Jan Hoynck van Papendrecht’s Painting of the Bali War
Depiction of the Dutch assault on a Balinese stronghold during the Dutch intervention in Karangasem, 1894. This was a part of a string of Dutch interventions in and around Bali that led to the total colonization of both Bali and Lombok (parts of modern day Indonesia) by the early 1900s. In the nineteenth century, the Balinese rulers of the Mataram-Cakranegara kingdo (closely tied to the Balinese kingdom of Karangasem) governed a largely Muslim Sasak population. Tensions between the Balinese elite and the Sasaks had grown throughout the century after forced conscription campaigns and harsh repression of local resistance. By the early 1890s, rebellion spread across eastern Lombok, creating instability and famine. Several Sasak leaders eventually appealed to the Dutch for protection and military assistance. The Dutch colonial government saw the rebellion as an opportunity to extend its authority deeper into Bali and the eastern islands. Initially, Dutch officials imposed a nav...