Thomas Stamford Raffles' Wife, Olivia Mariamne Fired In Bogor In History Today, November 26, 1814

Waive Olivia Mariamneapish at Kebon Jabe Kober Cemetery, Tanah Abang. (VOI/Detha Arya Tifada)

JAKARTA History today, 208 years ago, November 26, 1814, Olivia Mariamne Mariamish died in Buitenzorg (now: Bogor). The wife of Lieutenant Governor General of the Dutch East Indies is thought to have a tropical disease: malaria.

During her lifetime, Olivia helped Raffles a lot in political lobbying. He was able to influence the wives of officials and the King of Java to support her husband's steps. Moreover, Olivia's legacy is very large for the Dutch East Indies. He became one of the pioneers in the presence of the Bogor Botanical Gardens.

The figure of a successful man, there must be a woman behind him. That is what describes Raffles' leadership in the archipelago from 1811 to 1816. Mixed by his wife, Olivia became a complement to the prominent leadership of Raffles in the Dutch East Indies.

Women who are widely known as Olivia Raffles often accompany her husband to visit all corners of the archipelago. When meeting the Javanese king, let alone. Raffles finds it important to bring Olivia. Raffles feels Olivia is reliable in diplomacy. Which, all kinds of affairs can be resolved properly.

Olivia understands her job very well. His presence in each visit made the host often relax his wife to accompany Olivia. He also began to take advantage of the situation. Olivia tries to get closer to the woman of the upper class.

His studies were successful. This closeness made the wife of the King of Java able to ask her husband to obey Raffles' wishes. Because Olivia believes a man can melt his heart when talking to a woman. His wife especially.

The goal of Raffles to bring Olivia on his way is to make the host ask one of his wives to accompany Olivia. Raffles was the first Briton to have the intention of meeting the rulers' wives. British representatives in India have never done anything like that.

Meeting elite women, according to Raffles' experience in Malacca, can take her to the rulers' private space because elite women usually live separately from the general public. In this way, Raffles has opened up new habits in the relationship between Europeans-Batavians and Asians, because his way of association with Javanese aristocrats will be applied at other times, said historian Jean Gelman Taylor in the book Social Life in Batavia (2009).

Olivia's figure became famous throughout the Dutch East Indies. His popularity grew because he often held parties by inviting many people. Moreover, his figure who is friendly and likes gardening (his garden then became the forerunner of the Bogor Botanical Gardens).

However, Olivia's existence had to end. The tropical disease of malaria destroyed her big step in the Dutch East Indies. Olivia also died in Buitenzorg on November 26, 1814. Raffles is sad, not playing. Two days later, he was buried at the Kebon Jahe Kober Cemetery, Tanah Abang, Batavia (now: Jakarta).

He returned to Buitenzorg in poor health, and was unwell during the following month, when Raffles wrote that he was far from healthy, but in good spirits. He died in Buitenzoorg on Saturday 26 November 1814, 43 years old. His body was taken to Batavia, where he was buried right behind his best friend John Leyden's grave in Tanah Abang (Prassisti Park)," said John Bastin and Julie Weizenegger in the book The Family of Sir Stamford Raffles (2016).