The independence achieved by the Indonesian people on August 17, 1945, or exactly 78 years ago cannot be separated from the great role of the heroes in fighting the colonizers who have controlled the archipelago for over 350 years.

Countless lives have been sacrificed by our heroes to achieve independence as a condition for the establishment of a sovereign nation. Malahayati is one of them.

Malahayati is an Acehnese woman born on January 1, 1550. Apart from Cut Nyak Dien and Cut Nyak Meutia, Malahayati became one of the few lionesses from Tanah Rencong who participated in the war against colonialism. Born with the name Keumalahayati, she came from a blue-blooded family of ocean warriors.

As written in the book Wanita Utama Nusantara dalam Lintasan Sejarah, by Ismail Sofyan, it is stated that Malahayati's father, Admiral Mahmud Syah, was the Commander of the Aceh Sultanate Navy. Malahayati was the great-granddaughter of Sultan Salahuddin Syah, the second king of the Sultanate of Aceh who reigned from 1530 to 1539.

During her teenage years, Malahayati spent her time in the palace, including attending the sultanate's naval military academy called Mahad Baitul Maqdis. When she was only 35 years old or around 1585, Malahayati was trusted to serve as Head of the Secret Palace Guard and Commander of the Government Protocol during the reign of Sultan Alauddin Riayat Syah al-Mukammil.

Malahayati’s first fight against the Portuguese was in a battle in the waters of Haru Bay near the Strait of Malacca in 1586. Malahayati's husband, Admiral Tuanku Mahmuddin bin Said Al Latief who was also the Head of the Sultan's Guard led the battle. Dozens of wooden ships of the Aceh Sultanate tried to intercept the Portuguese warships. The Aceh Sultanate’s war fleet was able to push back the Portuguese, but unfortunately, Malahayati's husband died in the battle.

She was devastated and could not accept this fact. Thus, she promised to avenge and continue her husband's battle to fight the colonials as she replaced her husband’s position.

Sultan Riayat Syah then appointed her as an admiral making her the world's first female admiral as quoted from Perempuan Keumala book. A grand plan was expressed by Malahayati to the Sultan where she admitted that she wanted to build an all-female war fleet.

Inong Balee

The elite troops were named Inong Balee or female soldiers who were widows. Armed with the skills gained while studying at Mahad Baitul Maqdis, Malahayati trained the 2,000 soldiers of Inong Balee, all of whom were widows of soldiers who died in a fight against the Portuguese, to become a respected troop. 

As written in Malahayati: Srikandi of Aceh, it is known that during her time at the Mahad Baitul Maqdis, Malahayati was trained by skilled war instructors from Turkey. The Sultan of Aceh then appointed her as commander of the sea fleet, aka admiral, and was the first woman in the world to hold that position. The Sultan also equipped Inong Balee's troops with 100 units of large warships, each of which could accommodate 400 troops.

Inong Balee troops were involved in several battles against the Portuguese and Dutch. Their territory was not only limited to the waters of the Strait of Malacca, but also to the east coast of Sumatra and Malaya.

They also built the Inong Balee Fort on a hill not far from the coast of Lamreh Bay, Krueng Raya, Mesjid Raya District, Aceh Besar Regency. The first fort built entirely by women featured a 100-meter-high wall that was strong enough to withstand enemy attacks.

The fort became a colony for Malahayati's troops as well as a combat training center for Inong Balee. Malahayati's troops also carried out a special mission, namely securing the sultanate's trade sea route and overseeing Aceh's ocean ports.

Finally, on June 21, 1599, came two Dutch ships, de Leeuw and de Leeuwin containing war troops led by two brothers, Cornelis and Frederik de Houtman, who wanted to dock at the port of Aceh Besar. Bumi Serambi Makkah became the umpteenth destination of the two de Houtman brothers after previously visiting Banten, Madura, and Bali on the hunt for spices.

However, the brothers always encountered resistance from the locals because of the dislikeable character of the de Houtman brothers. The same thing happened when they reached Aceh Besar. They were stuck on a ship in the middle of the sea because they did not receive permission from the Sultan.

Conquering Cornelis de Houtman

Admiral Malahayati and the Inong Balee troops were waiting and on standby. The Sultan ordered Admiral Malahayati to kick out the two Dutch ships. A battle in the middle of the sea was unavoidable. The Inong Balee troops managed to destroy the two merchant ships. In a one-on-one duel on an enemy ship on September 11, 1599, Admiral Malahayati went on a face-to-face battle against Cornelis, who lost his life at the tip of Malahayati's rencong.

As told by historian Marie van C Zeggelan through her book Oude Glorie published in 1935, the Dutch are said to have lost many of their troops, and some who were still alive, including Frederik de Houtman, were thrown into prison.

Not only capable as a war commander at sea, Malahayati was also known as a skilled negotiator. The Dutch government proposed the release of their prisoners of war held by the Sultanate of Aceh, including Frederik de Houtman. The Sultan sent Malahayati to the negotiating table to face the Dutch. A condition was put forward, namely that the Dutch must pay compensation for the war they caused in order to free the imprisoned soldiers.

Malahayati is also trusted to receive a special envoy of Queen Elizabeth I named James Lancaster who was also a great merchant of his time. Lancaster visited Aceh on June 5, 1602, on his ship, the Red Dragon. To Malahayati, he expressed his intention to purchase Acehnese spices, just as he did when he visited Maluku and Banten. The mission was successful because Malahayati agreed to Lancaster's offer that they would only conduct trade and not war.

Malahayati died in 1615 and was buried near her fort in Lamreh Village, Krueng Raya. By President Joko Widodo, Malahayati was appointed as a National Hero on November 9, 2017, based on Presidential Decree number 115/TK/Year 2017.

In addition, Malahayati's name is also used as the name of one of the Indonesian Navy's warships and a port in Lamreh Krueng Raya Village, Mesjid Raya District, Aceh Besar. Malahayati Port, which was established during Sultan Iskandar Muda's time, was used as a transit port before 1970. Then it was converted into a ship stopover and was neglected after the 2004 tsunami tragedy. It was only in 2007 that Malahayati Port returned to operation to transport export products from Aceh to Europe and the Middle East.

The TNI-AL itself plans to revive the heroic story of Malahayati through a theatrical performance in Jakarta, September 8-9, 2023 in commemorating the TNI-AL Anniversary on September 10, 2023. Major names in the performing arts and theater world such as Jay Subiakto, director Iswadi Pratama, Nyak Ina Raseuki or known as Ubiet, and Marcella Zalianty are reportedly will be involved in the upcoming show.

Translator: Aisah Amanda