Born Malahayati in the 1550's, in Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia. She is credited as on of the earliest heroines in Indonesian history, as well as the first female admiral in modern history. Unfortunately her story is relatively unknown, outside of Sumatra. Things may change though, in May 2018, a children's comic book titled "Keumalahayati, Laksamana Perempuan Pertama" or "First Woman Admiral, Keumalahayati" by author Marcella Zalianty.
She was the daughter of, Admiral Machmud Syah of the Aceh empire. Malahayati showed little interest in domestic studies from an early age, instead she developed a passion for the sea and naval studies from her father. After graduating from Pesantren, an Islamic school, Keumalahayati continued her studies at the Royal Military Academy or Ma'had Baitul Maqdis.
After the fall of Malacca to Portugese invaders, Aceh became a stronger faction, insuring that the Malacca Strait remained exclusive to Asian traders. The sultan, Alauddin II Mansur I Syah (ruled 1577-89), bolstered his military by building a huge navy. He chose the war-widow, Malahayati, as his first admiral; this is probably where she got the name she is better known by, Keumalahayati. Although she was a woman, she had earned the respect of the other soldiers and generals, as she had proved herself fighting against Portuguese and Dutch invaders.
In 1599, Dutch expedition commander, Cornelis de Houtman, arrived at the port of Aceh. At first, he was welcomed warmly by the sultan, until de Houtman insulted him. The Dutchman, who had previously clashed with the Banten sultanate in northwest Java, decided to attack. Malahayati led the Inong Balee Army, in response to the Dutch threat & after a series of battles, killed de Houtman on Sept. 11, 1599.
The following year, the Dutch navy led by, Paulus van Caerden, robbed & sunk several Aceh merchant ships, loaded with spices, on the Aceh coast. In June 1601, Malahayati captured Dutch admiral, Jacob van Neck, as he sailed along the Aceh coast. After several failed navy expeditions, Maurits van Oranje (Prince of Nassau), sent a diplomatic letter of apology to the Aceh empire, along with two emissaries, Admiral Laurens Bicker & Gerard de Roy. Malahayati met the emissaries for the treaty agreement; a ceasefire was agreed upon and the Dutch paid 50 thousand gulden as compensation for van Caerden's actions, while Malahayati agreed to release Dutch prisoners. After the agreement was settled the sultan sent three emissaries to the Netherlands.
In June 1602, her reputation as the saviour of the Aceh kingdom led England to choose a peaceful, diplomatic solution to open up the Malacca strait. A letter from Queen Elizabeth I was delivered to the sultan by, James Lancaster but Malahayati is the one who led the negotiations. The agreement opened the English route to Java, allowing the English to build trade offices in Banten, soon after.
Malahayati was killed in battle, while attacking a Portuguese fleet, at Teluk Kreung Raya. She was buried at Iereng Bukit Kota Dalam, a small fishing village, 34km from Banda Aceh. Today Malahayati/Keumalayahayati is a common name for naval ships, hospitals, schools & roads in Sumatra.
Sidenotes:
Malacca- in the southern region of modern-day Malaysia
Inong Balee Army- based at the fort of the same name, on Kreung Raya Bay which overlooks the Indian ocean. Teluk Kreung Raya was a port, where the fort was located, according to the info I was able to gather.
gulden- another form of the gilder, which was the Dutch currency between the 17th cen., until 2002.
Banda Aceh- the capital and largest city of the province of Aceh, in Sumatra, Indonesia.
http://military.wikia.com/wiki/Keumalahayati
YOU ARE READING
Female Warriors
Non-FictionFrom Naotara li and Mulan to Eleanor of Aquitaine and Boudicca. Strong women throughout history who fought for the countries, families and beliefs; that made a stand against those who threatened to destroy them. They took charge when no else would.
