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The harbor of Kupang in the early 20th century.
The house of the Resident of Timor in the early 20th century.
Early history and Portuguese domination[edit]
Kupang was an important port and trading post during the Portuguese and Dutch colonial eras. There are still ruins and remnants of the colonial presence in the city.
Representatives of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) first encountered Kupang in 1613 after having conquered the Portuguese fort on the island of Solor. At this time the area of the city was governed by a Raja of the Helong tribe, who claimed descent from the island of Seram in the Maluku archipelago. Kupang occupied an ideal strategic position to exercise control over parts of Timor since it was possible to monitor shipping activities along the south coast of the island from the location. Moreover, the Koinino River provided a supply of fresh water for the city.
An agreement was reached between the VOC and the Helong tribe, but due to a lack of VOC presence in Timor, Kupang was heavily influenced by the Portuguese mestizo population of Flores, the Topasses, which led to the establishment of a Portuguese stronghold by the 1640s. However, by 1646, the VOC was firmly established on the nearby island of Solor and renewed their agreement with the local Raja of Kupang. In January 1653, a Dutch fortification, Fort Concordia, was built on an elevated position on the left bank of the river estuary. Kupang then became the base of the Dutch struggle against the Portuguese. After a series of defeats were inflicted on the Dutch between 1655 and 1657, large groups of refugees from the neighbouring VOC allies of the Sonbai and Amabi principalities settled into the vicinity of Kupang and formed small polities on land that had traditionally belonged to the Helong. They were followed by two other groups, the Amfoang and the Taebenu, who arrived in 1683 and 1688, respectively. The Helong Raja remained the "Lord of the Land" (tuan tanah) but remained closely dependent on VOC authorities. However, apart from the territory of the Helong, the island of Timor was largely dominated by the Portuguese until 1749.
Dutch colony[edit]
The Dutch established a European-modelled administration with a chief executive (opperhoofd) and a council, which regulated affairs with the indigenous population through regular meetings (vergaderingen), and also handled affairs with the nearby VOC-allied islands of Rote, Sabu, and Solor. Chinese traders and artisans were settled by the early 18th century and soon became an indispensable part of the local economy. The area of the town was also settled by various indigenous groups from the region, and by mardijkers (who were the descendants of freed slaves under Dutch jurisdiction). In 1752, the population consisted of 827 Christians and an unspecified number of non-Christians. The political importance of Kupang increased greatly in 1749 when the Topasses were decisively defeated by the Dutch and their allies, which led to the extension of VOC influence over wide areas of western and central Timor. Nevertheless, Dutch influence on the island was somewhat diminished after 1761 due to incompetence and inaction on the part of the colonial administration.
Kupang was the final destination of William Bligh, who was set adrift in an open boat following the Mutiny on the Bounty (1789). After travelling 3,618 nautical miles (6,710 km) from the Tonga Islands over 41 days, Bligh landed in Kupang on 14 June. News of his journey inspired a small party of nine convicts and two children to escape from the penal colony at Sydney Cove, Australia, they escaped from Port Jackson, Australia, and arrived at Kupang after ten weeks, having travelled 3,254 nautical miles (6,026 km) in an open boat.
VOC positions in the East Indies were attacked by British Forces following the occupation of the Netherlands by French revolutionary armies in 1795. Kupang was assaulted in 1797, and the British were eventually expelled, although the town suffered extensive damage. Another British attack in 1811 was similarly defeated. After the British occupation of Java, Kupang finally surrendered in January 1812, and the town was returned to the Dutch in 1816 following the end of the Napoleonic Wars.
The politics of the city in the early 19th century were dominated by Jacobus Arnoldus Hazaart, who governed Dutch Timor as a Resident in three terms between 1810 and 1832 and handled matters with little interference from the colonial government in Batavia. During his tenure, the Christian mission in the city experienced greater success than before, partially through the efforts of the missionary Reint LeBruyn (1799-1829). The town was opened to foreign trade in 1825, and fees were abolished three years later. Kupang's subsequent popularity with British and North American whalers was diminished by the late 19th century after the relocation of whaling areas, although the city was a free port after 1866. In 1917, the five small kingdoms that surrounded the town area (the Helong kingdoms of Kupang, Sonbai Kecil, Amabi, Taebenu, and Funai) were merged into the zelfbesturend landschap (self-ruling territory) of Kupang in 1917, which, despite the name, did not include the city itself. From 1918 to 1955 Kupang was governed by the Nisnoni family, a branch of the Sonbai Dynasty.
Recent history and independence[edit]
The city was used for landing and refueling by long-distance flights between Europe and Australia. It was under Japanese occupation between 1942 and 1945, and much of the Old Town was destroyed by Allied bombing. The city saw significant nationalist agitation but remained otherwise peaceful during the period of the Indonesian revolution (1945-1949). Kupang was later part of the State of East Indonesia and was established by the Dutch authorities in 1946, and the area of the city was included in the zelfbesturend landschap of Kupang. The city, along with the state of East Indonesia was later annexed into the United States of Indonesia in 1949, which was replaced by the current Republic of Indonesia in 1950.
The city later became an important location in the Timorese conflict. In 1967, the city became the seat of the Diocese of Kupang. In 1989, the diocese was elevated to the Archdiocese of Kupang. In April 2021, the city was heavily damaged by Tropical Cyclone Seroja.
