history of fortresses in eastern indonesia _ the jakarta post
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1/4/2014 History of fortresses in Eastern Indonesia | The Jakarta Post
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/05/01/history-fortresses-eastern-indonesia.html 1/2
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One might reasonably ask what spices, especially cloves (Eugeniaaromatica) and nutmeg (Myristica fragrans), has to do with forts andfortresses?
The main reasons the European sailor sail to Asia is to control traderoutes and the spice-producing regions.
Many efforts had been done to cut out the monopoly of traders from Indiaand China and Middle East over the spices trading until Portuguesenavigator Vasco da Gama reached India in 1499 through Cape of GoodHope which regarded as the opening the route to Asia.
Not long after that Portuguese occupied Malacca and Malay Peninsula in1511.
After the Portuguese secret expedition by Antonio d'Abreu and FranciscoSerrao to Moluccas in early 16th century, the Spanish FerdinandMagellan also follow suit in 1522 and Englishman Francis Drake in 1579,Moluccas was opened to Europeans.
The Treaty of Tordesillas signed in 1494, divided the world outsideEurope between Spain and Portugal along a north-south meridian 370leagues west of Cape Verde islands. Moluccas also divided into two.
The Treaty of Saragossa, signed in 1592, revised the Treaty ofTordesillas, which means that Moluccas fall into Portugal's hand. Thisexplained the Portuguese influences in Moluccas during the sixteenthcentury.
If the sixteenth century was the Portuguese era, while the first half of theseventeenth century was the Dutch era (the Verenigde Oost-IndischeCompagnie and the East India colonial government), with some shortBritish influence in several places.
In every strategic place they built post and fortresses to control thetrading route and protect themselves. These fortifications could be thewhole city or part of the city center.
Many of these fortifications are the replica of fortifications in theirrespective country in Europe. Generally these fortifications consisted ofthe main fortress and it surrounding small fortresses or redoubt whichused as the watch tower.
During the Pacific War, Papua and Moluccas became a strategic areafor both Japan forces and Allied forces. Japan needed the region to holdthe incursion from east and south while the Allied forces needed theregion for assault to Japan forces which have occupied the whole Asianregion from the Philippines to Tokyo.
The Japanese forced built pillbox around the coast line as the outerdefense lines while using natural and man-made cages in the hinterlandto stop the advance of the Allied forces.
- JP/Matheos Viktor Messakh
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History of fortresses in Eastern Indonesia| Life | Fri, May 01 2009, 2:57 PM
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1/4/2014 History of fortresses in Eastern Indonesia | The Jakarta Post
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