Banten (town) facts for kids
Banten, also known as Bantam, is a historic port town located near the western tip of Java, Indonesia. It has a safe harbor at the mouth of the Banten River. This river allowed small boats to travel into the island's interior. Banten is also very close to the Sunda Strait. This strait is an important sea route for large ships traveling between Java and Sumatra. In the past, Old Banten was the capital of a powerful sultanate (a kingdom ruled by a sultan). It was a very important place for trade.
Banten's Early History
Banten has a long and interesting history. Around the 5th century, Banten was part of a kingdom called Tarumanagara. An old stone carving, known as the Lebak relic inscription, was found in 1947. It tells about the bravery of King Purnawarman.
After the Tarumanagara kingdom fell, power in western Java went to the Kingdom of Sunda. A Chinese book from around 1200, called Chu-fan-chi, mentioned that the Srivijaya empire still ruled Sumatra and western Java (Sunda) in the early 1200s. This book said that the port of Sunda was very important and busy. It noted that pepper from Sunda was some of the best quality. People in the area farmed, and their houses were built on wooden poles. It is very likely that this port of Sunda was actually the port of Banten.
In the early 1500s, a Portuguese explorer named Tomé Pires wrote about the important ports of the Sunda Kingdom. He listed Bantam (Banten) as one of them, along with other ports like Sunda Kelapa.
As a busy trading city, Banten started to receive Islamic influences in the early 1500s. Later in that century, Banten became the center of the strong Banten Sultanate.
English Traders in Bantam
Many European trading companies came to Banten. The English East India Company sent its first ships to the area around 1600. They set up a permanent trading post in Bantam in 1603. The Dutch also established their own trading post there.
For many years, the English trading post in Bantam was very important. From 1617 to 1630, it was led by a chosen President. Even trading posts in India, like those at Machilipatnam and Fort St. George, reported to Bantam.
During the 1600s, the Portuguese and the Dutch often fought for control of Bantam. The Dutch eventually found they could control their trading post in Batavia (modern-day Jakarta) more easily than Bantam. This might have helped lead to the decline of the English trading post in Bantam.
Banten Today
Today, Banten is a smaller local seaport. It is not as economically important as the nearby port of Merak to its west or the large city of Jakarta to its east. There is a notable Chinese community living in Banten.
Banten in Stories
The area of South-Bantam, also called Bantan-Kidoel or Lebak, is mentioned in a famous novel. In Max Havelaar by Multatuli, a character works there as an assistant-resident.
See also
