Treaty of Paravicini
In the Treaty of Paravicini , 48 small kings from the islands of Solor , Roti , Sawu , Sumba and much of West Timor concluded an alliance with the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in 1756 . The driving force behind the contract was its namesake, the diplomat Johannes Andreas Paravicini .
background
In the region, the VOC fought with Portugal for supremacy. In 1749 the Portuguese and the Topasse and Timorese allies with them suffered a devastating defeat in the Battle of Penfui . As a result, several of Timor’s petty kings defected to the Dutch .
The treaty and its implications
In the treaty Paravicini praised the Dutch as liberal and fortunate people. Only among them are the great virtues of humanity to be found. They would make no distinction between "black and white peoples". On the contrary, they see "all people as brothers, with the same basic rights" in interpersonal relationships. You can tell if you compare the “wretched and poor” base of the Portuguese on Timor Lifau with the “blessed” Dutch Kupang . An astonishing statement, because Lifau is in one of the most fertile regions of the island, while Kupang is in a much less fertile area. Apparently this was a demonstration of what Dutch diligence could achieve.
For several of the rulers who signed, their authority over the specified territories was extremely dubious. The contract was also signed by a Nai Kobe as King of Tabenoe ( Ambeno is meant) and Sitenomie as King of Liphoa (Lifau). Both territories, however, were firmly in the hands of the Topasse, allied with the Portuguese, and never fell under Dutch rule.
Among the signatories was a certain Jacinto Correa ( Hiacijinto Corea ) who, as King of Wewiku - Wehale and Grand Duke of Belu, also signed the dubious Treaty of Paravicini on behalf of 27 empires traditionally subordinate to him in central Timor . This included Dirma , Lakekun , Samoro , Fatulete , Letisoli , Batuboro , Lanqueiro , Suai , Atsabe , Reimeia , Diribate , Maroba , Lidak , Jenilu , Sukunaba , Biboki and Insana and also the sphere of influence of Wehales: Wewiku, Manufahi , Tiris , Alas , Luca , Viqueque , Corara and Banibani . Fortunately for the Portuguese, Wehale was no longer powerful enough to pull all local rulers to the side of the Dutch. Thus the 16 eastern former vassals of Wehales remained under the flag of Portugal, while Wehale itself and the rest of the 27 empires nominally came under Dutch rule. The island is still divided into the Indonesian West Timor and the independent state of East Timor .
After the Dutch sphere of influence extended to Kupang and the neighboring region for almost a hundred years, the VOC was able to nominally expand the area to almost all of what is now Indonesian West Timor despite the restrictions. However, it was not until the 20th century that real colonial rule could be established. The final drawing of the border with Portugal also took place in 1916.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hans Hägerdal: Rebellions or factionalism? Timorese forms of resistance in an early colonial context, 1650-1769 ( Memento of the original dated December 8, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Laura Suzanne Meitzner Yoder: Custom, Codification, Collaboration: Integrating the Legacies of Land and Forest Authorities in Oecusse Enclave, East Timor. Dissertation, pp. 82 & 83, Yale University, 2005 ( PDF file; 1.46 MB ( memento of March 7, 2007 in the Internet Archive )).
- ↑ James J. Fox, “The Paradox of Powerlessness: Timor in Historical Perspective,” December 9, 1996, Department of Anthropology, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University ( Memento July 6, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 70 kB)
- ↑ Hans Hägerdal: Servião and Belu: Colonial conceptions and the geographical partition of Timor (PDF file; 338 kB)
Web links
- History of Timor - Technical University of Lisbon (PDF file; 805 kB)