Seventeenth-Century Batavia

Timeline

1. 1619–1630City of Batavia · JavaCoen ordered a new city built on the abandoned site of Jakarta at the mouth of the Ciliwung River, centered on a rectangular bastioned fort, with a canal network, Chinese quarters, and VOC warehouses. The city was initially small but of outstanding strategic importance, commanding the junction of the Sunda Strait and the Java Sea.
2. 1628–1629City of Batavia and surroundings · JavaSultan Agung of Mataram twice sent troops to besiege Batavia, both attempts failing. Afterwards the VOC massively reinforced the walls and expanded the garrison, perfecting the city's defenses and establishing an unshakable Dutch foothold in Java.
3. 1651–1660Inside and around the city of Batavia · JavaIn the mid-17th century, Batavia's districts were divided into the inner city (Dutch quarter), Chinatown (Chinese residents), the Javanese quarter, and the Mardijker quarter, with a population exceeding 100,000. The canal system and warehouse docks formed the infrastructure of a thriving entrepôt trade; merchants from many lands brought cloth, porcelain, rice, and spices, making the city one of Asia's most important commercial centers.
4. 1680–1699City of Batavia · JavaIn the tropical climate the city's canals silted up severely, becoming breeding grounds for malaria and dysentery, with extremely high mortality among European settlers. Wealthy residents gradually moved to the southern suburbs, and the inner city fell into decay; despite this, Batavia's function as the VOC's Asian administrative center continued into the 18th century.