Conflict between the Gowa Kingdom of Makassar and the Dutch East India Company (1630s)

Timeline

1. 1631–1633Port of Makassar · SulawesiAs the main entrepôt for Moluccan cloves and Banda nutmeg, Makassar attracted Portuguese, English, Chinese, Malay, and other merchants. The VOC demanded that Sultan Alauddin of Gowa-Tallo expel non-Dutch European traders and grant the VOC exclusive trading privileges, but the sultan flatly refused on the grounds that 'God made the sea, and all may traverse it,' establishing the long-term pattern of opposition between the two sides.
2. 1634–1636Waters off the port of Makassar · Sulawesi watersThe VOC imposed a naval blockade on Makassar, attempting to cut its links with the Moluccan spice-producing areas and intercept Portuguese and other non-Dutch ships bound for Makassar. The blockade failed to sustain its effect due to insufficient forces and Makassar's naval resistance, and ultimately ended in negotiations and partial concessions; the Dutch did not achieve their goal of complete monopoly.
3. 1637–1640Port of Makassar · SulawesiIn 1637 the Dutch again launched a blockade and diplomatic pressure; Sultan Alauddin died the same year (1639), and his son Sultan Malikussaid succeeded him, continuing the free trade policy. Makassar, drawing on its Islamic diplomatic network and local naval strength, withstood Dutch pressure, and open conflict between the two sides was delayed until the 1660s (the First Makassar War).