Diponegoro "wins" the Java War

IIRC in the early phase of the war, Diponegoro almost effectively obliterated Dutch war capability in Java shortly before reinforcements from other islands arrived. What if, for some reason the reinforcement fleet sank completely or partially on their way to Java, giving Diponegoro breathing room to consolidate his domains and building conventional warring capability before the inevitable Dutch full scale invasion to subdue him ? Will we see a resurrected united Mataram in south-central Java under him ? How will it relate with DEI ? As a Hyderabad equivalent ? And how will this alter Indonesian history beyond ?
 
To be fair, despite what today's Indonesian nationalists try to paint and told you about, in a twisted, really twisted bit of Irony, Diponegoro's war is more about "War of Mataram Succession" compared to "War against Dutch Colonialism". Although we must admit that the later is more or less a significant aspect of this war. :rolleyes:

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The Background of this war did not begin with the Death of Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IV, it actually get further than that in the event of how Hamengkubuwana III get the throne after Daendles defeated Hamengkubuwana II in 1810, but after Raffles and british administration get into Indonesia, Hamengkubuwana II back from exile and get relatively peaceful re-installation as the Sultan of Mataram, but he make a blunder by taking hardline stance against Raffles' relatively lenient and respectful terms (to the others except Sultan Badaruddin II of Palembang, who also think they could be defeated in war), and seek to oust the newly arrived British colonial government. Long story short, he failed, forced to abdicate (again) and ousted from the court.

Diponegoro is the first-born son of Sultan Hamengkubuwono III, but he is skipped from the order of succession due to his stance of supporting HB II's war against the British. Yeah, "Babad Diponegoro" said otherwise and say he deliberately reject the offer of the crown due to being born as son from concubine, but still... with Sultan Hamengkubuwono II himself is born of concubine... well, I'd say Diponegoro try to whitewash himself (Babad Diponegoro was written by, to no one's surprise, Diponegoro himself). In fact, it was mentioned that all supporters of Sultan Hamengkubuwono II's war must be excluded from the line of succession as one of the peace terms between British colonial government and Mataram. Long story short, this end up as a ticking time-bomb to no one's surprise.

When Sultan Hamengkubuwono III dies in 1814, the throne end up in Hamengkubuwono IV, that was at the time, still a ten years old, with Prince Haryo Notokusumo (Duke Paku Alam I) act as regent, but after British hand back Dutch East Indies government to the Dutch, Diponegoro expect himself to at least getting some leverage in the court, and propose a co-regency of the young Sultan Hamengkubuwono IV in 1817, but his attempt are rejected by Patih (Prime Minister) Danureja II, fearing that Diponegoro will try to upsurp the throne from the young Sultan.

in 1820, Sultan Hamengkubuwono IV coming of age, and he takes direct control of Mataram, he tries conciliatory measures with his disgruntled elder brother, he did not achieve much, but Hamengkubuwono IV dies suddenly in December 1823 (only 19 years old!), at Tegalrejo. And Tegalrejo is part of Diponegoro's fiefdom... and to no one's surprise, there are "rumours" that Diponegoro poison his little brother to gain access to the throne, and oh boy, he did make a bid for the throne Immediately by ordering arrest of both Duke Paku Alam and Patih Danureja II done by his loyal troops. While most Indonesians has been told that Diponegoro's war begins in May 1925 when Dutch Administration asked to build a road across Tegalrejo, only few realize that War of Mataram Succession begins in 1924, with Diponegoro, backed up by the ousted Sultan Sepuh (Hamengkubuwono II), try to wrestle Mataram throne from the three years old Sultan Hamengkubuwono V (and Patih Danureja, and Duke Paku Alam as regents), the war erupt around one year before Patih Danureja decides to ask the Dutch for help in this matter (Diponegoro has a Massive Power Base in Islamic Clerics as well as rural populations).

And before you may say "Irony" actually it was the Dutch who were reluctant to enter the war... in fact, that's why they asked Diponegoro for building the road across Tegalrejo, being told that the stakes for building the road stabbed into Diponegoro's ancestors' graves are pure myth (being only told by Babad Diponegoro). If only Diponegoro heard less from the anti-European cleric Kyai Mojo and decide to play realpolitik instead, accept the road building with fair negotiations of prices, he could end up as Sultan Diponegoro I of Jogjakarta, but alas, he think himself as strong enough and try to threaten the war against the Dutch... because let's say it, the Dutch refused Diponegoro's demand to hand over the infant Hamengkubuwono V to Diponegoro's hands (being asked to help guard the infant Sultan earlier by Patih Danureja and Dutch troops are being stationed at the royal palace to keep him safe).

Of course, after the Dutch commiting their full, better equipped forces against Diponegoro's troops, the tide begin to change. But Diponegoro did have a massive power base with the people, and initially, the outnumbered Dutch and HB V loyalist troops are forced to cede ground, until 28 August 1926, Diponegoro is crowned as Sultan Abdulhamid after his massive victory in Delangu.

After that, the Dutch actually trying to sent peace feelers, but they are rejected and Diponegoro's forces resume their offensive toward the Dutch positions in West Java (who already Dutch territory by treaty), and the Dutch are forced to wages a defensive war, and they try to stall Diponegoro's advance by reinforcing fortifications and trying to not having a pitched battle in the open. Of course, having rejected the peace feelers, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me... and the Dutch now sending massive reinforcements from the troops stationed in Sumatera (where they temporarily withdrawn from the Padri War). With his advantage in numbers now mostly negated, Diponegoro's forces started to fail, and several did surrender to HB V's Loyalist forces or the Dutch. And in Oct 1828, Kyai Mojo is captured by joint Dutch - Loyalist Mataram troops in Mlangi after a botched negotiations. Sentot Alibasyah, Diponegoro's trusted luitenant, are captured in October 1929 in a trap from Loyalist Forces (inviting him to Jogjakarta, nonetheless). And finally, after his son Dipokusumo surrendered to the Dutch, Diponegoro try to negotiate with the Dutch for his son's release, but having fooling the Dutch three times, now it's time for him to get on his medicine and the Dutch arrested him... and so, he was exiled to Menado, and later to Makkasar.

