<![CDATA[This article examines the historical development of the West Coast of Sumatra in the early nineteenth century by analyzing the impact of Malacca’s fall, shifting maritime trade patterns, Dutch and British intervention, the rise of piracy, and the establishment of rust en orde. Using a narrative-historical approach based on colonial archives and key scholarly works, this study shows that the weakening of traditional coastal authorities, intensified by the Padri War and expanding Dutch political interests, created conditions that reshaped power relations in the region. The disruption of established trade networks contributed to the emergence of prominent pirate leaders such as Panglima Mentawe, Sidi Mara, and Po Id, whose activities threatened maritime security and colonial economic control. In response, the Dutch implemented strict maritime surveillance, administrative consolidation, and military action to impose rust en orde, integrating the coastal region more firmly into the Netherlands Indies’ political and economic system. Overall, the article argues that the transformations of the West Sumatran coast were driven not only by conflict, but by broader maritime and colonial restructuring that redefined regional stability and authority in the Indian Ocean world.]]>
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