# Batavia Massacre of 1740 (9–22 October 1740)

URL: https://allhistories.com/indonesia/timeline/1740-batavia-massacre-of-1740
Location: Batavia (now Jakarta)
Themes: Bali, Lombok, Sasak

Between 9 and 22 October 1740 at least 10,000 ethnic Chinese were killed in Batavia, with at least 500 seriously wounded. Estimates of survivors vary, from about 600 to 3,431. Killing and looting continued outside the walls into November. The violence began after rebels killed about 50 Dutch soldiers on 7 October and rumours of a plot spread. A fall in world sugar prices damaged the Chinese-run sugar mills around the city, and the colonial government deported and extorted wealthy Chinese. The governor-general had ordered deadly force against any uprising. In 1739, 10,574 Chinese lived in the Ommelanden around the city. The article also records that skirmishes continued outside the city walls and that some Dutch officials were later put on trial for the events, which became a notable scandal in the Netherlands. The attacks led to the Chinese-Javanese War across Java. The governor was recalled and sentenced to death in 1744 but died in prison in 1751; the sentence was rescinded in 1755. Survivors were confined to Glodok, outside the walls, and sugar output did not recover until the 1760s. At this point in the timeline (1740), the VOC in the East Indies was headed from Batavia by Governor-General Adriaan Valckenier (1737 – 1741). Other contemporary rulers included Johan Syah, sultan of Aceh (1735 – 1760) and Pakubuwono II, susuhunan of Mataram (1726 – 1742).

## Why it matters
It was one of the worst atrocities of the colonial period and began a wider war that shook Java.

Ruler at the Time: [Adriaan Valckenier](https://allhistories.com/indonesia/rulers/adriaan-valckenier)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — 1740 Batavia massacre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1740_Batavia_massacre)