Battle of Penfui

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At the Battle of Penfui on the island of Timor on November 9, 1749, the Topasse, allied with the Portuguese , were defeated by the Dutch and their allies.

Happening

In 1748 some Timorese Liurais ( minor kings ) rebelled , who owed tribute to the Topasse. During the suppression of the uprising, several Liurais and their entourage fled to the Dutch in Kupang . Gaspar da Costa , the leader of the Topasse, attacked Kupang on October 18, 1749 with an overwhelming force of 50,000 Topasse, Timorese and Portuguese. Opposed to it were 23 European soldiers and several hundred locals from Timor and the neighboring islands. The attempt to conquer the fortress failed. Gaspar then withdrew to nearby Penfui and took up a position here. The camp was fortified with stones and earth walls.

On November 9th, the Dutch and their allies from Timor, Roti , Semau and Solor counterattacked the Topasse camp. Depending on the source, the losses of the Topasse are given as 2,000 to 40,000 deaths, including Gaspar da Costa, who is said to have pierced a Timorese spear.

consequences

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.

supporting documents

Individual evidence

  1. a b Frédéric Durand: Three centuries of violence and struggle in East Timor (1726-2008) , Online Encyclopedia of Mass Violence

literature

  • CR Boxer: The topasses of Timor . Indisch Instituut, Amsterdam 1947, ( Koninklijke Vereeniging Indisch Instituut (voorheen Koloniaal Instituut) Mededeling 73), ( 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, Lisboa 1974, ( Série ultramarina 2).

See also