The First Naning War, 1831

Added: 2026-05-09

[00:00:01]In the early 19th century, the English East India Company stood as the undisputed master of the seas, rapidly extending its commercial and territorial reach across the globe.

[00:00:16]However, in 1831, this formidable power suffered a humiliating defeat in the dense, steamy jungles of the Malay Peninsula.

[00:00:28]It was a conflict later described by British historians as an egregious blunder and a ludicrous campaign.

[00:00:38]The chief secretary to the government in Kolkata at the time called it a protracted and worse than useless war.

[00:00:48]This was the first nanning war.

[00:00:52]A tiny inland state of just 240 square miles with a fighting force of only a few hundred men succeeded in humiliating a British expeditionary force.

[00:01:05]The war in Nunning was not fought over lofty ideals or control of territory but over the simple question of taxes.

[00:01:16]It is a story of fearless defiance in the face of colonial arrogance.

[00:01:23]In this video, we unravel the dramatic events of the 1831 campaign, the strategy and tactics, the heroes and villains, the grueling advance, and the devastating British retreat that left the colonial masters scrambling for their lives. Heat. Heat.

[00:01:48][music] [music] [music] During the 16th [music] and 17th centuries, [snorts] many of the Minangava people of western Sumatra crossed the straits and settled in the inland territory of Nanning, a region lying to the north of the [music] rich port city of Malaca.

[00:02:35]They brought with them a rich cultural [music] heritage, most notably their unique matrinal customary [music] law, the Adat Purpati.

[00:02:46]Nanning was originally an integral part of the great Malaca Sultenate.

[00:02:52]When the Portuguese captured Malaca in 1511, the Sultan fled to Joho and the settlers of Nanning found themselves [music] nominally on the frontier of a new European enclave.

[00:03:06]However, Nanning remained firmly within the cultural and political orbit of the Malay world, acknowledging the susenity of the Sultan of Joo while preserving its own deeprooted independence and sacred customs.

[00:03:25]European powers had struggled for centuries to exert control over this stubborn interior.

[00:03:31]The Portuguese who' captured Malaca rarely ventured far inland. Their most notable expedition reaching only as far as Padang Chachar near the Nanning stronghold of Tabo where they encountered fierce resistance.

[00:03:49]Early historical accounts speak of a local landmark there known as Kubu Furingi, an earthen mound believed to mark the remains of a Portuguese rampart standing as a lingering testament to these early jungle clashes.

[00:04:07]In 1586, Sultan Ali Jala Abdul Jal Shah II of Joho laid siege to Malaca and summoned his traditional vassels, the Minang Kabals of Nanning and Rumba to assist him in the war against the Portuguese.

[00:04:25]Nanning warriors launched aggressive attacks on Malaca from the Landwood side, descending from the hintterland to set fire to and destroy the gardens, orchards, and cultivated lands along the Malaca River.

[00:04:41]This tactic caused severe starvation within the besieged city, cutting off vital supplies of food [music] to its Portuguese defenders.

[00:04:53]To break this triangle hold, the Portuguese launched a desperate counterattack under the command of Dooo Damuha and Don Manuel Dalmada.

[00:05:04]A mixed force of 100 Portuguese and 600 [music] native auxiliaries marched inland for 4 days, struggling through thick forests and swamps before reaching Kong Ana in Alugaja.

[00:05:19]There, a formidable force of 2,000 men from Nanning awaited them. The Portuguese advanced guard stormed the Nanning stockade with heavy musket fire, scattering [music] the defenders before burning the village and its surrounding fields to the ground.

[00:05:38]In 1641, the Dutch captured Malaca from the Portuguese with the help of Joho and its allies in Nanning.

[00:05:47]However, they soon sought to subjugate the inland Minangaba settlements, beginning with attempts to impose a nominal 10% [music] tax on their agricultural produce.

[00:05:59]The people of Nanning refused to pay the tribute, and the region erupted in revolt.

[00:06:07]The Minangaba warriors of Nanning proved to be a persistent and terrifying menace to the Dutch [music] garrison.

[00:06:14]Conducting numerous raids on Malaca, they launched daring guerilla attacks, advancing in hordes to within musketshot of the Dutch fortress and the very perimeter of its entrenchments.

[00:06:29]During these raids, they plundered and laid waste to the houses [music] and gardens in the vicinity of the town and destroyed the plantations at Buketina.

[00:06:39]This pattern of devastating rural warfare continued for decades.

[00:06:47]In 1644, a small Dutch party consisting of Captain Forsenberg, Shahband Yan Manir, [music] and six Dutch soldiers was attacked by Nanning and Rumba fighters [music] and massacred to the last man.

