Dompu

Dompu was a kingdom on Sumbawa, west of Bima and south of the Tambora peninsula. Alongside its neighbours it came under the influence of Makassar in the seventeenth century, sending tribute to the Sulawesi power. Its rulers later faced the growing influence of the Dutch East India Company and disputes with other Sumbawan courts. In April 1815 Mount Tambora erupted with devastating force. Ash fell on settlements and fields, water sources were polluted and livestock perished. The neighbouring realms of Tambora and Pekat were destroyed, and their former lands were subsequently joined to Dompu. The disaster transformed the political map as well as the landscape of northern Sumbawa.