Portal:Indonesia/BOTW/27, 2007

Pangeran Diponegoro (born Yogyakarta 1785- died Makassar 1855) was a Javanese prince who opposed Dutch colonial rule and played an important role in the Java War (1825-1830).

Diponegoro was a prince in the Javanese court of Yogyakarta. In the early 19th century, Javanese nobles were deprived of their right to lease land, which had been taken over by the Dutch colonial authority to improve their finances. Infuriated by the loss of prestige, Diponegoro believed that he had been chosen by divine powers to lead a rebellion against the secular colonials and started a holy war against them. Diponegoro enjoyed popular support among the population of Central Java.

The Dutch increased the number of troops and sent General De Kock to stop the insurgencies. Diponegoro was invited to negotiate. He was placed under arrest while meeting under the auspices of negotiation in 1830. Today Diponegoro is a National Hero in Indonesia, and an Army division is named after him. (Read more...)