[00:07:03]Dutch units sent to their aid were also attacked and the Dutch lost over 30 men in the series of ambushes.

[00:07:12]In retaliation, Dutch ships instituted a strict blockade of the tributaries of the Lingi River, cutting off Nunning's access to vital supplies such as rice, salt, and gunpowder, and they successfully subjected the interior's population to famine.

[00:07:32]The conflict grew exceedingly brutal on both sides.

[00:07:37]Captured Naning and Rambau were summarily executed. [music] Their heads were then placed on stakes and their bodies hung on wooden posts to serve as a gruesome warning.

[00:07:50]The Dutch also launched destructive military expeditions directly into the Nanning heartland.

[00:07:58]In 1645, a Dutch force [music] fought its way to Nanning stronghold of Dabo, where they employed savage, scorched earth tactics, burning [music] houses, killing livestock, and destroying pattify fields and orchards.

[00:08:14]Knowing how important the [music] chewing of beetlenut and sirich leaves was to local culture and daily life, the Dutch even destroyed hundreds of beetle palm trees to [music] break the spirit of the rebels.

[00:08:29]In March 1677, a Minangaba prince from Pagar Ruyong in central Sumatra, Raja Ibrahim, [music] led an uprising of over 3,700 Minangaba from Ramba, Sunai, Ujong, and Nanning.

[00:08:46]Establishing their base at Batanga near Tanjong, they burned and paged the suburbs of Malaa while laying siege to the city.

[00:08:57]The Dutch garrison was weak, consisting of only 253 soldiers alongside armed citizens and native auxiliaries. [music] They hastily built brick fortifications to defend the UP and Tranera suburbs.

[00:09:13]Using materials from a local brick works at Gajahaba, the Dutch avoided risky pitch battles in the open and instead relied on the safety of their fortifications and the stout walls of their fortress.

[00:09:31]Dutch ships meanwhile could bombard the minanka base at Batangika unopposed.

[00:09:38]By June 1677, the Minangaba forces had given up the siege and retreated into the interior.

[00:09:47]The brutality of these conflicts between the [music] Dutch and Nunning Malays stood as a stark warning of the dangers of jungle warfare against such a defiant people.

[00:09:59]A warning the British would disastrously ignore nearly two centuries later.

[00:10:10]After the Napoleonic Wars, the Anglo Dutch Treaty of 1824 permanently surrendered Malaca to the English [music] East India Company.

[00:10:21]The British thus found themselves inheriting all Dutch treaties with [music] the Malays including the archaic agreements concerning Nanning.

[00:10:31]The East India Company's officials eager to consolidate their territorial [music] finances assumed that Nanning was an integral part of Malaca territory.

[00:10:43]This assumption [music] set the stage for a clash with the ruler of Naning Dat Abdul Sai bin Omar more popularly [music] known as Dolai.

[00:10:55]Dolai had been appointed the ninth pungulu or headman of nanning in 1801 and was deeply revered by his people who attributed supernatural powers to him and his sacred regalia or alat kabusaran.

[00:11:15]This included a magical crisp named Ula Kanyang or the situated serpent, a weapon that was believed to make the owner invulnerable to harm.

[00:11:28]The dagger was [music] also said to detect secret enemies by causing them to involuntarily tremble in its presence.

[00:11:36]In the eyes of the Malays, Dosai was certainly the de facto sovereign of Nanning. Ruling alongside his four clan chiefs, the Aatsuku.

[00:11:50]The British, led by the aggressive governor, Robert Fulton, and the Superintendent of Lands, William Lewis, saw things differently.

[00:12:01]They viewed Nunning as a mere vassel and demanded that Dosides submit to a census, accept the jurisdiction of the Malaca courts and pay crippling 10% tax on all agricultural produce.

[00:12:18]Doide adamantly refused.

[00:12:20]Previous administrations in the past had only required Nanning to make such tax payments as were proportionate to its means.

[00:12:31]The tipping point came in October 1830 over something as unassuming as a fruit.

[00:12:39]A dispute arose when several nunning men seized fruit from an orchard of Duku trees owned by a Malaca man named Inet Surid.

[00:12:49]The trees lay just beyond what the British regarded as the accepted boundary of Nanning.

[00:12:55]To the British, this was an open and contemptuous defiance of their authority. To Doide, however, the orchard stood on ancient ancestral land and fell within their customary right or paka.

[00:13:13]The British resolved to teach Nunning an object lesson and to crush the man whom Fitin referred to as the troublesome chief.

[00:13:24]Preparations were made in July 1831 for a military expedition to Dolide stronghold of Tabo and the British [music] were brimming with confidence.

