| Dutch invasion of southern Bali (1908) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Netherlands | Balinese fighting for independence | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Marinus Bernardus Rost van Tonningen | Dewa Agung Jambe † Raja ofBangli  Raja ofKarangasem | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 250 | 700 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 6 killed 5 wounded | 200 killed | ||||||
TheDutch conquest of Klungkung, Bali in 1908 marked the final phase of Dutch colonial control over the island ofBali inIndonesia. It was the seventh and last military action in Bali, following the so-calledDutch intervention in Bali (1906).
The intervention was triggered byBalinese opposition to a Dutch attempt to impose anopium monopoly in their favour.[1] Theraja ofKlungkung, the highest status king of Bali, opposed the imposition of the monopoly. An attack on the Dutch opium store inGelgel, on 16 April 1908 was instigated by Cokorda Gelgel, a member of the Klungkung dynasty. At the same time, the ruler of Klungkung, the Dewa Agung, ordered the closure of the opium store in Klungkung city.[2]
The Dutch sent troops in revenge. In Gelgel, they killed 100 Balinese, forcing the Cokorda to flee to Klungkung.[3] 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 legendarykris supposed to wreak havoc on the enemy according to a prophecy.[1] The Raja was shot by a Dutch bullet. Immediately, the six wives of the king killed themselves with their own kris, soon followed by the other Balinese in the procession.[3]
The Dutch burned the royal palace to the ground. As Klungkung came under Dutch power, the Raja ofBangli submitted and in October 1908 negotiated for a Dutchprotectorate similar to that ofGianyar and Karangasem.[1] These events ended Balinese resistance to Dutch colonialism.[1][3]