Jacob Pieter van Braam was a Dutch naval officer of the Dutch East India Company who, as commandeur (commander) of a squadron sent from the Dutch Republic in 1783, led the 1784 expedition against the Bugis-Malay forces of the Riouw regent Radya Hadgè (Raja Haji) on the western coast of Sumatra and at Salangore and Riouw — the campaign that broke Bugis sea-power in the Straits of Malaka and reimposed Dutch authority over the Riouw archipelago. His subsequent career culminated in his appointment as schout-bij-nacht (rear-admiral) in 1788.
Early Career and the 1783 Voyage
In March 1783 Van Braam received orders to lead a squadron of four line ships and two frigates from the Dutch Republic to the East Indies. The fleet sailed from the Texel on 14 March 1783, stopped at the Cape of Good Hope for provisions, and arrived at Batavia on 4 March 1784, where it awaited further instructions from Governor-General Alting. Van Braam had already distinguished himself at the Battle of Doggersbank of 5 August 1781 — the engagement that, in the Korps Mariniers history’s retrospective, formed the basis of his eventual promotion to kapitein (captain) — before he was given the East Indies command.
The 1784 Expedition: Salangore, Pulau Mars, and Riouw
In April 1784 the fleet left Batavia for the western coast of Sumatra. Operating from Malakka — where the Dutch had mustered their forces against the Bugis-Malay alliance under Radya Hadgè — Van Braam’s squadron joined the campaign whose initial assault, on 18 June 1784, saw the death of Radya Hadgè in the fighting around the Riouw approaches. The fleet then proceeded against Salangore, arriving on 20 July 1784 and capturing the fort on the east point of the island of Pulau Mars. After a series of engagements, Van Braam declared the local ruler deposed and installed Mohamed Ali of the Malay princely line as a client ruler.
The two extracts of the Korps Mariniers history preserve slightly different emphases of the same campaign. The earlier extract (pp. 78–79) records the failed initial landing on Riouw — defended by Radya Hadgè and his allies — and the imposition of a naval blockade that was eventually lifted to allow Dutch merchant vessels to resume trade. The later extract (pp. 80–82) records the Salangore and Pulau Mars operations and the death of Radya Hadgè in the course of those engagements. The two extracts together describe a single coordinated campaign: the repulse of the initial landing on Riouw, the subsequent descent on Salangore, the death of the Bugis leader, and the reimposition of Dutch control.
The Riouw Settlement and Return to the Netherlands
Following the Salangore campaign, Van Braam turned his attention to the pacification of Riouw itself. He issued an ultimatum to Radya Aly on 28 October 1784 and concluded a peace treaty with the young prince Mahmoed on 31 October 1784. He returned to the Netherlands with his squadron on 28 June 1786, where he received a monetary reward for the campaign.
Later Service
Van Braam continued to serve in the Dutch navy after his return from the East Indies. He had distinguished himself at the Battle of Doggersbank (5 August 1781) — the engagement that, in the Korps Mariniers history’s account, earned him the rank of kapitein (captain) — and was subsequently appointed schout-bij-nacht (rear-admiral) in 1788. The Doggersbank engagement had in fact preceded the East Indies command: the Korps Mariniers history’s account of Van Braam’s career folds the earlier battle into its retrospective of his later distinction.
Significance
Jacob Pieter van Braam’s 1784 expedition was, in the Korps Mariniers history’s account, the decisive Dutch stroke against Bugis sea-power in the western archipelago — the campaign that avenged the Bugis attacks on Malakka and reimposed Dutch authority over Riouw and Salangore for the remainder of the VOC era. The expedition is one of the last major VOC naval operations of the eighteenth century, and the career that culminated in Van Braam’s 1788 schout-bij-nacht appointment spans the final phase of the Company’s maritime power. The Journaal van Van Braam — the commander’s own journal of the expedition — is, in the Korps Mariniers history’s framing, the principal documentary record of the Dutch effort to impose control over the western coast of Sumatra and the surrounding archipelago.
See Also
- Oost-Indische Compagnie
- Royal Netherlands Marine Corps
- Riouw
- Salangore
- Malakka
- Batavia
- Cape of Good Hope
- Texel
- Alting
- Majoor Hamell
- Luitenant Wisscher
- Radya Hadgè
- Radya Aly
- Mohamed Ali
- Mahmoed
- Battle of Doggersbank
- 1784
Source
De geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Korps Mariniers van 1665-1945, OCR text, pp. 78–79 and 80–82. File: 20260707_232246_DLP-55-De_geschiedenis_van_het_Nederlandsche_Korps_Mariniers_van_1665_1945_OCR.txt.