[00:13:36]Colonial residents even [music] jokingly referred to the military incursion as a picnic in a display of supreme colonial hubris.

[00:13:47]They went so far as to appoint Lieutenant Milner as the new [music] resident of Nanning before a single soldier had even left Malaca.

[00:14:04]The expeditionary force was small but considered more than adequate by the arrogant authorities.

[00:14:13]It consisted of 150 SEOs of the 29th regiment of the Madras native infantry commanded by Captain JS Wy.

[00:14:25]Accompanying them was a column of native coolies and convict labor as well as a brigade of the Madras foot artillery manning two six pounder cannons drawn by oxen.

[00:14:39]These oxen in fact cause quite a bit of excitement in Malaya.

[00:14:44]The writer Munche Abdullah Abdul Khadir writes in his hikayat Abdullah.

[00:14:51]These oxen were such enormous [music] animals that had never before been seen in Malaca.

[00:14:57]Their appearance caused such a stir that children used to shout when they saw them. [music] Look, here come the Longhorns.

[00:15:08]Doide [music] in the meantime was not idle.

[00:15:13]He forged vital alliances with [music] neighboring chiefs. Most notably securing the support of Sai Saban, a half Arab adventurer who led the neighboring Minanabo state of Rumba.

[00:15:27]He convinced Sait Saban that the British would seek to occupy Rumba as soon as they had conquered Nanning, prompting Sait Saban to join the resistance with over 500 RBA fighters. [music] On the 6th of August 1831, the British force marched out of Malaca.

[00:15:50]They aimed to establish a base camp and supply depot at Sunai Patai about 13 mi to the north.

[00:15:57]However, the boats carrying these supplies ran ground in a shallow stretch of the Malaca River at Ching about halfway to Sunatai, leaving the troops without their expected provisions.

[00:16:12]Despite this inospicious start, Captain Wy pressed on.

[00:16:18]By the morning of August 7th, the column had reached the foot of a hill near Kalama, which marked the boundary of Nanning. [music] Here the British advance [music] made his first contact with the enemy.

[00:16:34]Standing at top the hill was a solitary defiant figure.

[00:16:39]A British [music] artillery officer, Peter James Begby, who took part in the campaign and later wrote [music] one of the most detailed accounts of it, describes the scene.

[00:16:52]Here also stood, or rather danced, the Pang Lima [music] Dato, who clothed in scarlet broadcloth, brandished a spear in his left hand, while his right was armed with a sling.

[00:17:09]>> [screaming] >> Two Malays fired their musketss and the Pangla slung a large stone at the British column.

[00:17:18]At that signal, 30 to 40 Malay warriors emerged from the dense jungle and rushed forward.

[00:17:26]The British responded with overwhelming firepower.

[00:17:30]The six pounder field gun opened up with great shot, but the courageous Pang Limmer and his men stood their ground.

[00:17:39]However, the third volley struck the Pang Lima, killing him instantly.

[00:17:44]The Malays then disappeared into the surrounding jungle as the guns fired a few more bursts into the dense foliage.

[00:17:58]As the British pushed forward, they entered much denser forest [music] terrain, and the true nightmare of jungle warfare began.

[00:18:07]The terrain was entirely unsuited to tightly ordered European military formations.

[00:18:14]The two sixpounder field guns, which had so successfully scattered the Malay charge earlier, now became a significant liability. [music] The oxen pulling the guns constantly sought out muddy pools [music] in which to wallow, bogging down the artillery in the mud. At one point, it took the British forces over 7 hours of grueling labor to advance just 3/4 of a mile.

[00:18:44]On the morning of August 8th, the troops reached Alo Gaja where they burned down the houses of local chiefs [music] to strike terror into the surrounding population.

[00:18:57]They then proceeded to march the 2 miles to Paya Dato. The column taking almost 8 hours to cover [music] that short distance.

[00:19:07]Ahead of them lay an obstacle, a hill that the British called Buket Sabusa.

[00:19:13]and today is called Buket Buso.

[00:19:18]On the following day, the column reached the foot of Buket [music] Buso where they spotted a welldefended Malay stockade at the summit.

[00:19:28]The path up to the hill had been blocked by trees felled by the Malays.

[00:19:34]As Koulies attempted to cut through the obstructions leading up to the stade, its defenders fired a volley of musket fire at the halted [music] British column, wounding a SEO and a The six pounder cannons replied with two volleys of grapeshot and once again the malayise vanished into the surrounding jungle.

[00:19:57]Unable to cut through the mass of tree trunks and branches [music] blocking the path up the hill, the British column turned back and moved around its [music] base, attempting to find another route to the stockade.

