Lada Digunakan Sultan Banten Sebagai Kesempatan Untuk Gubernur Jenderal Daendels Dalam Kehistory Hari Ini, 8 Juli 1808

Illustration of pepper farming in the archipelago in an abundant past, packaged before being distributed to various regions. (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA History today, 214 years ago, July 8, 1808, Sultan of Banten Abunashar Muhammad Ishaq Zainultaqin awarded 200 peppers to the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, Herman Willem Daendels. The gift was carried out as a diplomatic tactic. Moreover, at that time, Daendels only served as the number one person in the Dutch East Indies. The commodity of pepper is proof that Banten and the colonial government had a close relationship. It is also proof that Banten is famous as a dealer of the Nusantara pepper.

The role of the Banten Sultanate in the world's spice path cannot be doubted. The abundant commodity of pepper is the origin. After all, Banten is one of the number two pepper dealers of the archipelago, under Aceh.

Traders from Asia to Europe were also interested. Among others, from Persia, Gujarat, Malabar, Keling, Pegu, Malay, China, Turkey, Arabia, and Abysinia. Therefore, Banten Port is often crowded. The arrival of ships that will transport pepper never stopped to keep going down and down. In fact, long before the arrival of the Dutch.

The abundant commodity of pepper is the origin of the Banten Sultanate to achieve great profit. The government's owners did not hesitate to order the occupation to switch from agricultural activities to planting pepper commodities. Everything is done to meet market demand. This condition is sometimes in a dilemma. pepper planting on a large scale is actually often a source of problems. The people of Banten once lacked food ingredients because of it.

The Sultanate of Banten was also restless. Finally, residents were asked to replant rice and tubers. However, still, people came to Banten to look for pepper. So the Banten Sultanate again required its people to plant pepper.

Now let's look at the number of Nusantara pepper productions every year in the 17th century. Portuguese explorer Tome Pires who says Sundan pepper is better than cayenne pepper, says the pepper produced every year amounts to approximately 1,000 Bahars. Here, Tome Pires does not specifically mention Banten. However, the results in his center are clearly too small when compared to the peppers transported from the port of Banten.

According to historian JC van Leur, around the 1,600 pepper-brokers occurred. The demand for pepper exploded, due to the tough competition between Dutch, British and Portuguese traders while Chinese traders are also still centralizing their operations at Banten Port. The pepper harvest reached 100 thousand-200 thousand zak, and the price jumped from 10-12 real to 50-60 real every 10 zaks," said P. Swantoro in the book Trading for the XVII Century (2019) Trade.

Banten's wealth of pepper is used optimally. Lada is not only used as a mere trade commodity. Once upon a time, the Banten Sultanate uses pepper as a diplomatic tool. Whether it's diplomacy with the kingdom abroad or in the archipelago.

Lada is also a diplomatic tool to bring together the relationship between Banten and the colonial government of the Dutch East Indies. Sultan Banten Abunashar once sent 200 bahar peppers for the Dutch East Indies official, Daendels on July 3, 1808. However, Daendels only received it on July 8, 1808. The land was then a warm representation of the relationship between Banten and the Netherlands.

The letter contains a report regarding the planting of pepper in Lampung and the issue of profit sharing from pepper plantations and their selling price. The Sultan also expressed his gratitude for the gift he had received. In retaliation, the Sultan sent 200 bahar peppers, sparkling fabrics, and so on to Daendles," wrote Sultan Abunashar Muhammad Ishaq Zainulmutaqin as quoted by Pudjiastuti in the book War, Trade, Friendship: King of Banten Letter (2007).

The use of pepper as a dowry by Sultan Ishaq from Banten to Governor General Daendles became a form of history today, July 8, 1808 in the archipelago.