British expedition to Palembang

The British expedition to Palembang took place in April 1812, led by Colonel Robert Rollo Gillespie against Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II of Palembang. The expedition aimed to force the Sultanate to cede the island of Bangka to the colonial government, while citing a massacre of the Dutch garrison in Palembang in 1811 as justification.

Upon the approach of the expedition forces to Palembang, Palembang's defenses with their guns were captured by British forces without fighting. With a split between his brother who refused to fight, Badaruddin fled Palembang and the British occupied the city by 28 April, installing Badaruddin's brother as Sultan Ahmad Najamuddin II. Najamuddin agreed to cede Bangka, along with Belitung, to the British. The British abandoned Bangka quickly due to diseases, and Badaruddin returned to the throne by 1818 under restored Dutch rule for some time.