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fighting with each other. The rajas increasingly turned to the Dutch for protection from their
neighbours.
Rebellion and the Dutch in Lombok
In Lombok, meanwhile, Ratu Agung K'tut continued to rule. The
west
of the island was
relatively harmonious, but in the
east
the frustrated Sasak aristocracy deeply resented their
Balinese masters and there were failed rebellions in 1855 and 1871. In 1872, Ratu Agung
K'tut was succeeded by his younger brother,
Ratu Agung Ngurah
.
The
rebellion of 1891
was more successful. For many years, Ratu Agung Ngurah had vied
with the
dewa agung
of the Balinese kingdom of Klungkung over claims to the title of Su-
preme Ruler of Bali. In 1891 he decided to take action, but his demand for several thousand
Sasak troops was met with resistance in
Praya
, and a local Sasak aristocrat was executed. On
August 7, 1891, several thousand Sasaks surrounded and burned the palace of the Balinese
district chief and rebellion spread quickly. By September 22, 1891, Balinese rule had been
overthrown throughout east Lombok.
Hostilities between the Balinese and the Sasak aristocracy dragged on, gains being made
and then lost, until 1894, when the Dutch army landed in West Lombok.
On the night of August 25, 1894, Balinese forces attacked the Dutch camp in the
Mayura
Palace
at Cakranegara, where around nine hundred soldiers were camped. The Dutch es-
caped with heavy casualties, but they soon received reinforcements and, aided by the Sasaks
from the east, proved too strong for the raja. Mataram was razed to the ground. Some mem-
bers of the royal family surrendered while others committed
puputan
. The Dutch took control
of the entire island, including the district of Karangasem on Bali, which had been under the
raja's control.
Further confrontation in south Bali
The Dutch had wanted to emphasize their control of the
south of Bali
for many years, but it
wasn't until the turn of the twentieth century that they made their move. On May 27, 1904, a
schooner, the
Sri Kumala
, under Dutch protection, hit the reef just off Sanur. The owner com-
plained to the Dutch Resident in Singaraja that copper and silver coins had been stolen from
the ship. The Resident decreed a
blockade
of Badung and ordered that the raja of Badung,
Gusti Gde Ngurah, should pay compensation.
The situation dragged on until July 1906, when the Dutch threatened military action. Dutch
forces landed at Sanur, and by September 20, 1906, had advanced to
Badung
(modern-
day Denpasar). Gusti Gde Ngurah realized defence was useless and arranged the traditional
puputan
. An eyewitness account from a Dutch observer, Dr van Weede, in his book
Indies
Travel Memories
, describes the event:
