Two Europeans that Waged Wars on Lombok

Two wars erupted because of George Peacock King and Vasily Panteleimonovich Malygin. Both were European. King was a Bengal-born British, while Malygin came from Moldova.

History records that both men had a hand in two major wars in Lombok. King was involved in the 1839 war, while Malygin ignited the 1894 Lombok war.

King came to Lombok in 1834 after his company went bankrupt in Surabaya. According to Phil Jarratt in Bali Heaven and Hell, King was also in debt, so he tried to find his fortune, starting a business from scratch on the island east of Bali.

In the early days, King formed a partnership with Mads Johansen Lange, a Danish trader.  "They advertised cheap Lombok rice in newspapers in Singapore, China, and Australia. Their presence soon attracted many European ships to Ampenan," Jarratt wrote.

The positive impact of the publication was also recorded in the book Mads Lange The Bali Trader and Peacemaker. In 1835, 15 British and three French ships anchored off Ampenan. Five years later British ships returned to these waters. This time there were more, around 25 ships, which initially transported British convicts returning from Australia, who then brought Lombok rice for the Chinese, Mauritius, Singapore and European markets.

"The Europeans replaced the Chinese as rice leaseholders in Ampenan, Buleleng and Kuta, facilitating exchange with Western shipping," Anthony Webster wrote in Commodities, Ports and Asian Maritime Trade Since 1750.

The amount of rice brought from Ampenan ranged from 10,000 to 14,000 tons each year. This business, which was protected by the local kings, was certainly very profitable for Lange and King.

However, this support became a disaster later on, when both Lange and King were vying for influence. Eventually, there was a feud between the kingdoms that led to war. Lange sided with the Singhasari Kingdom in Cakranegara, while King backed up the army and weapons for the Mataram Kingdom. As mentioned in Sejarah Daerah Nusa Tenggara Barat (History of the West Nusa Tenggara Region), the battle lasted for two years from 1838 until 1839.

According to Djoko Dwinanto in Bara Api di Tanah Lombok (Embers of Fire in the Land of Lombok), the Singhasari Kingdom at that time was supported by the Dutch. "Because the British sided with Mataram, the Dutch then decided to side with Singhasari," Djoko wrote.

The Mataram Kingdom, assisted by British troops from Singapore, finally succeeded in destroying the Singhasari Kingdom. In the former palace of Singhasari in Cakranegara, a new kingdom was established, where Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Karangasem reigned. He was the younger brother of the King of Mataram Anak Agung Ketut Ngurah Karangasem.

King's involvement in the first Lombok war was recorded by H.J. Huskus Kosman, an official representing the Dutch East Indies government during negotiations at the Cakranegara palace in 1843. 

"Huskus Kosman clearly mentioned in his report that the one who ignited the fire of the 1838 war between the Kingdom of Singasari and Mataram was G.P. King. Indeed, most of the Dutch reports sent to the Batavian government as observers (fact finding) to Lombok, blamed the cause of the civil war on the Englishman," said Anak Agung Ktut Agung in Kupu-kupu Kuning yang Terbang di Selat Lombok (Yellow Butterflies that Fly in the Strait of Lombok).

In return for his services in helping the Mataram Kingdom in the war, King received extensive trade facilities from King Gusti Ngurah Ketut Karangasem. He was then appointed as the syahbandar or harbor master of Ampenan.

The man who monopolized the rice trade left Lombok in 1845 and opened a business network in Samarinda, Borneo. So, "The first European to trade in Berau River was not William Lingard, but George Peacock King," said the Brunei Museum in The Brunei Museum Journal Vol. 4 Issue 1, 1977.

Half a century later, another foreigner came to the Cakranegara court. He was Malygin. Soviet historian, Elizaveta Ivanovna Gnevusheva in Issue of History, No. 11, November 1969, C. 206-210, described Malygin as a European with a mustache and a slight beard, with dark eyes and hair. His gaze was thoughtful and serious.

Malygin quickly won the trust of the now elderly king and was appointed as an advisor.

Gnevusheva noted that in April 1894, Malygin was asked by the king to buy a large quantity of arms and ammunition in Singapore. While he was away, the Dutch sent an expedition to Lombok, consisting of 2,500 soldiers, led by Generals Vetter and Van Ham.

In the book Propinsi Sunda Ketjil published by the Ministry of Information, it was mentioned that Dutch troops arrived in Ampenan on July 5, 1894. For three weeks on Lombok, Vetter and his troops had no trouble. In a negotiation, the king granted the wishes of the Dutch, including having to submit under Dutch rule and being willing to pay tribute of one million guilders.

Until the night of August 25, 1894, the Dutch camp, which was not far from the center of Cakranegara's castle, was suddenly attacked by thousands of royal soldiers. Apparently, a few nights earlier, Malygin arrived and immediately met the king. He objected to the king's agreement with the Dutch. "Malygin made a plan to destroy the Dutch detachment with a night attack," said Gnevusheva.

Malygin stepped in to train the soldiers of the Mataram Kingdom to fire cannons and rifles. The results were astonishing. The night attack killed more than 500 Dutch soldiers, including General Van Ham.

The Dutch defeat on the first expedition was redeemed a few months later. After obtaining additional troops, the Mataram Kingdom and the Cakranegara palace were finally conquered. The fall was the beginning of Dutch rule on Lombok Island.

Malygin was arrested and then tried for two years in the Surabaya court. "On November 18, 1896, the Supreme Court of the Dutch East Indies sentenced Malygin to 20 years in prison," mentioned Gnevusheva.

However, in August 1898, Malygin was released and returned to Russia. He was declared guilty. But whatever his guilt, he was a European, so he was pardoned. In front of the law at that time, of course, it was a far cry from the treatment of inlanders.

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The author is a former journalist for several print and online media. He is currently working as a freelance writer and has authored several books.