Raffles and the British Invasion of Java

I've read many academic "Histories" of Java, Raffles and Singapore... And visited theses places, but I never really "got the picture" until I read this book... Its a "Rip Roaring" "Page Turner" that gives the interesting nuances of historical events without resorting to "Novelization"... The Battle of Batavia, usually just a paragraph in most histories, is actually made into an event that you live through... In Short its a History that reads like Its a Novel by an author who clearly has something to say, and isn't just filling pages with dry lists and events... Even if you're not into the subject matter of South Asian History...This Book is just a good read about one of the most important "Good" Colonialists of the Era...

The past is malleable. Only the future is certain. - Soviet adage. Hannigan is a useful corrective, hewing to genuine lasting results of the British Interregnum, such as the crippling of royal influence in what is now Indonesia. He also captures the long view of Javanese religion, politics, and spiritism. The UK facilitated the preservation of monuments, culture, and temples of Central and East Java, thanks to some dedicated Asianists' work in their spare time. The Raffles Myth served the Empire, well. It must serve Singapore, too.

Very good explanation of the life and times of that period, and a somewhat different view of Raffles, but well documented.

How interesting to learn "Dutch" Indonesia was five years British! While the Napoleonic wars raged and the War of 1812 was fought all this interesting stuff was changing the history of Indonesia!

I had the Kindle version of this book and it was nearly incomprehensible at times. The history was great but the writing let the history down in a big way.

A workmanlike job. Raffles has been much written about, but Hannigan successfullyportrays him as a unique and marvelous character who, despite sometimes being at cross purposes with his employer, the British East India Company rose from obscure beginnings, and little education, to the heights of early 19th century British society. He is a revered and almost mythological figure in Singapore and other parts of Southeast Asia.

A book that contains more fiction than fact. A waste of time and money. There are much better accounts including one by Raffles himself.

This book was recommended to me by a friend who is a well renowned Indonesian publisher. I remarked one day to him, "I want to write a book called: Raffles was a badass". He replied, "Its already been written" and handed me this book from the shelf of the bookstore. As a Singaporean, Raffles has been a whitewashed character, a visionary and a unblemished founder of our country. Yet my initial fact findings started to unearth discrepancies. From his dispute with William Farquhar to the way in which Singapore was founded, I knew in my gut that there was more to the story of Raffles. Tim has made spectacular sense and provided a colour about Raffles which surpasses the current dogma. Raffles at the end of the day was a man with his flaws, and I do believe that Tim has done justice in painting a fair picture of a colonialist who was struggling to pursue fame and fortune, and not a altruistic statesman which we have been lead to believe. I thoroughly recommend this book.Thrilling romp through the history of South East Asia.

日本人がこれまでほとんど関心を持っていなかったジャワ史の影の部分を、膨大な資料を基に掘り起こした傑作である、と評価します。 シンガポールは東南アジアの中でも日本人が大きな親しみを持つ国であり、それだけにラッフルズホテルの名前や彼の有名な彫像によって、尊敬の念をもっています。これは、シンガポール在日本人会によるウエブサイトの評価でもそうだし、日本におけるジャワ史の第一人者と言われる永積昭博士の『オランダ東インド会社』においてもラッフルを開明的な改革者として紹介しています。しかし日本人会のサイトは独自調査ではなく、いわゆる公式発表(的）なものそのままですし、永積博士の本の末尾にあるジャワ史にはラッフルズの命によるジョグジャカルタ王家宮殿への英軍総攻撃の事実も記載されていません。 そもそも日本人にはバタビアが5年間イギリスの支配下にあったことさえ殆ど知られておらず、ラッフルズをただシンガポールの建国者として認識しているだけです。そのような今に伝わる認識は、イギリスという勝者から見たジャワ史であるという気づきもなく、ラッフルズの全像を解明する機会も手がかりも全くなかった、と言えます。 この本は、著者の徹底的な資料の渉猟と分析により、全くこれまでに見えていなかったジャワ史の真実とラッフルズの実像に触れることが出来る一級の歴史書と言えます。

Very detailed, well written piece of history/non-fiction. Having stayed in Asia for some time, I particularly enjoyed this book as a way to broaden cultural knowledge of the region. Standing against the bulwark of Raffle's blindfolded supporters, this book is a much needed contradictory view on the "hero of Singapore",

