Conquest of Boano, 22 December 1652

Conquest of Boano, 22 December 1652. In the Great Ambon War (1651-1656) the sengaji of the island of Boano, west of Seram, was among the opponents of the VOC. The sengaji’s local rival therefore sought to cooperate with the VOC. This drawing shows how the forces under De Vlamingh conquer the hill fort of the sengaji without opposition. Groups of refugees from Seram, who had taken up residence at the foot of the hill, had fled before the VOC troops arrived. The villages were put to the torch. – After this conquest, the sengaji’s adversary who had invited the Dutch there, would suddenly die and the sengaji’s adherents once again took to their hillforts, only to be defeated once more by the VOC. – The islands are depicted from the northwest here. Large parts of the islands are depicted either very sketchily or not at all. The drawing shows the VOC troops moving through the whimsical landscape with its many hill forts. On the top left on the islands (the southeast coast), we see a small, thusfar unidentified fort.

A poem at the top right praises the victory.

Legend: 1 Comp’s schepen, 2 plaets waer d’onse landen, 3 is Outhoorn tot de negrij der Kambellers en Lyssydiers marserende, 4 is den superintendent en Keler den berg op en vesting inrukkende, 5 is vijands vesting, 6 is de grote negrij der inlandren.

Part of an illustrated manuscript version of Livinus Bor, Amboinse Oorlogen, describing the events of the Great Ambon War (1651-1656), and defending and glorifying the acts of the VOC commander in this conflict, Arnold de Vlamingh van Oudshoorn.

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