Soerapatie kills VOC commander Tak at Kartasoera

Soerapati kills VOC commander Tak.

Soerapati, a slave on the run from Batavia, was a major figure in the resistance against the VOC. After his attack on a small group of VOC officials he joined a group of people at the Mataram court which had turned against the Dutch.

In 1684 Captain François Tack, who led the troops in the battle for Banten, travelled to the sultan of Mataram for talks on the sultan's debts to the VOC and Soerapati's extradition. But the ex-slave succeeded in averting his extradition by murdering Captain Tack during his stay in Mataram.

The VOC had previously had François Tack, lieutenant-colonel of the VOC army, to thank for the conquest of the city of Banten. Following this victory Banten, the VOC's major rival on Java, was forced to cede a great deal of power. Not only that, but the Compagnie's British rivals, who maintained trading posts in Banten, were also forced to leave.