Teuku Umar (1854 – 11 February 1899) was a leader of a guerrilla campaign against the Dutch in

Aceh Aceh ( , ; , Jawi script, Jawoë: ; Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, Old Spelling: ''Atjeh'') is the westernmost Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the northern end of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capit ...

during the

Aceh War The Aceh War (), also known as the Dutch War or the Infidel War (1873–1904), was an armed military conflict between the Sultanate of Aceh and the Kingdom of the Netherlands which was triggered by discussions between representatives of Aceh ...

. He died when Dutch troops launched a surprise attack in Meulaboh. His body was buried in the Mugo area. Afterward, his wife

Cut Nyak Dhien Cut Nyak Dhien (Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, VOSS: Tjoet Nja' Dhien; 1848–6 November 1908) was a leader of the Acehnese people, Acehnese guerrilla forces during the Aceh War. Following the death of her husband Teuku Umar, she led guerrilla ac ...

continued to lead the guerrillas. He was later made a ''Pahlawan Nasional Indonesia'' (

National Hero of Indonesia National Hero of Indonesia () is the highest-level Orders, decorations, and medals of Indonesia, title awarded in Indonesia. It is posthumously given by the Government of Indonesia for actions which are deemed to be heroic, defined as "actual de ...

Life

Umar joined the guerrilla forces in 1873 at the age of 19. At first, he fought in Meulaboh; he later expanded his operations to different parts of West Aceh. At the age of 20, Umar married Nyak Sofia; not long after, he took Nyak Malighai as his second wife. In 1880, Umar married his cousin

; Dhien later joined him in the guerrilla campaign. In 1883, the Dutch colonial government signed a peace treaty with the Acehnese guerrillas. That same year Umar joined them as an

undercover A cover in foreign, military or police human intelligence or counterintelligence is the ostensible identity and role or position in an infiltrated organization assumed by a covert agent during a covert operation. Official cover In espionage, a ...

operative over Dhien's complaints, working his way up through the colonial military's ranks. After war broke out again in 1884, Umar worked to stop the

Acehnese people The Acehnese (, ), also written as Atjehnese and Achinese, are an indigenous ethnic group native to Aceh, a province on the northernmost tip of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. The area has a history of political struggle against the Dutch ...

's struggle. For his service, on 1 January 1894, Umar was given the title ''Johan Pahlawan'' and control of a legion of 250 fully armed soldiers. Eventually, Umar was given control of 120 more troops as well as 17 lieutenants. On 30 March 1896, Umar and his troops deserted, taking including 800 weapons, 25,000 bullets, of ammunition, and 18,000 dollars. Together with 400 soldiers under the command of Teuku Panglima Polem Muhammad Daud, Umar attacked the Dutch forces, killing 25 and injuring 190. In retaliation, the Dutch governor sent soldiers ''en masse'' to capture or kill Umar. Umar was killed in an

ambush An ambush is a surprise attack carried out by people lying in wait in a concealed position. The concealed position itself or the concealed person(s) may also be called an "". Ambushes as a basic military tactics, fighting tactic of soldi ...

on 11 February 1899, in Meulaboh.

Legacy

In the 1930s,

Sukarno Sukarno (6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of the Indonesian struggle for independenc ...

described Teuku Umar as being one of the ''pahlawan tiga-sekawan'' (''three heroic friends'') along with

Diponegoro Prince Diponegoro (; born Bendara Raden Mas Mustahar, ; later Bendara Raden Mas Antawirya, ; 11 November 1785 – 8 January 1855), also known as Dipanegara and Dipa Negara, was a Javanese prince who opposed the Dutch colonial rule. The eldest s ...

and Imam Bonjol. Teuku has been officially designated as national hero of Indonesia. There are many streets named after him throughout Indonesia, including a main thoroughfare in the well-known suburb of

Menteng Menteng is a district () in the administrative city of Central Jakarta, Indonesia. Menteng is surrounded by the districts of Senen and Matraman to the east, Tebet and Setiabudi to the south, Tanah Abang to the west, and Gambir to the north. ...

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

, as well as a field in Meulaboh.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Umar, Teuku National Heroes of Indonesia 1854 births 1899 deaths Indonesian Muslims Acehnese people History of Aceh Aceh War