The Tractaat van 1857 — the treaty of 1857 between the Netherlands Indies government and the Sultan of Atjeh — established “permanent peace and friendship and good understanding” between the two governments (article 1), and provided for mutual waiver of all pre-existing claims and disputes (article 4). The treaty became a central subject of the Tweede Kamer debate of April 1874, where speakers argued over whether it guaranteed Atjeh’s full independence or implied Dutch suzerainty.
Article 1 and the Dutch breach
Article 1 declared: “From now on there exists permanent peace and friendship and good understanding between the Netherlands Indies Government and His Highness the Sultan of Atjeh and his descendants and successors.” Van Zuylen argued that the Netherlands had committed the greatest possible breach of this treaty one year after its conclusion, by bringing various territories belonging to Atjeh under Dutch sovereignty through the Siak-tractaat — a breach that England had protested precisely on the grounds that it violated the obligations assumed under the tractaat of 1824.
Article 4 and the grievances
Article 4 stipulated: “The Netherlands Indies Government and His Highness the Sultan of Atjeh waive all demands and claims that have arisen before the conclusion of this agreement, on account of disputes of whatever kind. Further it is established that, when this agreement shall have been concluded, all these disputes and claims are completely settled and destroyed, so that they can never again be raised.” Van Zuylen pointed out that this provision meant all the grievances later cited in the Government’s Nota against Atjeh — the pretexts for the war — had been explicitly waived by article 4, and that the fact they were not mentioned in the declaration of war confirmed they had no real value.
Reciprocity and sovereignty
Godefroi argued that the treaty’s reciprocity — Atjeh conceding to the Netherlands what the Netherlands conceded to Atjeh — demonstrated that the treaty respected Atjeh’s sovereignty. He cited a Shipping and Mercantile Gazette article claiming the treaty already curtailed Atjeh’s independence guaranteed by the tractaat of 1824. Van Zuylen disputed this, arguing that reciprocity meant both parties retained their sovereign rights equally, and that the treaty could not be cited as evidence that Atjeh was not fully independent.
See Also
- Tractaat van 1824 (Anglo-Dutch)
- Sumatra-tractaat (1871)
- Siak-tractaat (1858)
- Declaration of war on Atjeh (1873)
- Tweede Kamer debate on Atjeh war origins (April 1874)
- Van Zuylen van Nyevelt
- Godefroi
- Atjeh-oorlog (1873-1904)
- Acheh
Source
Verslag van het verhandelde in de vergaderingen der Tweede Kamer in comité-général van 16, 17, 18 en 20 April 1874: Oorlog met Atjeh, pp. 22–23, 28–30.