THE PORTUGUESE IN THE MOLUCCAS AND IN THE LESSER SUNDA ISLANDS
Written
by Marco Ramerini
The Portuguese settlements in
the Lesser Sunda islands and in the Moluccas (1500-1600).
TERNATE AND TIDORE
The first
Portuguese expedition to the Moluccas, under the command of Antonio de Abreu, arrived in
Amboina and in the Banda islands in 1512. After an adventurous voyage he went back at
Malacca. Francisco Serrao and other members of this expedition wrecked on a reef off
Lucopino island (Nusa Penju) not far from Ambon island, but somehow managed to reach first
Ambon and then Ternate. There the Sultan of Ternate adopted Serrao as his personal
councilor and made him and his companions prominent figures of his royal court.
From 1513, the Portuguese sent an annual trading fleet to the Spice islands. The first,
under Captain Antonio de Miranda de Azevedo, opened two small "feitorias" one in
Ternate and one in Batjan.
The Moluccas, from
the "Livro das Plantas das Fortalezas, Cidades e Povoaçoes do Estado da India
Oriental 1600s.
On Febraury 1522, the Portuguese captain Antonio de Brito came to the Banda
islands and strengthened the friendship with the King of these islands. To mark this
event, they erected a stone "padrao" with the arms of the King of
Portugal. Antonio de Brito arrived in Ternate in May of 1522, where he built the fortress
of Sao Joao Baptista de Ternate. The first stone of the fortress was laid on June 1522.
The Jesuits started a school in Ternate in its earlier days.
The Portuguese rule in these islands was always weak. This was due to the remoteness of
the islands and to the small number of the Portuguese that arrived there; the Europeans
were never more than a few thousand.
Several Spanish expeditions arrived at Tidore, the first was that of Magalhaes. The
Spaniards settled in Tidore and annoyed the Portuguese for many years.
On 25 October 1536, the Portuguese governor, Antonio Galvao arrived at Ternate. He was a
good governor, reconciling, organizing and evangelizing the Moluccas. He was also the
builder of the Portuguese town of Ternate, he built a school and an hospital and had a
stone wall built all around the town.
Antonio Galvao is worshiped as the apostle of the Moluccas.
On 15 July 1575, the Portuguese surrendered the fort.
The old
city of Ternate in the XVII century.
AMBON
Ambon
is an island located in the center of the Spice Islands in what is today the Indonesian
archipelago.
In the year 1569, Gonçalo Pereira Marramaque erected a wooden fort on the northern coast
of the Ambon island.
In 1572, it was moved to the southern side of the bay. Subsequently, Sancho de Vasconcelos
built a temporary fort at Gelala and another at Batumarah, both of wood; and finally built
a stone fortress where the town of Ambon is situated today.
The first stone was laid on 25 March 1576 and the fortress was named "Nossa Senhora
da Anunciada". In July 1576, the new fortress was inaugurated. Inside the square
construction crowned with four towers, one at each corner, there were the captain
residence, a meeting room, some storehouses and dwellings for the military officials.
The town was built around the fortress and was divided in several quarters, all inhabited
by Christians.
The Portuguese town was not walled, only the Jesuits (in Ambon since 1578) had a stone
wall around their garden to protect themselves against attacks of enemy villages. Near
their residence was the church of "Sant’ Iago" (1581) covered by a thatched
roof.
The Jesuits also served in the church of São Tomé (1581). They used their residence in
Ambon like a pastoral center for Ambon and the three Lease Islands: Haruku, Saparua,
Nusalaut. The Ambon residence was for some years (1575-1578) the center of the Moluccas
Jesuit mission.
Along the shore was situated the oldest church of Ambon called "Sao Paulo" a
fortress church.
Near the southeastern side of the fort were the hospital and the church of
"Misericordia". This brotherhood -confraria da Misericordia- was founded in
1579.
The town of Ambon was besieged many times. Its history is a history of war. In 1591 and in
1593 it was besieged by the Ternatans; in 1598 by the Javanese; in 1600 by the Dutch;
finally on 23 February 1605 the fortress surrendered to the Dutch.
SOLOR, FLORES
The early Portuguese contact with these islands was in the years
about 1520s. They frequented these islands mainly to purchase sandalwood. The early
traders established only temporary warehouses. They did not built permanent trading posts,
farms or fortresses, as this task was left to the Dominican missionaries.
In 1561, four Dominican friars under the orders of Brother Antonio da Cruz left Malacca to
preach the Gospel in those islands. They settled in Solor.
The friars had a noticeable success in the conversions.
In order to protect their spiritual work from the enemies, in 1566 they built a stone
fortress at Solor.
The
fort of Solor, from the "Livro das Plantas das Fortalezas, Cidades e Povoaçoes
do Estado da India Oriental 1600s.
Within
the fort were built the friars’ dormitory, a seminary (in 1600 it contained 50
pupils) and the church of Nossa Senhora da Piedade reserved to the Portuguese. The
Portuguese captain resided in a tower. On the left side of the fort, a native village was
built adjacent to the church of São João Baptista. A few years later, outside the fort,
near the sea, was built the church of Misericórdia.
New conversions were also done in the nearby islands of Adonara and Flores.
In the island of Ende Minor the friar built a fort (1595), and, within its walls, was
built the church of São Domingos.
The converted indigenous peoples settled in the vicinity of the fort, where three native
villages were founded. Numbas, close to the fortress; Currolalas on the left side, with
the church of Santa Catarina de Sena; and Charaboro on the right side, with the church of
Santa Maria Maddalena.
The first commander of the fortress of Ende was capitão (captain) Pero Carvalhais.
By 1599 the Dominicans had built as many as 18 churches in the
Solor islands:
SOLOR:
- Nossa Senhora da Piedade, inside the fortress.
- São João Baptista, on the left of the fort, was the native’s church.
- Misericordia, in the village of Laboiana.
- São João Evangelista, in the village of Lamaqueira; it was destroyed in 1598.
- Madre de Deus, in the village of Guno.
ENDE:
- São Domingos, inside the fort.
- Santa Catarina de Sena, in the village of Currolalas.
- Santa Maria Madalena, in the village of Charaboro.
FLORES:
- São Lourenço, in the village of Lavunama.
- Nossa Senhora de Esperança, in the village of Boibalo.
- Nossa Senhora, in the village of Larantuca.
- Santa Luzia, in the village of Sicà.
- name unknown, in the village of Pagà.
- Nossa Senhora de Assunção, in the village of Quevà.
- São Pedro Martir, in the village of Lena.
- Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem, on the beach of Dondo, but it was neglected a short time
after being built.
ADONARA:
- Espírito Santo, in the village of Cramà.
- name unknown, in the village of Lamala, destroyed a short time after during a rebellion.
On 27 January 1613, a Dutch fleet appeared off Solor.
The Portuguese captain Manuel Alvares depended on 30 Portuguese and 1000 natives to defend
the place.
After nearly 3 month of siege, the Dutch conquered the Solor fortress on 18 April 1613.
They renamed it the Fort Henricus.
In 1615 (?) the Dutch fled from the fort, but in 1618 they reoccupied it. Again in
1629-30, as the Dutch left Solor, the Portuguese wasted no time and, in 1630, occupied
again Solor. However, in 1636, they left Solor and it remained deserted till the Dutch
returned again in 1646.
The Dominicans, from 1613 moved their headquarters to Larantuka (Flores). This was the
center of the Portuguese in the Lesser Sunda island up to 1662 when the headquarters were
moved to Lifau (today Ocussi in Timor).
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