Lombok under Karangasem rule

The island of Lombok became an annexed territory of the Karangasem Kingdom of Bali in 1839. when a Sasak nobility, Arya Banjar Getes asked Karangasem to attack the Selaparang Kingdom of Lombok in 1674. From that a rich Balinese court, culture, language and music developed in Lombok. Karangasem ruled Lombok for almost 2 centuries before the Dutch intervention in Lombok and Karangasem.

Lombok ᬮᭀᬫ᭄ᬩᭀᭅ᭄ (Sasak) Lomboq ᬮᭀᬫ᭄ᬩᭀ​ᬓ᭄᭞​ (Balinese) Lombok'
1674–1894
Area controlled by Karangasem and east sasak rebels in Lombok island in the 19th century before the Lombok War
Status	Part of Karangasem Kingdom
Capital and largest city	Cakranegara
Common languages	Middle Balinese, Balinese Sasak, Kawi
Religion	Islam Hinduism Animism Sasak folk religion (ie. Wetu Telu)
Demonym(s)	Sasak
Government	Monarchy
Anak Agung Agung (Great great King)
• 1674–1730	Anak Agung Gusti Wayan Karangasem
• 1838–1849	Gusti Gdé Ngurah Karangasem
• 1890–1894	Gusti Gdé Jelantik
Punggawa
• 1850–1893 (first)	Gusti Gdé Putu
• 1838–1849 (last)	Gusti Gedé Ngurah Karangasem
Historical era	Imperialism
• Karangasem invasion of Lombok	1674
• Sasak rebellion	1855 – 1891
• Dutch intervention in Lombok and Karangasem	July–November 1894
Currency	Kepeng
Preceded by Succeeded by Selaparang Kingdom Lombok Kingdoms Dutch East Indies Bali and Lombok Residency
Today part of	Indonesia

The island of Lombok inhabited by the Sasak who adopted Islam. in the 16th century Some Balinese groups from the Kingdom of Karangasem had ruled in the western part of Lombok island after receiving a request from a Sasak nobleman, Arya Banjar Getes asked Karangasem to attack Selaparang kingdom, a Lombok kingdom the most powerful in Lombok at that time in 1674. and over time the Lombok region slowly began to be controlled by the Karangasem kingdom , From that a rich Balinese Court culture developed in Lombok.

One of the them, the Mataram group (Karangasem realm), succeeded in gaining over the rest of the Balinese groups, as well as the totality of the island in 1839.

Gusti Gdé Jelantik posthumous name:Anak Agung Angluurah Gdé Ngurah Karangasem, the last king of Mataram-Lombok during his visit to Lombok

Relations between the Sasak and Karangasem Balinese in western Lombok were largely harmonious and intermarriage was common. In the island's east, however, relations were less cordial and the Balinese maintained control from garrisoned forts. While Sasak village government remained in place, the village head became little more than a tax collector for the Balinese. Villagers became a kind of serf and Sasak aristocracy lost much of its power and land holdings.

The occupation of Karangasem in Lombok lasted for almost 2 centuries from 1678 until the Dutch intervention in Lombok and Karangasem in 1894, eventually colonized both islands by the Dutch.

History

First contact with Balinese people

Babad Lombok mentions the presence of Balinese people from Gelgel kingdom in Lombok who took control of western Lombok in the early seventeenth century.

The presence of Karangasem

Meanwhile invaded the Balinese Kingdom of Karangasem started in the 15th century when Arya Banjar Getes from Lombok asked Bali to help him attack the Selaparang kingdom of Lombok in 1674. Karangasem had managed to take over the whole island by 1678, but Balinese infighting resulted in the island being split into four feuding Balinese kingdoms. In 1838, the Mataram kingdom (realm of Karangasem) brought its rivals under control.

During the occupation relations between the Sasak and Karangasem Balinese in western Lombok were largely harmonious and intermarriage was common. In the island's east, however, relations were less cordial and the Balinese maintained control from garrisoned forts. While Sasak village government remained in place, the village head became little more than a tax collector for the Balinese. Villagers became a kind of serf and Sasak aristocracy lost much of its power and land holdings.

Sasak Rebellion

Sasak wariors ready to fight the Karangasem occupation

Trouble erupted in 1891 when the Muslim Sasak of Eastern Lombok arose in rebellion against the Balinese ruler of Lombok, Anak Agung Gde Ngurah Karangasem. The rebellion, following rebellions in 1855 and 1871 which had already been quashed by the Mataram ruler, erupted when he requested thousands of troops from the Sasaks in order to make an attack on the Klungkung kingdom in Bali in an attempt to become the Supreme Ruler of Bali.

On 25 August 1891, the ruler's son Anak Agung Ketut Karangasem was sent against rebellious Praya, of the Lombok kingdom of Selaparang with 8,000 troops. On 8 September, 3,000 more troops were sent under the ruler's other son, Anak Agung Made Karangasem. As the royal army seemed in trouble, the ruler asked for the help of the vassal ruler of Karangasem, Anak Agung Gde Jelantik, to send him 1,200 elite troops to quash the rebellion. The war raged on from 1891 to 1894, and the Mataram army being the most advanced, complete with two modern warships, the Sri Mataram and the Sri Cakra, managed to occupy the rebellious villages and to surround the last Sasak resistance.

The end of Karangasem occupation

Dutch intervention

Attack of the Dutch on a Karangasem stronghold in Lombok in 1894.

Officers of the Lombok expedition in 1894: Anak Agung Ketut Karangasem, General-Major P.P.H. van Ham (Representative), General-Major J.A. Vetter (Commander), Resident M.C. Dannenbargh, and Gusti Jelantik.

On 20 February 1894, the Sasak formally called for Dutch intervention and support. The Dutch, seeing these events as an opportunity to extend their control in the East Indies, chose to support the Sasak, who had asked for their protection, and the Dutch started to disrupt the importation of weapons and supplies from Singapore by the Balinese rulers.

General P.P.H. van Ham, second in command, was killed in the August encounter.

Dutch intervention (July 1894)

The blockade did not suffice, and the Dutch demand for Mataram's submission was rejected. In July 1894 the Dutch chose to send a military expedition to topple the Mataram ruler. Three ships were sent from Batavia, the Prins Hendrik, the Koningin Emma and the Tromp, transporting 107 officer, 1,320 European soldiers, 948 indigenous soldiers and 386 horses.

Attack on Mayura Post (1894)

From August 1894, the Balinese chose to resist the Dutch military presence. They attacked the 900-strong Dutch military camp by surprise at night at Mayura Palace in Cakranegara on 25 August 1894, and killed more than 500 soldiers, sailors and coolies. Included among the dead was General P.P.H. van Ham, commander of the expedition. The Dutch retreated and entrenched themselves in fortifications on the coast.

Dutch reinforcements (November 1894)

The Dutch returned with more reinforcements under General Vetter. Mataram was attacked and utterly destroyed. On 8 November 1894, they made systematic artillery bombardments on the Balinese positions at Cakranegara and destroyed the palace, killing about 2,000 Balinese and losing 166 men.

Cakranegara destructions, 1894.

By the end of November 1894, the Dutch had annihilated the Balinese positions, with thousands of dead, and the Balinese surrendered or committed puputan, ritual suicide.

Amsterdam monument to the 1894 Dutch expedition

Lombok and Karangasem became part of the Dutch East Indies in Bali and Lombok Residency, and were administered from Bali. by this the Karangasem's rule in Lombok officially ended after almost 2 centuries of rule.

See also

• Karangasem
• Lombok
• Karangasem Kingdom