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To be honest, it won't be Diponegoro "Win" the Diponegoran War, but having him listen less to Kyai Mojo will do the trick, realpolitik can sometimes help a lot, since if he trying to negotiate from the position of strength, he could end up more or less independent as Sultan Abdulhamid I of Mataram. We should remember that the Dutch really gained access to inner politics of Mataram after Diponegoro's war, so... the ironic thing of trying to oust the Dutch end up making the Dutch getting firmer grip on Java... oh the irony...
 
Admittedly, Peter Carey's book on Diponegoro is pretty much the only source I have on him. But I will going to question the factuality of his attack to Priangan. That's honestly the first time I hear about it. Of course there's no question about his war not being against colonialism as per national historiography. But rather then about succession it was about reverting to pre-Daendels Giyanti era.
 
Admittedly, Peter Carey's book on Diponegoro is pretty much the only source I have on him. But I will going to question the factuality of his attack to Priangan. That's honestly the first time I hear about it. Of course there's no question about his war not being against colonialism as per national historiography. But rather then about succession it was about reverting to pre-Daendels Giyanti era.

Diponegoro's attack on priangan is more or less the cause of the Dutch's harsh treatments of Mataram afterwards. The Benteng Stelsel is a defensive strategy, and Dutch actually sent peace feelers ready to recognize Diponegoro as the new Sultan of Mataram as long as he keep the trade treaties and guarantee the safety of Dutch citizens in "his kingdom". Alas... Kyai Mojo declared "Jihad Fisabililah / Perang Sabil" against the Dutch, and vow to never stop unless the Dutch are totally ousted from Java, and Diponegoro listened to him.

After his crowning as Sultan Abdulhamid Cokro Amirulmukmin Sayyidin Panotogomo Khalifatullah Tanah Jowo in which he claim entire Java as his kingdom, and considering both his massive supports and the string of victories against Sultan Hamengkubuwono V's loyalists (more like Patih Danureja and Paku Alam's loyalists), Diponegoro did gather massive forces and crossing the border with forces. But due to his overconfidence, he forgot to supply his troops with more artilleries, while the Dutch withdrawn themselves in a series of fortifications (Benteng Stelsel system), the result is futile attempt at siege assaults due to Kyai Mojo's utterly stupid blunder of trying to attack prepared fortifications just by men and ladders :rolleyes: , no I'm not exggregating, in fact, "heroic" stories about Diponegoro's troops bravely scale the walls under musket and cannon fires are recorded in Babad Diponegoro itself (ah yes, Nationalistic sentiments aside, it's a stupid suicidal attacks), Sentot Alibasyah did try to warn both Kyai Mojo and Diponegoro about the futility of their attacks, and they are withdrawn from priangan, but not before the Dutch Fortifications are able to destroy most of Diponegoro's veteran troops (who being thrown recklessly in efforts to scale the walls).

With a gift of being almost 200 years apart, and having hindsight on history, we shouldn't swallow the notion that Kyai Mojo is an utter stupid to throw experienced men in such meaningless meatgrinder, in fact, after 1827 defeats, most of the positions left by dead nobles in Diponegoro's army are being filled by Kyai Mojo's group of ulama, giving the Diponegoro's war the uncommon Hard-line Islamic colour despite Javanese people at that time is Kejawen-Islam dominated. You could even bet that this could be a calculated move by Kyai Mojo to cull the part of Diponegoro's army that could end up ousting him.

Yeah, there's a reason why the Defensive "Benteng Stelsel" tactics used by the Retreating Dutch end up so "effective", despite Diponegoro's massive manpower advantages... If he did not listen to Mojo to throw his experienced men, he could consolidate his gain in central and east Java and rule as Sultan. There's some chances of Dutch could roll Diponegoro back and re-claim central and east Java as their territory, but with experienced men (who fought on the side of Sultan Hamengkubuwono II's wars), at least the Dutch advantage in troop quality would be negated.

And about reverting to pre-Daendels era, Diponegoro already hold Central and East Java more or less fully in his hands by late 1826, there's no need to revert back to smaller pre-giyanti borders from there. If only he did not waste his men's life...
 
guess what, mostl of my sources are taken from reading Babad Diponegoro with the luxury of 21st century hindsights is how I came into conclusion from all of this, afterall, it's all written by Diponegoro himself, right?

Diponegoro did held Kyai Mojo in such high regard, to the point that he consider Kyai Mojo his spiritual liege, but still a sudden replacements of dead nobles with ulamas after bloody meatgrinder at Priangan smells suspicious...

And the rest is filled by reading some other books, and internet achieves, before filling in the blanks with logical interpretations, and taking historical equivalent from the other part of the globe. And yeah, having further luxury of actually reading Javanese lores about Diponegoro in my university days helped a lot.

Sultan HB IV and V are both child when they ascend to the throne? Diponegoro is first born son from a concubine? Sultan HB IV dies on Tegalrejo? DIPONEGORO'S FIEFDOM? A mention of palace conflict in 1824?

Smells like War of Mataram Succession to me... Yeah, I know, this is controversial... just like Imam Bonjol's assault on Batak lands to kill Pagans...
 
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