Siak, piracy and early modern malay warfare

Abstract

Warfare in the Malay world during the early modern period often depended on entangled relationships between families and trade partners, during which overt displays of power, feints and retreats, or raiding were as valuable as weapons such as cannons or blunderbusses. By focusing on an invasion of the Siak River by a combined force of VOC ships and local rulers in 1761, this chapter examines in detail the various tactics and weapons at the disposal of warriors during the period, while also placing it in a cultural context in which both Dutch and Malay priorities were often at odds with each other. Ultimately, for rulers in the Malay world, maintaining family and patron-client ties superseded the desire for vengeance or complete defeat.