Fort Speelwijk is a fort located in Banten Lama. In 1682, civil war broke out in the area. Sultan Haji sought help from the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC), the Dutch East Indies Company, to overthrow his father, Sultan Ageng. In exchange for the help, the Dutch wanted a trading monopoly within the area and to build a fort. Therefore in 1685, the building of the fort commences. Named Fort Speelwijk after the then governor of Batavia, it soon became Banten’s International Harbour. The building of a fort in Banten showed its significance to the Dutch as control of this area allows the Dutch to achieve control over the Sunda straits. The fort was also strategically located at the river delta leading inland.
Fort Speelwijk was built over an existing city. When the Dutch arrived and commenced the construction, they decided to demolish the structure leaving just one wall which became the fort’s north facing wall. The debris and stones from the demolished structure were then used for the fort’s construction. The fort was constructed like most 17th century Dutch forts. The fort’s wall is approximately 5 metres high, and length of each side of the wall is around 80 metres. Surrounding the fort is a moat and the fort is shaped like a star. There are a total of four bastions. These four bastions are diamond shaped and protruding at the four corners of fort. The construction style was typical during the 17th century because of its ability to repel attacks that were targeted at the fort’s flanks. In addition, the diamond shaped bastions ensured that there were no blind spots for the defenders. This gave the defenders an all rounded defence system which allowed them clear sight of the attacking force. There were cannons installed in the fort. Evidence of casemates and pictures showing the guns gave clues to the weaponry installed in the fort.
The fort was inhabited by almost a garrison of 400 odd troops from the Dutch East Indies Company. However, due to the tropical conditions and the lack of hygiene in the area, almost three quarters of the troops perished. Current excavations seek to understand the living conditions of these troops and their diet.
Reference: Guillot, C. 1990. ‘The Sultanate of Banten’. Gramedia Book Publishing Division: Jakarta.
Archaeology in Banten Lama 