History of Jakarta

For other places with the same historical name, see Batavia (disambiguation).

Dutch Batavia in the 17th century, built in what is now North Jakarta

Jakarta, on the island of Java, is the capital city of Indonesia. During the Dutch colonial era, it was called Batavia. In earlier forms it can be found as Djakarta

Pre-Dutch colonial era

Padrão of Sunda Kalapa (1522), a stone pillar sealing the Sunda–Portuguese treaty, Indonesian National Museum, Jakarta.

The earliest recorded mention of Jakarta is as a port of origin that can be traced to a Hindu settlement as early as the 4th century. The Jakarta area was part of the fourth century Indianized kingdom of Tarumanagara. In AD 397, King Purnawarman established Sunda Pura as a new capital city for the kingdom, located at the northern coast of Java. Purnawarman left seven memorial stones across the area with inscriptions bearing his name, including the present-day Banten and West Java provinces.

After the power of Tarumanagara declined, its territories, including Sunda Pura, became part of the Kingdom of Sunda. According to the Chinese source, Chu-fan-chi, written circa 1200, Chou Ju-kua in the early 13th Century, Srivijaya ruled Sumatra, the Malay peninsula, and western Java (Sunda). The source reports the port of Sunda as strategic and thriving, pepper from Sunda being among the best in quality. The people worked in agriculture and their houses were built on wooden piles. The harbour area was renamed Sunda Kelapa as written in a Hindu monk's lontar manuscripts. By the fourteenth century, Sunda Kelapa became a major trading port for the kingdom. The first European fleet, four Portuguese ships from Malacca, arrived in 1513 when the Portuguese were looking for a route for spices, especially black pepper. The Kingdom of Sunda made a peace agreement with Portugal by allowing the Portuguese to build a port in 1522 in order to defend against the rising power of the Sultanate of Demak from central Java.

By the 14th century, it was a major port for the Hindu Sunda Kingdom. The first European fleet, four Portuguese ships from Malacca, arrived in 1513. Malacca had been conquered by Afonso de Albuquerque in 1511 when the Portuguese were looking for spices and especially pepper.

In the 15th century AD there was, at the mouth of the Ciliwung River in the western part of Java Island, a harbour called Kalapa. It was one of the sea ports of the Sundanese kingdom of Pajajaran whose capital, Pakuan, was situated on the location of the modern city of Bogor, some 60 km upstream on the river.

The Portuguese, who had conquered Malacca in 1511 and wanted to set foot in the Moluccas, the famed "Spice Islands", were looking for a relay harbour on Java. Kalapa was attractive to them, all the more so since Pajajaran, which was still a Hindu polity, could make an alliance against Muslims who dominated the regional trade at that time. In 1522, the Portuguese signed with Pajajaran a treaty.

The relationship between the Kingdom of Sunda and Portugal intensified when another Portuguese named Enrique Leme visited Sunda in 1522 with the intention of giving a present. He was well-received and as a result, the Portuguese gained rights to build a warehouse and expand their fort in Sunda Kelapa (the name of the location at the time). The Sundanese regarded this as a consolidation of their position against the raging Muslim troops from the rising power of the Sultanate of Demak in Central Java.

In 1527, Muslim troops coming from Cirebon and Demak attacked the Kingdom of Sunda under the leadership of Fatahillah. The king was expecting the Portuguese to come and help them hold Fatahillah's army because of an agreement that had been in place between Sunda and the Portuguese. However, Fatahillah's army succeeded in conquering the city on June 22, 1557, and Fatahillah changed the name of "Sunda Kelapa" to "Jayakarta" (जयकर्; "Great Deed" or "Complete Victory" in Sanskrit).

Dutch colonial era

Jayakarta in 1605 prior the establishment of Batavia.

The followers of the Sultan of Banten (the location of Jayakarta), Prince Jayawikarta, was also very involved in the history of Jakarta. In 1596, many Dutch ships arrived in Jayakarta with the intention of trading spices, more or less the same as that of the Portuguese. In 1602, the English East India Company's first voyage, commanded by Sir James Lancaster, arrived in Aceh and sailed on to Bantam where he was allowed to build trading post which becomes the centre of English trade in Indonesia until 1682. In this case, the Prince took the Dutch arrival seriously as the Dutch had constructed many military buildings. Prince Jayawikarta apparently also had a connection with the English and allowed them to build houses directly across from the Dutch buildings in 1615. When relations between Prince Jayawikarta and the Dutch later deteriorated, his soldiers attacked the Dutch fortress which covered two main buildings, Nassau and Mauritus. But even with the help of 15 ships from the English, Prince Jayawikarta's army wasn't able to defeat the Dutch, for Jan Pieterszoon Coen (J.P. Coen) came to Jayakarta just in time, drove away the English ships and burned the English trading post.

