Belu (province)

Belu (also: Belus, Bellos or Bellum ) is a former province of Timor, was summarized in by the Portuguese in the 17th and 18th century, the east of the island.

A member of the Magellan expedition, Antonio Pigafetta, Timor briefly visited in 1522, he reported from four main kings of Timor who were brothers. Oibich, Lichisana, Suai and Canabaza. Oibich was the captain of the four. Oibich could be assigned to Wewiku, which is referred to in later sources as a base of the Kingdom of Wehale. Suai is the capital of present-day East Timorese district of Cova Lima and formed probably with Camenaça ( Canabaza, also Kamenasa or Came Aces) a double kingdom. Lichisana is equated with Liquiçá. Since Lichisana and Suai - Canabaza Wehale were tributary and all these kingdoms were in the center and east of Timor, they were later as a province Belu summarized by the Portuguese, while the West was named Servião. Belu was then the common name of the ethnicity of Tetum, whose language is the lingua franca of the East. In contrast, dominated in the Servião Baiquenos ( Vaiquenos ), which are now called Atoin Meto.

From the mid-17th century, Portugal and the Netherlands competed for supremacy on the island. When in 1749 the attempt of the Portuguese, the Dutch from Kupang in the western part of the island, distribute, ended in disaster, closed a large part of the regional rulers of West Timor in 1756 contracts with the Dutch East India Company. Including a certain Jacinto Correa, King of Wewiku - Wehale and Grand Duke of Belu, who signed the Treaty of dubious Paravicini also on behalf of many areas in central Timor. Fortunately, the Portuguese Wehale was no longer powerful enough to pull the local rulers on the side of the Dutch. Thus formed the eastern former vassals Wehales with the bulk of the colony of Portuguese Timor Belus while Wehale itself fell under Dutch rule.

A Portuguese source from 1769 is one of the kingdoms of Belus on: Lamaquine, Lanqueiroz, Balibo, Saneré, simiao, Baibao, Liquisa ( Liquiça ) Mahere, Fatuboro, Road Elle, Atossabe, Motael, Genovatte, Eramira, Sica, Camanassa, Allas, Ramião, Humallara ( Uma laran ) Cloco, Bibisuso, Tirismonte ( Tiro - Mauta ) Titiluro, Bibiluto, Luc (Luca ), Corni, Loculata, Daslor ( Dilor ) Biquaque ( Viqueque ) Samoro, Dotte, Dille ( Dili ), Manatuto, Sifoi, Licoré, Lalupa, Vemasse, Tatoso, sarau, Hera, Matarrufa and Maubara ( Maubere ). Maubara was about the only kingdom that was allied with the Dutch.