Overview of Lampung, One Province of Indonesia

Lampung is a southernmost province on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, the capital is located in Bandar Lampung. The province has 2 cities and 13 districts.

Lampung Province was born on March 18, 1964 with the enactment of Government Regulation No. 3/1964 which later became Law No. 14 of 1964. Before that the Province of Lampung is a residency incorporated with the Province of South Sumatra.

Although the province of Lampung before the date of 18 March 1964 is administratively still a part of South Sumatra Province, but this area long before Indonesia's independence indeed has shown a huge potential and cultural color of its own that can add repertoire of cultural customs in this beloved archipelago. Therefore, in the days of VOC Lampung region can not be separated from the target of Dutch colonialism.

When Banten under the leadership of Sultan Agung Tirtayasa (1651-1683) Banten succeeded in becoming a trading center that could compete with VOCs in the waters of Java, Sumatra and Maluku. Sultan Agung is in an effort to expand Banten territory gets obstacles because it is blocked VOC which is entrenched in Batavia. Son of Sultan Agung Tirtayasa named Sultan Haji was given the task to replace the crown position of the sultanate of Banten.

With the glory of the Sultan of Banten at that time of course not please the VOC, therefore the VOC always try to control the sultanate of Banten. This VOC business succeeded by persuading Sultan Haji to disagree with his father Sultan Agung Tirtayasa.

In opposition to his own father, Sultan Haji requests VOC assistance and in return Sultan Haji will hand over control over the Lampung region to the VOC. Finally on April 7, 1682 Sultan Agung Tirtayasa removed and Sultan Haji crowned Sultan of Banten.

From the negotiations between the VOC and Sultan Haji resulted in a charter from Sultan Haji dated August 27, 1682 which contents, among others, that from then on the supervision of spice trade over the area of ​​Lampung submitted by the Sultan of Banten to the VOC which also obtain a trade monopoly in the area of ​​Lampung .

On 29 August 1682 the VOC and Banten fleet raids anchored at Tanjung Tiram. This fleet is led by Vander Schuur with a mandate from Sultan Haji and he represents the Sultan of Banten. The first Vander Schuur expedition did not work and he did not get the pepper he sought.

It seems that the direct trade between the VOC and Lampung which was initiated failed, because not all the rulers of Lampung directly submitted to the power of Sultan Haji allied with the Company, but many still recognize Sultan Agung Tirtayasa as the Sultan of Banten and consider the Company remain as the enemy.

Meanwhile, there arose doubts from the VOC whether Lampung is under the authority of the Sultan of Banten, then it is only known that Banten's control over Lampung is not absolute.

The placement of representatives of the Sultan of Banten in Lampung called "Jenang" or sometimes called the Governor is only in the care of the interests of the trading of agricultural products (pepper).

While the original Lampung rulers who scattered in each village or city called "Duke" is not hierarchical under the coordination of mastery of Jenang / Gubernur.

So the mastery of the Sultan of Banten on Lampung is in the case of coastline alone in order to master the monopoly of the outflow of the results of the earth, especially pepper, thus clearly the relationship of Banten-Lampung is in the relation of mutual need each other.

Furthermore, in the days of Raffles in power in 1811 he occupied the area of ​​Semangka and did not want to release the area of ​​Lampung to the Netherlands because Raffles think that Lampung is not Dutch colony. But after Raffles left Lampung only later in 1829 was appointed Dutch Resident to Lampung.

In the meantime since 1817 the position of Radin Inten was stronger, and therefore the Dutch were concerned and sent a small expedition led by the Assistant Resident of Crusade which resulted in the agreement that:

• Radin Inten obtained financial assistance from the Netherlands for f. 1,200 a year.
• Both brothers Radin Inten will each receive also f. 600 each year.
• Radin Inten was not allowed to expand any territory other than the villages that had been under his influence.
• But the agreement was never complied with by Radin Inten and he continued to fight against the Dutch.

Therefore in 1825 the Dutch ordered Leliever to capture Radin Inten, but with clever Radin Inten could invade the Dutch fort and kill Liliever and his men. However, because at that time the Dutch were facing the Diponegoro war (1825 - 1830), the Dutch could not do nothing against that event. In 1825 Radin Inten died and was replaced by his son Radin Imba Kusuma. After the Diponegoro War was completed in 1830 the Dutch invaded Radin Imba Kusuma in the area of ​​Semangka, then in 1833 the Dutch invaded the fort of Radin Imba Kusuma, but failed to occupy it. Only in 1834 after the Assistant Resident was replaced by Dutch military officers and with full power, the Castle of Radin Imba Kusuma was overpowered. Radin Imba Kusuma drove to the Lingga area, but the residents of this Lingga region arrested him and handed him over to the Dutch. Radin Imba Kusuma was then discharged to the island of Timor. In the meantime the people in the depths kept up the fight, the "Fine Way" of the Netherlands by giving gifts to the leaders of the people of Lampung resistance did not bring results. The Dutch remained insecure, so the Dutch formed a leased army consisting of Lampung people themselves to protect Dutch interests in Telukbetung and surrounding areas. The people's resistance driven by Radin Imba Kusuma's own son Radin Inten II continued, until finally Radin Inten II was arrested and killed by Dutch soldiers who were specially imported from Batavia. Since then the Dutch began to freely stick their legs in the area of ​​Lampung. Plantations started to be developed ie planting kaitsyuk, tobacco, coffee, rubber and oil palm. For the interests of transporting the results of the plantations then in 1913 built a railroad from Telukbetung to Palembang.Hingga ahead of Indonesia's independence on 17 August 1945 and the period of physical struggle after that, the son of Lampung not to get involved and feel how bitter the struggle against oppression colonial in turn.Se finally in the end as described in the beginning of this description in 1964 residency Lampung upgraded to the First Level Region of Lampung Province. Lampung's glory as a source of black pepper also inspired the artists so that the song Tanoh Lada. In fact, when Lampung was inaugurated into a province on March 18, 1964, black pepper became one of the symbols of the area. However, unfortunately this moment of glory has faded. There is now a lampung city became one of the attractions that distinguish between its islands of sand, white sand and green valleys.