Things then changed for the Prince, when the Sultan of Banten sent his soldiers and summoned Prince Jayawikarta to establish a close relationship with the English without an approval of the Banten authorities. The relationships between both Prince Jayawikarta and the English with the Banten government then became worse and resulted in the Prince's decision to move to Tanara, a small place in Banten, until his death. This assisted the Dutch in their efforts to establish a closer relationship with Banten. The Dutch had by then changed the name to "Batavia", which remained until 1942.

In 1595, Amsterdam merchants had set up an expedition to be sent to the Indonesia archipelago. Under the command of Cornelis de Houtman, the expedition arrived in Banten in 1596. The goods it brought back to the Netherlands only produced a modest profit to the merchants who had set up the expedition.

In 1602 the Dutch set up the Dutch East Indies Company, Vereenigde Oostindie Compagnie in Dutch or VOC. In the Moluccas, the Dutch took a first Portuguese fort in 1605.

Jan Pieterszoon Coen was appointed the VOC governor general for the Moluccas. He too wanted to set up an establishment in Java. He took Jayakarta in 1619. On the ruins of the Javanese town, he founded Batavia, which he named after the ancestors of the Dutch people, the Germanic tribe of the Batavians.

In 1613, prince Rangsang became king of Mataram in Central Java. The following year, he attacked the principality of Surabaya in the east. The man who would be remembered as Sultan Agung had started a series of successful campaigns against rival kingdoms and principalities on Java. In 1625, in addition to Central Java, Mataram was in control of central and eastern parts of the island's northern coast, called the Pasisir. Now Agung wanted to take on Banten and Batavia.

Agung launched a first offensive on Batavia in 1628. Having suffered heavy losses, he had to retreat. he launched a second offensive in 1629. The Dutch fleet destroyed his supplies and his ships in the harbours of Cirebon and Tegal. Mataram troops, starving and decimated by illness, had to retreat again.

However, Agung pursued his conquering ambitions to the east. He attacked Blitar, Panarukan and the Blambangan principality in Java's eastern salient, a vassal of the Balinese kingdom of Gelgel. Agung died in 1646. His son succeeded him under the title of Susuhunan Amangkurat.

A newly established fort of Batavia (established in 1610) and the walled city of Batavia. Map in 1627.

Within Batavia's walls, wealthy Dutch built tall houses and pestilential canals. Commercial opportunities attracted Indonesian and especially Chinese immigrants, the increasing numbers creating burdens on the city. Tensions grew as the colonial government tried to restrict Chinese migration through deportations. On 9 October 1740, 5,000 Chinese were massacred and the following year, Chinese inhabitants were moved to Glodok outside the city walls.

See also Jakarta Old Town

See also List of colonial buildings and structures in Jakarta

Capital of the Dutch East Indies

Map of Batavia in 1840, showing the growth of the city to the south of the old Batavia.

After the VOC was formally dissolved in 1800 the Batavian Republic expanded all the VOC's territorial claims into a fully fledged colony named the Dutch East Indies. From the company's regional headquarters Batavia now evolved into the capital of the colony. During this era of both urbanisation and industrialisation Batavia was at the inceptive stage of most modernising developments in the colony. In 1808 Daendels moved the old town center to higher ground and urbanised the area known as Weltevreden. During the British interregnum Daendels was replaced by Raffles who governed until 1816.

1836 the first Steamboat arrived at the Batavia shipyard of Island Onrust. 1853 the first exhibition of agricultural products and native arts & crafts was held in Batavia. 1860 the Willem III school was openend. 1869 the Batavia Tramway Company started the horse-tram line nr 1: Old Batavia (now: Jakarta Kota). Route: From Amsterdam Gate at the northern end of Prinsenstraat (now: Jl Cengke) to Molenvliet (now: Jl Gaja Madah) and Harmonie. After 1882 the horse-tram lines were reconstructed into steamtram lines.

1864 the concession for constructing the Batavia-Bogor railway was granted and completed in 1871. From 1881 to 1884 the railway infrastructure was expanded to connect Batavia to Sukabumi, Cianjur and Bandung. In 1886 the Batavia harbour was connected to the railway system. By 1894 Batavia was connected to Surabaya.

1878 the first centenary of the Batavia Society of Arts & Sciences was celebrated. 1881 the first dry docks were opened on Island Amsterdam just off the Batavia roadsteads. 1883 the Dutch Indies Telephone Company was established in Batavia. 1884 the first exhibition of Javanese arts & crafts at the Zoological gardens. 1888 the Anatomical and Bacterial Institute was established. 1895 the Pasteur Institute was established.

By the end of the century the capital and regency of Batavia numbered 115,887 people of which 8,893 were Europeans, 26,817 Chinese and 77,700 indigenous islanders.

The city began to move further south as epidemics in 1835 and 1870 encouraged more people to move far south of the port. The Koningsplein, now Merdeka Square, was completed in 1818, and Kebayoran Baru was the last Dutch-built residential area.

