Gaspar da Costa
Encyclopedia
Gaspar da Costa was the leader or tenente general of the Portuguese
-speaking Topasses
, a Eurasian
group that dominated much of the politics on Timor
in the early modern period. He was largely responsible for the dramatic collapse of Portuguese power in West Timor
, a process that laid the foundations for the modern division of Timor in an Indonesian and an independent part.
at the north coast, where the governor resided. Animata was described as an extensive settlement with circa 1,800 houses.
priest to France
for educational purpose. In the next year the boy and his preceptor arrived to Lorient
in France. The priest, however, disappeared with the goods and left Balthazar to fend for himself. The latter pursued the rest of his life as a ship's cook and a humble relief-seeker. His plight was noted by some French persons of standing, who presented him to the public as the "Prince of Timor", but Balthazar eventually died poor and forgotten, some time after 1778.
in westernmost Timor were generally poor. In 1735 a Topass army seriously threatened Kupang, and in 1746-49 the Topasses intervened on the Island of Roti
, a Dutch dependency close to Timor. In 1748 a number of Timorese princedoms in West Timor
, who were usually clients to the Portuguese, turned rebellious against Gaspar da Costa. As the Topass forces fought back, lots of Timorese refugees headed for Kupang and the Dutch, who sympathized with the rebels. Especially, the ruler of the prestigious Sonbai
princedom joined the Dutch with the bulk of his followers. Gaspar da Costa raised a comprehensive army consisting of Topasses and levies from the various Timorese princedoms still under his control. The Dutch calculated it to be 20,000 men or even more. The professed aim of Gaspar da Costa was to bring the fugitives back and to eliminate the Dutch garrison in Kupang.
The Topass-Timorese army camped at Penfui, at present-day El Tari Airport
east of Kupang, where they made fortifications of stone and earth. On 9 November 1749 the Dutch sent out a multi-ethnic force consisting of Europeans, Solorese, Sawunese, Rotinese, mardijkers (non-whites in Dutch service), Timorese, etc. In the ensuing Battle of Penfui they attacked the fortifications of Gaspar da Costa with success. The weakness of his large but non-uniform army became apparent as big contingents fled the field in the beginning of the battle. When Gaspar da Costa attempted to leave the battlefield on horseback he was pierced by a Timorese spear, while his followers were slaughtered in the thousands. The Topass defeat meant that the Dutch were able to extend their sphere of influence to most of West Timor during the following decade. In this way the battle laid the ground for the colonial division of Timor in two halves, which was permanented in the nineteenth century, with consequences until today.
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
-speaking Topasses
Topasses
Topasses were a group of people in maritime Asia in the early modern period, who claimed Portuguese ancestry or had taken up Portuguese culture and language. Topasses were found in the various places of South Asia and Southeast Asia which were frequented by the Portuguese, such as Goa, Malacca and...
, a Eurasian
Eurasian (mixed ancestry)
The word Eurasian refers to people of mixed Asian and European ancestry. It was originally coined in 19th-century British India to refer to Anglo-Indians of mixed British and Indian descent....
group that dominated much of the politics on Timor
Timor
Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, north of the Timor Sea. It is divided between the independent state of East Timor, and West Timor, belonging to the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. The island's surface is 30,777 square kilometres...
in the early modern period. He was largely responsible for the dramatic collapse of Portuguese power in West Timor
West Timor
West Timor is the western and Indonesian portion of the island of Timor and part of the province of East Nusa Tenggara, .During the colonial period it was known as "Dutch Timor" and was a centre of Dutch loyalists during the Indonesian National Revolution...
, a process that laid the foundations for the modern division of Timor in an Indonesian and an independent part.
Political rise
His exact parentage is not known, but he might have been the son of the former tenente general Domingos da Costa (d. 1722). He appeared as tenente general in 1732, shortly after the conclusion of a treaty between the Topasses and the official Portuguese governor of Timor. There had been a state of intermittent warfare between the two Portuguese fractions since 1702, but during the time of Gaspar da Costa there was a lull in the hostilities. He supported the foundation of a priest seminar on Timor, but at the same time dominated large parts of Timor without caring about the governor. His main seat of residence was Animata in the present Oecussi-Ambeno enclave, close to LifauLifau
Lifau is a town and suco in the East Timor exclave of Oecusse District. The city is located west of the mouth of the Tono River. 1,938 people are living in the suco.- History :...
at the north coast, where the governor resided. Animata was described as an extensive settlement with circa 1,800 houses.
