History of Lombok

The Dutch first visited Lombok in 1674 and settled in the eastern most part of the island, leaving the western half to be ruled by a Hindu dynasty from Bali. From the seventeenth century onwards, Lombok came increasingly under Balinese influence.

In 1830, Ratu Agung acceded to the throne of Mataram, and over the next thirteen years brought the whole of Lombok under his rule. In 1894, he also gained control of Karangasem in East Bali in return for supplying troops to the Dutch. He was succeeded by his brother, Ratu Agung Ngurah, in 1872. However, Ratu Agung Ngurah had bold military ambitions in Bali. He pushed his demand for soldiers from the local populace too far and the residents of Praya rebelled in 1891. This unrest spread quickly and the Dutch intervened, eventually invading Lombok in 1894 and bringing the entire island under colonial rule until Indonesian independence.