Map of Batavia in 1897

In Indonesian National Revival era, Mohammad Husni Thamrin, a member of Volksraad criticized the Colonial Government for ignoring the development of kampung (inlander's area) while focusing the development for the rich people in Menteng. He also talked on the issue of Farming Tax and other taxes which burdened people. Some of his speeches are still relevant in today's Jakarta. An important street in today's Jakarta was named after him.

Japanese Occupation

Sketch of the Japanese entry into Batavia

On March 5, 1942 Batavia fell to the Japanese troops. The Dutch formally surrendered to the Japanese occupation forces on March 9, 1942 and rule of the colony was transferred to Japan. The city was renamed Jakarta, with official name Jakarta Tokubetsu Shi (Special Municipality of Jakarta)

To strengthen its position in Indonesia, the Japanese government issued an Act No. 42 1942 on the "Restoration of the Regional Administration System". This act divided Java into several Syuu (Resident Administration or Karesidenan), each was led by a Bupati (Regent). Each Syuu was divided into several Shi (Municipality or Stad Gemeente), led by a Wedana (District Head). Below a Wedana is a Wedana Assistant (Sub District Head), which in turn headed a Lurah (Village Unit Head), which in turn headed a Kepala Kampung (Kampung Chief).

Jakarta however was made a special status called Jakarta Tokubetsu Shi (Special Municipality of Jakarta) with a Schichoo (Mayor) heading all these officials, following the law created by the Guisenken (Head of the Japanese Troops Administration). The effect of this system was a one-man rule with no councils of representative bodies. The first schichoo of Jakarta is Tsukamoto, and the last is Hasegawa.

In 1943, the Japanese Troops Administration slightly revised the administration of Jakarta by adding a special counseling body. This special counseling body was comprised of twelve local (Javanese) leaders who were regarded loyal to the Japanese, among them are Suwiryo and Dahlan Abdullah.

See also: Japanese occupation of Indonesia

National Revolution Era (1945-1950)

The first ceremony of raising the flag of Indonesia in Jakarta

Since the proclamation of the independence of Indonesia on August 17, 1945, at Jalan Pegangsaan Timur No. 56 (now Jalan Proklamasi), Jakarta, Suwiryo still presented and acted as committee chairman. At that time, he was recognized as the first mayor of Jakarta Tokubetsu Shi (the name soon changed into Pemerintah Nasional Kota Jakarta, "Jakarta City National Administration". On November 21, 1945, Suwiryo and his assistants were arrested by the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration who had returned to their former colony.

Following World War II, Indonesian Republicans withdrew from allied-occupied Jakarta during their fight for Indonesian independence and established their capital in Yogyakarta.

On December 27, 1949, the Dutch finally recognized Indonesia as an independent country and a sovereign federal state under the name of Republic of the United States of Indonesia. At this time, the Jakarta City Administration was led by Mayor Sastro Mulyono.

See also: [[:The war against Indonesian independence]]

See also: Indonesian National Revolution

Sukarno era

File:Hotel Indonesia1962.png

Looking south at the almost complete Hotel Indonesia in mid-1962

In 1950, once independence was secured, Jakarta was once again made the national capital. Indonesia's founding president, Sukarno, envisaged Jakarta as a great international city instigating large, government-funded projects undertaken with openly nationalistic architecture that strived to show the newly independent nation's pride in itself. Projects included a clover-leaf highway, a broad by-pass in Jakarta (Jalan Sudirman), four high-rise hotels including the famous Hotel Indonesia, a new parliament building, the 127 000-seat Bung Karno Stadium, and monuments including The National Monument.

Suharto era

Following Sukarno's downfall and the Transition to the New Order, Jakarta Governor, Lieutenant General Ali Sadikin, administered the city from 1966 to 1977. He is credited with rehabilitating public services, and also cleared out slum dwellers, banned rickshaws, and street peddlers. Finance sector reforms of the late-1980s saw Jakarta become the focus of real estate boom, which ended abruptly, however, in the 1997 East Asian Economic crisis. The city became the centre of violence, protest, and political manoeuvring as long-time president Suharto began to lose his grip on power. Tensions reached a peak in May 1998 when four students were shot dead at Trisakti University by security forces; four days of riots ensued resulting in an estimated 6,000 buildings damaged or destroyed, and the loss of 1,200 lives. The Chinese of the Glodok district were hardest hit and stories of rape and murder later emerged. The following years Jakarta was the centre of popular protest and national political instability, including several terms of ineffective Presidents, and a number Jemaah Islamiah-connected bombings. Jakarta is now witnessing a period of political stability and prosperity along a boom in construction.

References

• Ricklefs, Merle Calvin (1993), A History of Modern Indonesia Since c.1300, Stanford: Stanford University Press, ISBN 0804721947.
• Schoppert, Peter; Damais, Soedarmadji; Sosrowardoyo, Tara (1998), Java Style, Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing, ISBN 9625932321 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help).
• Witton, Patrick (2003), Indonesia, Melbourne: Lonely Planet, ISBN 1740591542.

External links

• Pictures and Map from 1733 (Homannische Erben, Nuernberg-Germany) [2]