Yesterdate: This day from Kolkata’s past, August 4, 1811

On this day, British forces comprising mainly Indian sepoys, mostly from Bengal, invaded Java to stop Napoleon from expanding further.

In 1810 Governor-General of Bengal Lord Minto had planned the British invasion of Java, which was at that time under Franco-Dutch control.

On August 4, 1811, the British forces landed at Cilincing in Java. On August 8, the city of Batavia fell.

The British conquered the entire island of Java in six weeks.

A proclamation in Malay announcing the capture of Batavia, the capital of Dutch East Indies, which corresponds to the area of Jakarta, is dated August 11, 1811.