Letter
Letter from Sultan Abul Fath to the King of England, Charles II, 1681
- Title
- eng Letter from Sultan Abul Fath to the King of England, Charles II, 1681
- ind Surat Sultan Abul Fath untuk Raja Inggris, Charles II, 1681
- Contributor
- Charles II (King of England - Recipient / King Charles sikan)
- William Istanar (Royal messenger / Pembawa surat)
- Identifier
- PRO CO 77/14, f. 38 (Public Record Office, London)
- Place
- Banten, Indonesia
- Date
- 1681-01 (Dated early Zulhijjah 1091 H / January 1681; English margin notes dated April 19, 1681)
- Format
- European paper (Pencil-like watermark featuring two nearly touching circles)
- Extent
- 49.5 x 33 cm (Text size: 23 x 22.5 cm, 19 lines per page)
- Description
- eng A letter written in early Zulhijjah 1091 H (January 1681) by Sultan Abul Fath (Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa) of Banten to King Charles II of England, brought to Banten by royal messenger William Istanar. The letter responds to King Charles II's inquiry regarding the murder of two English citizens in Banten. The Sultan assures the King that continuous investigation has been conducted since the incident, including beating the tambur and sounding the bende across Banten offering a reward of 200 qurus to anyone who can identify the killers. The Sultan asks King Charles II to maintain their mutual friendship and trust. Written in black ink using Arabic script in the Arabic language, incorporating vocalized Pegon characters for non-Arabic words (such as king carlis sikan). Features a circular black carbon Banten Sultanate seal in Arabic script, an oval British Royal seal inscribed Her majestyis state paper office, and Latin cursive margin notes dated 19 April 1681 reading Koning of Bantam to Majestys record, 19 April '81.
- ind Surat yang ditulis pada awal bulan Zulhijjah tahun 1091 H (Januari 1681) oleh Sultan Abul Fath (Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa) dari Banten kepada Raja Inggris Charles II, yang dibawa oleh utusan istana William Istanar. Surat ini merespons surat Raja Charles II terkait terbunuhnya dua orang warga negara Inggris di Banten. Sultan memberikan jaminan bahwa pengusutan terus dilakukan sejak awal kejadian, termasuk memukul tambur dan membunyikan bende keliling negeri serta menjanjikan hadiah 200 qurus bagi siapa saja yang menemukan pembunuhnya. Sultan meminta Raja Charles II untuk tetap memelihara tali persahabatan dan kepercayaan. Teks ditulis menggunakan tinta hitam dalam huruf Arab berbahasa Arab, dengan beberapa huruf Pegon berharakat untuk menuliskan kata non-Arab (seperti king carlis sikan). Memiliki stempel karbon hitam Kesultanan Banten berhuruf Arab, stempel oval kerajaan Inggris bertuliskan Her majestyis state paper office, serta catatan pinggir berhuruf Latin kursif bertanggal 19 April 1681 bertuliskan Koning of Bantam to Majestys record, 19 April '81.
- Provenance
- Public Record Office, London (Record number: PRO CO 77/14, f. 38).
- Subject
- Diplomatic letter
- Banten Sultanate
- Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa
- Sultan Abul Fath
- Charles II
- Anglo-Banten relations
- Murder investigation
- English merchants
- Arabic script
- Bibliographic Citation
- Pudjiastuti, T. (2007). Perang, dagang, persahabatan: surat-surat Sultan Banten. Jakarta: Yayasan Obor Indonesia, pp. 53-59.