[00:20:13]As they did so, the malays emerged from the jungle and reoccupied the stade, firing down upon the column as it maneuvered around the hill.

[00:20:24]Wy then ordered the troops to march towards the nearby village of Malay where the British [music] struck camp.

[00:20:33]Unfortunately for the British, Mleke was situated on flat open ground [music] surrounded by hills.

[00:20:41]They now found themselves in a dangerously exposed position completely encircled by malaise holding the high ground under cover of the jungle.

[00:20:52]The British camp came under constant fire from musketss [music] and gingal swivel guns fired from stades the Malays had established on the surrounding hills.

[00:21:03]To make matters worse for the British, their provisions were now completely exhausted and there was still no sign that their supplies had arrived at Sunai Patai.

[00:21:15]With only 150 armed men, Wy did not have the manpower to establish defended outposts to itself, leaving his lines of supply and communications entirely cut.

[00:21:30]Later that evening, the British troops at Malay heard the distant [music] sound of gunfire to the south.

[00:21:38]Wy sent a small party of SEO and 70 koulies towards [music] Sunapatai in the hope that they might be able to assist and bring back any provisions available. [music] However, the party was attacked on its march south and was forced to retreat back to Malay.

[00:21:57]Of the 70 koulies, only 17 returned. The others were either captured by the Malays or fled [music] into the jungle for their lives.

[00:22:10]Many of the Malay koulies in the British column wore white flowers in their hair, ostensibly as part of a customary ritual marking a local festival at the time.

[00:22:24]It was later discovered that the flowers were in fact a signal to Doulid's men that they were sympathetic to their cause [music] and should not be fired upon.

[00:22:35]With no food left in the camp, even more coolies now abandoned the British to their fate. [music] With their provisions now completely depleted, [music] their laborers fleeing into the jungle and another 7 mi of impenetrable terrain [music] still to traverse.

[00:22:57]Captain Wy decided that an attack on Tabo was now impossible. [music] The next morning he gave the order to retreat.

[00:23:07]With most of their coolies gone, the British were forced to abandon their tents, baggage, stores, [music] and equipment, taking with them only their six pounder guns.

[00:23:20]The retreat south was even slower and more grueling than their earlier advance.

[00:23:28]The malays had fell trees in great numbers and thrown them across the road to impede the withdrawal [music] while relentlessly firing at the retreating troops with their musketss and gingals [music] from the cover of the jungle.

[00:23:43]Ranja or sharpened bamboo stakes had also been planted at strategic points along the line of retreat reducing British progress [music] to a crawl.

[00:23:55]When the British column reached Kalama, they found that the Malays had hastily constructed a stockade there from which they poured a heavy fire that halted the column in its tracks.

[00:24:08][screaming] Grapeshot from the British cannons failed to dislodge the malaise and WY was forced to assault the stockade in order to move forward.

[00:24:19]He led the frontal attack on that position. And while the Malays were engaged with this force, another British party moved around the flank and fired a volley from the rear, forcing the Malays to abandon the stockade.

[00:24:39]When the British column finally reached Nipatai that evening, they found the 15 men of the supply convoy [music] besieged there.

[00:24:49]By this time, the Malays had erected another strong stockade at Rumbia, 4 miles to the south, blocking the British line of retreat, as well as any reinforcements that might come from Malaca.

[00:25:03]From Rumbia, they could also launch hitand-run attacks on the outpost at Snipatai.

[00:25:10]With his line of retreat cut, Wy could proceed no further and could only construct a stade at Snapatai to strengthen [music] his defenses against the incessant Malay sniping.

[00:25:24]On the 12th [music] of August, a small party of SEO and coolies bearing supplies was dispatched from Laca to resupply the besieged encampment at Sunatai.

[00:25:36]But they were attacked with a grenadier killed and another wounded.

[00:25:42]While the sea boys managed to reach Sunapatai, the coolies had all fled abandoning their loads and the much needed supplies fell into the hands of the Malays.

[00:25:54]4 days later on the 16th further reinforcements were sent from Malaca with supplies of gunpowder but they too were attacked in force by the Malays [music] and were compelled to retreat back to Malaca.

[00:26:09][music] The Malays often chose the setting of the moon or a cloud covered sky as the ideal moment for a night attack.

[00:26:20]So in the early hours of August 19th, just as the moon [music] dipped below the forest canopy, they launched a sudden assault on the Sunai camp.

[00:26:31]The attack was repulsed by well-directed fire from artillery and small arms.

[00:26:37]But the Malays had fixed gingals [music] high in the surrounding trees against which the British could find no effective defense.