Excellent. I found this book to be an interesting, informative, and entertaining read. This is the second book written by Tim Hannigan that I have read. The first one was his Brief History of Indonesia. I think that he is a very talented writer. The book starts with the observation that the Javanese, in a general sense the people who live on the island of Java, lament the fact that the Dutch were the colonial power and not the British, but then goes on to describe the five years that the British were in charge from 1811 until 1816, and then ends the book with the same observation that the people who today live on the island of Java think that if they had been colonised by the British instead of the Dutch things would have been so much better in Indonesia. Without ever have been to Indonesia (yet) I have heard the same thing, and the excellent travelogue Indonesia etc: Exploring the improbable nation by Elisabeth Pisani makes pretty much the same point. Without really delving into the reason why, Tim Hannigan does in effect say that they are mistaken on two counts. Firstly, there are plenty of countries colonised by the British that have done badly, and, secondly, the British did colonise / run Indonesia. In fact, the British ran Indonesia twice. In 1811 - 1816 and arguably again in 1945 - 1946. Yes, Tim Hannigan does appear to be highly critical of Thomas Stamford Raffles, and maybe that is no bad thing. If I have a criticism of this particular book is that it does seem a bit thin, but at well over 350 pages long maybe to have delved more deeply into the situation before the British invasion, during the fives years the British were there, and what the consequences were in the short, medium, and long-term, other than a general observation that people drive on the left in Indonesia because of the five years the British were there, would have meant a multi-volume work out of keeping with Tim Hannigan's style? This is a book after the style of the excellent Brief History of Indonesia. Anyway, I, personally, thoroughly enjoyed reading Raffles and the British Invasion of Java. Tim Hannigan says that he was in Java teaching English, and I think that he is a teacher. He appears to me to have a nose for knowing what many a reader is going to know about Java, in particular, and Indonesia, in general, viz sometimes little to nothing, and explains points that other authors assume people will know. This is, therefore, a good stand-alone book, and I don't think you need to have read around the topic to be able to follow what is being said, although it is highly likely that you'll be reading this book because you have an interest in Singapore and / or in Indonesia, and then in the overall mix of books on those two countries this one is definitely worth buying and reading ... maybe even at the top or near the top of the list. It is such an easy, entertaining, and generally informative read.

During the 8 years I spent living in Java in the 2000s, I was often frustrated by the dearth of accessible English-language reading material on the history and culture of Indonesia. Most of what was available then (back in the pre-kindle days) was either dry specialist academic texts, travel guides or poorly translated Dutch works. Most of the knowledge I picked up during that time was patched together from speaking to Indonesians and long-term ex-pats, visiting places of interest and reading the odd travel guide. As I am unable to speak Dutch or read old Javanese, and there is sadly a lack of easily- accessible museums and archives in Indonesia, going to source material to fill in the gaps wasn't an option. Therefore I'm glad that Tim Hannigan did all the hard work for me and only wish he had done it ten years earlier! Back in Indonesia on holiday this summer I finally got round to reading this book. It is a fascinating read, written in an accessible style which keeps up your interest throughout. It not only deals with this less well-known period in Raffles' life but with many side characters and also with contemporary Javanese culture. For me there were many recognisable descriptions and several `aha! moments' where I discovered (or had confirmed) explanations for various Javanese quirks that still endure to today. If you are merely looking for a highly-detailed account of British military manoeuvres in Java, you will probably be disappointed. If you are a committed Rafflesophile, you will likely baulk at the critical handling of the man and his dubious actions during this time. If however, like the author, you have a passion for this bewitching country and are looking for insight into this period, the people and the culture, you will thoroughly enjoy this read.

This book offers a reassessment of the often-eulogised Raffles based on his years as ruler of Java from 1811 to 1816. I wondered at first if it was going to be iconoclasm for its own sake, but Hannigan backs up his claims with sound and convincing examples of Raffles' less-than-heroic behaviour. Sometimes the behaviour was downright appalling - for instance, all but inciting the sultan of Palembang to murderous activity against the Dutch settlers there and supplying his debauched friend Alexander Hare in Borneo with forced labour (often women for his amusement), not to mention the more usual imperial actions such as military conquest of native kingdoms, looting of artefacts, croneyism and more. Hannigan's unrelenting anti-Raffles tone can be wearisome at times and a reference to him is almost always accompanied by some derogatory adjective or comment ('foppish', 'haughty' etc). I particularly disliked the constant references, implied or otherwise, to the heavy drinking of his first wife, Olivia. Hannigan has enough solid evidence against Raffles without having to resort to this kind of cheap, journalistic approach. The book would have gained in authority without it. Raffles did perform some creditable actions and perhaps these are underplayed in the determination to condemn him. In life Raffles attracted extreme reactions, from slavish adoration to bitter enmity, and Hannigan tends to the latter camp. The descriptions can be as luxuriant as the Javanese landscapes and could do with a bit of adjectival pruning. But Hannigan is clearly enthusiastic about his project and for the most part I much enjoyed his immersive, stirring, detailed descriptions of events and places. It is hard to feel bored reading this book. Overall, I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in lively historical writing and an open mind with regard to received opinions.