Luso Sundanese Treaty

The Luso-Sundanese padrão is a stone pillar commemorating a treaty between the kingdoms of Portugal and Sunda, better known as the Luso-Sundanese Treaty of Sunda Kalapa.

Because of the growing Islamic force in Demak and Cirebon, the Hindu king of Sunda, Sri Baduga, sought assistance from the Portuguese at Malacca. He sent his son, Crown Prince Prabu Surawisesa, to Malacca in 1512 and again in 1521, in order to invite the Portuguese to sign a peace treaty, to trade in pepper, and to build a fort at his main port of Sunda Kalapa. By 1522 the Portuguese were ready to form a coalition with the Sundanese king in order to gain access to the profitable pepper trade.

The commander of the fortress of Malacca at that time was Jorge de Albuquerque. In 1522, he sent a ship, the São Sebastião under Captain Henrique Leme, to Sunda Kalapa with valuable gifts for the king of Sunda. Two written sources detail the concluding of the treaty: the original Portuguese document of 1522, with the text of the treaty and the signatures of the witnesses; and João de Barros’s report in his book Décadas da Ásia, printed after 1777 or 1778.

According to these sources, the Portuguese were welcomed warmly by the former crown prince, now King Prabu Surawisesa Jayapercosa (or King Surawisesa of Pajundan, also called Ratu Sang Hyang, Portuguese Ratu Samian); Barros called him King Samião. The Portuguese were allowed to build a fortress at the mouth of the Ciliwung River where they could load black pepper to their ships. The King also pledged to give one thousand sacks (more than 20 tons) each year to the Portuguese. The treaty was executed in two copies, one for the king of Sunda, one for the king of Portugal; each was signed on August 21, 1522. The Sundanese king's deputies were the chief mandarin Padam Tumangu (Honourable Tumenggung), the mandarins Sangydepaty (Sang Adipati) and Benegar (Bendahara or treasurer), and the shahbandar (harbourmaster) of the land, named Fabian.

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