The History of Java

The History of Java

DS646.2.R131830

1830

Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles was born at sea on board a ship on the 6th of July, 1781 off the coast of Jamaica. Unlike many empire builders, Raffles, who is remembered fondly as a benevolent figure, opened doors of opportunity and fought slave trading in the region. He was the Lieutenant Governor of Java from 1811-1816, during which Borobudur and other temples were restored. He was the Governor of Bencoolen (now Bengkulu Province in Indonesia) from 1817-1824. He was the founding father of modern Singapore. He was the founder and the first president of the London Zoological Society. And, most importantly, he was an enthusiastic scholar who wrote The History of Java in which he praised Java’s high civilization and culture. The book, which was originally published in 1817, the same year in which he was knighted, was well received, and is still one of the major reference works for studying Javanese society.

2 volumes

Asia - Southeast Asia Collection, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Library

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