Java Expedition
Encyclopedia
The Java Expedition established the British
in control of Java
from 1811 to August 1816, with Stamford Raffles
as its Lieutenant Governor
.
Around 1807, Napoleon I of France
, after having deposed his brother Louis Bonaparte
, King of Holland
, had ordered General Charles Mathieu Isidore Decaen to Mauritius
and the Dutch Marshal
Herman Willem Daendels
to Java to improve the defences of those territories against possible British incursion.
In March 1810, Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto
at that time Governor-General
of Bengal
, succeeded in seizing Île Bourbon (now Réunion). Admiral Bertie's attack on Mauritus, however, was not successful against the forces placed there by Decean. Lord Minto entrusted 10,000 men to Sir John Abercrombie who subdued Decean and his forces and Mauritus passed into British hands.
Lord Minto now set his sights on Java which was held by a large garrison of Dutch and French-led officers, led by General Jan Willem Janssens
, who had succeeded Marshal Daendels. Lord Minto assigned Stamford Raffles to gather intelligence
about the island and its people, the object of which was to determine whether there were sufficient resources, human and financial, to carry out a successful expedition there.
The Java Expedition represented, at that time, the largest force to have been issued from India, with 12,000 men, 57 transports
, and over 40 warship
s. On June 11, 1811, the armada left Malacca and by August 4 of that year, the entire fighting force was anchored at Batavia. 3,000 men had been lost to illness.
General Samuel Auchmuty commanded the military troops and found himself facing a strongly fortified opponent at Cornelis. The opposing forces were made up of 17,000 men and 280 guns. The battle began in earnest two days after landing on the island. On September 18, Janssens surrendered.
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
in control of Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
from 1811 to August 1816, with Stamford Raffles
Stamford Raffles
Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, FRS was a British statesman, best known for his founding of the city of Singapore . He is often described as the "Father of Singapore"...
as its Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
.
Around 1807, Napoleon I of France
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
, after having deposed his brother Louis Bonaparte
Louis Bonaparte
Louis Napoléon Bonaparte, Prince Français, Comte de Saint-Leu , King of Holland , was the fifth surviving child and the fourth surviving son of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino...
, King of Holland
Kingdom of Holland
The Kingdom of Holland 1806–1810 was set up by Napoleon Bonaparte as a puppet kingdom for his third brother, Louis Bonaparte, in order to better control the Netherlands. The name of the leading province, Holland, was now taken for the whole country...
, had ordered General Charles Mathieu Isidore Decaen to Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
and the Dutch Marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
Herman Willem Daendels
Herman Willem Daendels
Herman Willem Daendels was a Dutch politician who served as the 36th Governor General of the Dutch East Indies between 1808 and 1811....
to Java to improve the defences of those territories against possible British incursion.
In March 1810, Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto PC , known as Sir Gilbert Elliott between 1777 and 1797 and as The Lord Minto between 1797 and 1813, was a Scottish politician diplomat....
at that time Governor-General
Governor-General
A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
of Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
, succeeded in seizing Île Bourbon (now Réunion). Admiral Bertie's attack on Mauritus, however, was not successful against the forces placed there by Decean. Lord Minto entrusted 10,000 men to Sir John Abercrombie who subdued Decean and his forces and Mauritus passed into British hands.
Lord Minto now set his sights on Java which was held by a large garrison of Dutch and French-led officers, led by General Jan Willem Janssens
Jan Willem Janssens
Jonkheer Jan Willem Janssens GCMWO was a Dutch nobleman, soldier and statesman who served both as the governor-general of the Cape Colony and Dutch East Indies.-Early life:...
, who had succeeded Marshal Daendels. Lord Minto assigned Stamford Raffles to gather intelligence
Intelligence (information gathering)
Intelligence assessment is the development of forecasts of behaviour or recommended courses of action to the leadership of an organization, based on a wide range of available information sources both overt and covert. Assessments are developed in response to requirements declared by the leadership...
about the island and its people, the object of which was to determine whether there were sufficient resources, human and financial, to carry out a successful expedition there.
The Java Expedition represented, at that time, the largest force to have been issued from India, with 12,000 men, 57 transports
Troopship
A troopship is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime...
, and over 40 warship
Warship
A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...
s. On June 11, 1811, the armada left Malacca and by August 4 of that year, the entire fighting force was anchored at Batavia. 3,000 men had been lost to illness.
General Samuel Auchmuty commanded the military troops and found himself facing a strongly fortified opponent at Cornelis. The opposing forces were made up of 17,000 men and 280 guns. The battle began in earnest two days after landing on the island. On September 18, Janssens surrendered.
Others involved
- William Robert BroughtonWilliam Robert BroughtonWilliam Robert Broughton was a British naval officer in the late 18th century. As a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, he commanded HMS Chatham as part of the Vancouver Expedition, a voyage of exploration through the Pacific Ocean led by Captain George Vancouver in the early 1790s.-With Vancouver:In...
- Archibald SetonArchibald SetonArchibald Seton, Esq. was member of the Supreme Council at Fort William, Bengal, Lieutenant-Governor of the Prince of Wales' Island , President at the court of his Majesty Shah Allum at Delhi, among the many other roles he played during his long civil service with the British East India...
- Commodore Sir John Hayes
- Captain G.P. Baker
- H.C. Cornelius
Further reading
- Peter Carey (historian)Peter Carey (historian)Peter Carey is a British historian and author who studies East Timor, Java and Burma. He was the Laithwaite fellow of Modern History at Trinity College, Oxford. His major early work has concentrated on the history of Diponegoro, the British in Java and the Java War.He regularly comments on the...
1992 - The British in Java, 1811-1816. A Javanese Account (London: Oxford University Press for the British Academy)
- The Life of Sir Stamford Raffles By Demetrius Charles Boulger, Demetrius Charles de Kavanagh Boulger Published by H. Marshall, 1897; CHAPTER IV THE JAVA EXPEDITION; pp. 83-88