[00:26:46]These swivel guns managed to punch over 60 shot holes into the roof of the bungalow within the encampment.

[00:26:53]The malays also began using fire arrows, causing numerous fires in the palm patched roofs [music] and wooden huts of the encampment.

[00:27:04]On the following day, the besieged camp was down to its last barrel of gunpowder.

[00:27:10]The original force of 150 soldiers had been reduced by a third to fewer than 100 men.

[00:27:18]However, the spirits of the defenders were raised when they heard the distant sound of gunfire coming from the direction of Rumbia.

[00:27:28]A company of sheep and a supply convoy were fighting their [music] way towards them from Malaca.

[00:27:36]On the 24th of August, reinforcements consisting of 40 men of the 29th Regiment of the Madras Native Infantry arrived at the Sunny Patai encampment with orders to evacuate the remaining troops back to Malaca.

[00:27:52]At 8:00 p.m. that night, the British troops filed silently out of the camp, but were spotted and the Malays rushed out of the jungle, attacking the colony.

[00:28:03]The malays swarmed over the encampment, putting its buildings to the torch and unleashing an unrelenting fire on the rear of the retreating force.

[00:28:14]A rainstorm then burst from the skies.

[00:28:18]And it must have been a dramatic scene as flashes of musketry and the booming of gingals in the darkness were accompanied by the streaks of lightning and the crashing of thunder during the running night battle.

[00:28:34]By the time the retreating British column reached the summit of the hill at Roomia, they encountered two tremendous trees lying across the road. one measuring 21 ft in circumference, the other 13 ft in girth.

[00:28:51]This barrier proved impossible for the six pounder cannon and all the guns were abandoned.

[00:28:59]The shattered remnants of the 29th Madras native infantry finally [music] limped and stumbled back into Malaca at 6:00 a.m. the following morning, having suffered a total and humiliating defeat at the hands of a few hundred poorly armed Malay warriors.

[00:29:18]The British had lost over 50 soldiers killed and suffered nearly 70 wounded, a casualty [music] rate of four out of every five men.

[00:29:31]The abandoned guns fell into the hands of Dosid's men and the event was celebrated with great cheering and rejoicing.

[00:29:40]The guns were later carried as trophies to do stronghold at Tabo.

[00:29:46]As was customary, a large kanduri or feast was given by Doulai to mark the victory using the meat from one of the unfortunate oxen which had been employed to hold the guns and had been abandoned by the British at Roomia.

[00:30:05]The impact of the British defeat was seismic in Malaca [music] town. Sheer panic ensued with wild rumors spreading that Dolce's forces [music] were marching to loot the city.

[00:30:20]For the next 6 months, the colonial authorities and ordinary residents of Malaca remained in a constant state of alarm.

[00:30:32]The victorious Doulai also now had a price on his head.

[00:30:37]In a proclamation from the Malaca government dated 9th February 1832, a reward of $1,000 was offered for his capture.

[00:30:48]That sum was a staggering figure for that time. However, the British knew that in the wake of his victory, it was highly unlikely that any Malay will attempt to capture such a heroic figure.

[00:31:02]5 months later, that figure would double to $2,000.

[00:31:09]For the East India Company, the war was a military embarrassment that cost them dearly in both prestige and treasure.

[00:31:19]The British were forced to spend an exorbitant £100,000 [music] and deploy hundreds of Indian troops in a protracted jungle campaign merely to subdue a small [music] district that yielded a poultry annal revenue of about $100.

[00:31:38]The government in Bengal was furious [music] that such an expensive and humiliating disaster had been provoked over what it described as a worthless object for the [music] company.

[00:31:54]However, the company [music] also knew that such a humbling defeat could not go unanswered.

[00:32:02]The preservation of their stature and standing on the Malay Peninsula demanded that Nunning be crushed.

[00:32:11]The first Nunning War of 1831 had ended in a shocking victory for the Malays.

[00:32:17]But as 1832 dawned, the full uncompromising weight of the British Empire was about to descend [music] once more upon the jungles of Nunning.

[00:32:29]The second nanning war was about to begin.

[00:32:45]Thank you for watching.

[00:32:47]If you enjoyed the video, do consider giving it a like, sharing it with your family and friends, leaving your thoughts in the comments below, or subscribing to join me on future adventures exploring the lost chronicles of Malayan history.

[00:33:04]You can also help support the channel by becoming a YouTube member of this channel. Your support helps fund the research, writing, narration, and video production behind each episode.

[00:33:17]Until the next video though, I remain as ever your grateful chronicler.

[00:33:24]Cheerio.