| Sack of Yogyakarta | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The corner of Lor Wetan Fortress, part of the Baluarti Fort of Yogyakarta Palace where most of the battle took place | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Yogyakarta Sultanate | United Kingdom Mangkunegaran | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Hamengkubuwono II  | Stamford Raffles Robert Gillespie (WIA) Mangkunegara II | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 6,000 or less | c. 1,000 (British/Sepoy) 500 (Mangkunegaran) | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Hundreds killed | 23 killed 76 wounded | ||||||
 | |||||||
Thesack of Yogyakarta took place on 20 June 1812, duringBritish rule of Java. UnderRobert Rollo Gillespie, a British expeditionary force assaulted thekeraton ofYogyakarta, deposing the reigningSultan of YogyakartaHamengkubuwono II after a series of disputes between the sultan and colonial rule.
Tensions between the British and theYogyakarta Sultanate arose shortly after theBritish takeover of Java, and despite a treaty in late 1811, both sides began preparations for war with Hamengkubuwono II preparing a military rebellion against the British. Conflict erupted in June 1812 as the British dispatched over 1,000 soldiers to Yogyakarta, which captured thekeraton by storm on 20 June. Hamengkubuwono II was captured and exiled, with his sonHamengkubuwono III installed as new Sultan. British andSepoy troops also plundered thekeraton, seizing a large amount of treasure along with Javanese literary works and archives.
In August 1811, theUnited Kingdominvaded Java, overthrowing the Franco-Dutch colonial government by September.[1] In the immediate aftermath of the takeover, the native states of Central Java – theYogyakarta Sultanate and theSurakarta Sunanate – began communicating with the British colonial government. Yogyakarta and Surakarta had seen a significant reduction in powers during the brief Franco-Dutch rule underHerman Willem Daendels, and filed many complaints to the new government.[2] At Yogyakarta in particular, SultanHamengkubuwono II took advantage of the change in colonial government in order to depose his son,Prince Regent Surojo, who had gained his regency during the Franco-Dutch period.[3]
A new Britishresident in Yogyakarta,John Crawfurd, was installed in November 1811. Crawfurd quickly alienated Hamengkubuwono II, against orders from his superiorStamford Raffles, and advocated in writing to Raffles to depose Hamengkubuwono II and install Surojo as Sultan.[4] British–Yogyakartan relations were further strained by the behavior of BritishSepoy troops of theBengal Army stationed in Yogyakarta.[5] Raffles, in command of just over 1,000 troops, initially restrained Crawfurd as he was concerned of conflict with Yogyakarta – which, at that time, could raise up to 10,000 fighting men. Following a visit by Raffles to Yogyakarta in December, the British agreed to return most Yogyakartan lands annexed during Daendels' rule. However, both sides expected a military confrontation within the short term, and began military preparations.[6] Throughout early 1812, Hamengkubuwono II purged Surojo's supporters in his court, and reached out to Surakarta for an alliance against the British.[7]
British forces assembled at the city ofSemarang, but initial plans were delayed due toan expedition against the Palembang Sultanate.[8] The British expedition force to Yogyakarta consisted of around 1,000 men, includinggrenadiers of the59th Regiment and three companies of the78th Regiment, reinforced by a detachment of theMadras Horse Artillery and elements of theBengal Army,14th Regiment, the22nd Dragoons and theRoyal Artillery.[9] 500 men of theLegiun Mangkunegaran also took part in the expedition, under the command ofMangkunegara II.[10][11]
According to a British major involved in the siege, William Thorn, Yogyakarta was defended by 17,000 soldiers. This was likely an exaggeration. In 2024, historians McKinnon and Carey wrote that the number of defenders were 6,000 or less.[12] Surakartan forces, which had been assembling in Surakarta in the leadup to the siege, numbered around 7,000, but they did not take part in the battle despite an agreement with the Sultan that Surakartan forces would attack the British rear. Later accounts from Yogyakartan authors commented that their involvement would likely not have changed the outcome of the battle.[13]
By 8 June, the British forces had returned from Palembang to Semarang and began marching inland towards Yogyakarta under the command ofRobert Rollo Gillespie. They had approached Yogyakarta by 18 June, when an advance group of hussars got into a skirmish with a group of Javanese pikemen. While the pikemen retreated following the arrival of other British forces, six hussars were killed in the action with thirteen wounded. Most of the British soldiers had arrived at Yogyakarta'sFort Vredeburg by 19 June, and the order to attackthe Yogyakartakeraton was given before dawn on 20 June.[10]
British commanders divided their attacking force into three columns: one with Bengal Sepoys and Mangkunegaran soldiers attacking thekeraton's south gate, one of Bengal Sepoys and Madras troops attacking the north gate, and a main attack by units of the 59th and 78th regiments plus Bengal Sepoys from the east in an attempted stealth assault on the walls, carrying bamboo scaling ladders provided by YogyakartanKapitan CinaTan Jin Sing.[14][15] The eastern column was discovered by Yogyakartan defenders, and came under heavy artillery fire which inflicted some casualties. The assault was launched, and after a brief fight Sepoy troops managed to lower a drawbridge, allowing the column to enter thekeraton.[16] The assault on the south gate was similarly met with heavy resistance, but managed to breach the gate and the Yogyakartan defending commander Raden Tumenggung Sumodiningrat was killed. Captured Yogyakartan artillery pieces on the walls were turned against thekeraton, while guns of the Royal Artillery continued to bombard thekeraton.[14]
Hamengkubuwono II was in the inner court of thekeraton, and when British troops reached him, he along with his entourage were dressed in white to surrender.[14] He was sent to the British resident's home as a prisoner, and his personalkeris was seized and sent toGovernor-General Minto inCalcutta. Throughout the assault, 23 British soldiers were killed and 76 were wounded (including Gillespie, who was shot at his left arm).[17][18] Yogyakartan losses were significantly more, with hundreds killed.[19]
The British forces looted thekeraton after capturing Hamengkubuwono II, with the total value of captured treasure exceeding 850,000rixdollar.[20] Gillespie personally received 74,000Spanish dollars out of the loot, and much of the treasure was remitted toCalcutta.[21] Both British and Sepoy troops plundered the Yogyakartan court, stealing valuables such as jewel-encrustedkeris and jewelry from Yogyakartan nobles and ladies.[22] According to a Javanese account, thekeraton was plundered for more than four whole days, with nobles and their retainers being forced by the troops to transport looted valuables.[23]
Beyond jewelry and valuables, the British forces also lootedBabad texts, government archives,gamelan instruments, and other manuscripts and texts, reportedly leaving just a singleQuran unlooted.[23] Many of the texts were later sold or donated to theBritish Museum or other British institutions.[24] In Yogyakarta, the attack and ensuing plundering became known asGeger Sepoy ("Sepoy tumult").[25]
Hamengkubuwono II along with two of his sons were exiled by the British toPenang in July,[26] while Surojo became SultanHamengkubuwono III on 21 June 1812.[27] He would sign a treaty with the British shortly after, agreeing to cede territories[28] and allowing for the creation of the semi-independentPakualaman carved out of Yogyakartan lands.[29] Yogyakarta's (and Surakarta's) military was severely restricted in size, with most Yogyakartan soldiers being dismissed and being forced to become bandits or robbers.[28]
In the 21st century, the modern Yogyakartan Sultanate had made repeated requests to the British government for the return of manuscripts looted in 1812. As of 2023, theBritish Library had provided digital copies of 120 manuscripts, while the Yogyakartan Sultanate claimed that there were 7,500 physical manuscripts present in British archives.[30][31]