Eight Dutch Books and Articles by Dr H.J. de Graaf. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff. ISBN   90-247-1876-7.