Krui

Krui lies on the Indian Ocean coast of southern Sumatra, between the sea and the Barisan Mountains. Pepper grown along this shore drew merchants and rival powers from across the region. Local cultivators maintained extensive pepper gardens, while coastal chiefs dealt with traders seeking the valuable crop.

The English East India Company, established at Bengkulu farther north, made agreements with Krui as it sought access to pepper. In 1742 the British occupied nearby Pulau Pisang, an important collection point, prompting protests from Banten, which claimed authority over the coast. By 1813 a British report recorded hundreds of local men tending pepper vines under contract, alongside gardens cultivated independently. The trade linked Krui to distant markets while bringing its growers into the disputes of competing powers.