The son of Gaspar da Costa
In 1748 Gaspar da Costa sent his eldest son Balthazar together with a DominicanDominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
priest to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
for educational purpose. In the next year the boy and his preceptor arrived to Lorient
Lorient
Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...
in France. The priest, however, disappeared with the goods and left Balthazar to fend for himself. The latter pursued the rest of his life as a ship's cook and a humble relief-seeker. His plight was noted by some French persons of standing, who presented him to the public as the "Prince of Timor", but Balthazar eventually died poor and forgotten, some time after 1778.
The Battle of Penfui
Gaspar da Costa's relations with the Dutch colonizers in KupangKupang
Not to be confused with Tanjung Kupang in JohoreKupang is the provincial capital of East Nusa Tenggara province in southeast Indonesia....
in westernmost Timor were generally poor. In 1735 a Topass army seriously threatened Kupang, and in 1746-49 the Topasses intervened on the Island of Roti
Rote Island
right|thumb|300px|Satellite photo of RotiRote Island is an island of Indonesia, part of the East Nusa Tenggara province of the Lesser Sunda Islands. It has an area of . It lies northeast of the Australian coast and northeast of the Ashmore and Cartier Islands. The island is situated to the...
, a Dutch dependency close to Timor. In 1748 a number of Timorese princedoms in West Timor
West Timor
West Timor is the western and Indonesian portion of the island of Timor and part of the province of East Nusa Tenggara, .During the colonial period it was known as "Dutch Timor" and was a centre of Dutch loyalists during the Indonesian National Revolution...
, who were usually clients to the Portuguese, turned rebellious against Gaspar da Costa. As the Topass forces fought back, lots of Timorese refugees headed for Kupang and the Dutch, who sympathized with the rebels. Especially, the ruler of the prestigious Sonbai
Sonbai
Sonbai was an Indonesian princely dynasty that reigned over various parts of West Timor from at least the 17th century until the 1950s...
princedom joined the Dutch with the bulk of his followers. Gaspar da Costa raised a comprehensive army consisting of Topasses and levies from the various Timorese princedoms still under his control. The Dutch calculated it to be 20,000 men or even more. The professed aim of Gaspar da Costa was to bring the fugitives back and to eliminate the Dutch garrison in Kupang.
The Topass-Timorese army camped at Penfui, at present-day El Tari Airport
El Tari Airport
El Tari Airport is an airport in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. The airport's ICAO code was changed from WRKK to WATT in 2004.-Airlines and destinations:...
east of Kupang, where they made fortifications of stone and earth. On 9 November 1749 the Dutch sent out a multi-ethnic force consisting of Europeans, Solorese, Sawunese, Rotinese, mardijkers (non-whites in Dutch service), Timorese, etc. In the ensuing Battle of Penfui they attacked the fortifications of Gaspar da Costa with success. The weakness of his large but non-uniform army became apparent as big contingents fled the field in the beginning of the battle. When Gaspar da Costa attempted to leave the battlefield on horseback he was pierced by a Timorese spear, while his followers were slaughtered in the thousands. The Topass defeat meant that the Dutch were able to extend their sphere of influence to most of West Timor during the following decade. In this way the battle laid the ground for the colonial division of Timor in two halves, which was permanented in the nineteenth century, with consequences until today.
Further reading
- Boxer, C.R. (1947), The Topasses of Timor, Amsterdam: Indisch Instituut te Amsterdam.
- Haga, A. (1882), 'De slag bij Penefoeij en Vendrig Lip', Tijdschrift voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde 27.
- Hägerdal, Hans (2007), 'Rebellions or Factionalism? Timorese Forms of Resistance in an Early Colonial Context, 1650-1769', Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde 163.
- Matos, Artur Teodoro de (1974), Timor Português 1515-1769, Lisboa: Instituto Histórico Infante Dom Henrique.