Gaspar da Costa

Gaspar da Costa († November 9, 1749 in Penfui , West Timor ) was a leader of the Topasse in West Timor. He carried the Portuguese title of Capitão-Mor . Possibly his father was the Capitão-Mor Domingos da Costa († 1722). Gaspar belonged to the Costas clan, from which, in addition to that of the Hornay , all leaders and Liurai (Timorese petty kings) of the Topasse descended. Gaspar is reported for the first time in 1732.

background

In the 18th century the Portuguese possessions on Timor were threatened by Timorese and Topasse. During the Cailaco Rebellion (1719 to 1751) the Portuguese were repeatedly besieged and attacked. The Topasse, a Euro-Asian mixed population had since they had settled on Timor, established a dominant position in the west of the island and controlled trade in sandalwood . In doing so, they entered into alternating alliances with the Portuguese, local rulers and the Dutch .

Meaning of gaspar da costas

Letter from the Bishop of Malacca, in which he reports of Gaspar's death.

When the Portuguese Governor António Moniz de Macedo arrived in Lifau in 1734 for his second term in office , he was greeted surprisingly friendly by Gaspar da Costa. At that time he was residing in Animata , a place with 1,800 huts, south of Lifaus in Portugal. Another alliance between the Portuguese and Topasse came about. Gaspar also made it possible to build the first seminary on Timor in Lifau. Together, the Portuguese and Topasse tried to drive the Dutch, who had their main Timorese base in Kupang , from the island. Already in 1735 and 1745 they failed. From 1746 to 1749 the Topasse tried to take possession of the Dutch roti . In 1748, some indigenous Liurais who had to pay tribute to the Topasse rebelled. During the suppression of the uprising, several Liurais and their entourage fled to the Dutch in Kupang. Gaspar da Costa then attacked Kupang on October 18, 1749 with a superior force, but could not conquer the fortress. On November 9th the Dutch and their allies counterattacked the Topasse camp. 40,000 Topasse warriors were killed at the Battle of Penfui , including Gaspar da Costa, whom a Timorese spear is said to have pierced.

Other sources state that Gaspar was only killed in April 1751 when the Liurais of Servião rose against the Topasse, but a letter from the Bishop of Malacca on December 10, 1750 shows that Gaspar died earlier.

The defeat at the Battle of Penfui marked the beginning of the collapse of the supremacy of the Topasse and Portuguese in West Timor. The Dutch took over rule and thus established the division of the island that still exists today.

Gaspar's son

Gaspar's son Balthazar-Pascal Celse came to the court of Louis XV , according to historical reports . of France . Balthazar died in France in 1791 .

literature

• CR Boxer : The topasses of Timor . Indisch Instituut, Amsterdam 1947, ( Koninklijke Vereeniging Indisch Instituut (voorheen Koloniaal Instituut) Mededeling 73, ZDB -ID 1437380-4 ), ( Koninklijke Vereniging Indisch Instituut, Afdeling Volkenkunde 24).
• Artur Teodoro de Matos: Timor Português 1515–1769. Contribuição para a sua história . Instituto Histórico Infante Dom Henrique, Lisbon 1974, ( Série ultramarina 2, ZDB -ID 188187-5 ).

See also

• History of East Timor

supporting documents

Main evidence

• History of Timor - Technical University of Lisbon (PDF file; 805 kB)
• James J. Fox: The Paradox of Powerlessness: Timor in Historical Perspective ( Memento of July 6, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 70 kB) , December 9, 1996, Department of Anthropology, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Rebelião na província de Servião : Letter from the Bishop of Malacca of December 10, 1750. In the archive of the Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical, Code: AHU_ACL_CU_083, Cx.2, D.64  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as broken. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ↑ Exposition: Balthazar, Prince Noir de Timor et de Solor en Chine, en Amérique et en Europe au XVIIIe siècle: Balthazar: Prince Noir de Timor et de Solor en Chine, en Amérique et en Europe au XVIIIe siècle , accessed on 24 May 2017.

predecessor	Office	successor
João Cave	Captain General of Solor and Timor 1734–1749 / 51	João da Hornay