The Dutch intervention in Bali in 1908 marked the final phase of Dutch colonial control over the island of Bali in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. It was the seventh and last military intervention in Bali, following the

Dutch intervention in Bali (1906) The Dutch intervention in Bali in 1906 was a Dutch military intervention in Bali as part of the Dutch colonial suppression, killing over 1,000 people, most of whom were civilians. It was part of the Dutch campaign for the suppression of most of ...

. The intervention was triggered by a Balinese revolt against a Dutch attempt to impose an opium monopoly in their favour.''Bali and Lombok'' Lesley Reader, Lucy Ridout p.496
/ref> The

raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...

of Karangasem opposed the monopoly, leading to riots in the capital of

Klungkung Klungkung Regency is the smallest regency (''kabupaten'') on Bali, Indonesia. It has an area of 315 km2 and had a population at the 2010 Census of 170,543 which increased to 206,925 at the Census of 2020. The administrative centre for the reg ...

. Riots also erupted in Gelgel, when the Balinese killed a Javanese opium dealer.''Insight Guides Indonesia'', p.40 The Dutch sent troops to quell the riots. In Gelgel, they killed 100 Balinese, forcing the Raja to flee to Klungkung. The Dutch then bombarded the city of Klungkung. In a final confrontation on 18 April 1908, Dewa Agung Jambe, the Raja of Klungung, accompanied by 200 followers, made a desperate sortie out of his Palace, clad in white and armed with a legendary '' kris'' supposed to wreak havoc on the enemy according to a prophecy. The Raja was shot by a Dutch bullet. Immediately, the six wives of the king resorted to ceremonial suicides, or ''

puputan ''Puputan'' is a Balinese term for a mass ritual suicide in preference to facing the humiliation of surrender. It originally seems to have meant a last desperate attack against a numerically superior enemy.: "The Balinese term ''puputan'' comes ...

'', killing themselves with their own kris, soon followed by the other Balinese in the procession. The Dutch burned the Royal Palace to the ground. As Klungkung came under Dutch power, the Raja of Bangli submitted and in October 1908 negotiated for a Dutch

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its int ...

similar to that of

Gianyar Gianyar Regency is a regency (''kabupaten'') in the Indonesian province and island of Bali, Indonesia. It has an area of 368.0 km2 and had a population of 469,777 at the 2010 Census, and 515,344 at the 2020 Census, making it the second most ...

and Karangasem. These events ended Balinese resistance to the Dutch.

Notes

References

* ''Insight Guide: Bali'' 2002 Brian Bell, Apa Publications GmbH&Co {{ISBN, 1-58573-288-5. 1908 in the Dutch East Indies Conflicts in 1908 Dutch conquest of Indonesia History of Bali Bali 1908 Wars involving the Netherlands nl:Expeditie naar Bali 1906 - 1908

See also

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