Bengkulu is a city on the west coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. With a population of 308,756 (2010 Census), the city is the capital and largest city of Bengkulu province.

In the seventeenth century, the Lampung region of southern Sumatra was under the possession of the kingdom of Banten in western Java. It was a major producer of pepper.

In 1682, a troup of the Dutch East India Company attacked Banten. The crown prince, who had headed the government submitted to the Dutch, recognized him as Sultan. The Dutchman expelled all other Europeans present in Banten. As a result the British withdrew and the British East India Company founded Bengkulu as a commercial establishment (named Bencoolen) in 1685.

In 1714, the British built Fort Marlborough. However, it was never financially viable, because of its remoteness and the difficulty in procuring pepper. Despite these difficulties, the British persisted, maintaining the presence there for 150 years before ceding it to the Dutch as part of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 to focus attention on Malacca. Like the rest of present-day Indonesia, Bengkulu remained a Dutch colony until after World War II.

Bengkulu (also known as Southwest Sumatra) is a province of Indonesia. It is on the southwest coast of the island of Sumatra, and borders the provinces of West Sumatra, Jambi, South Sumatra and Lampung. The capital and largest city is Bengkulu city. It was formerly the site of a British garrison, which they called Bencoolen. The province also includes Enggano Island.

The province had a population of 1,455,500 at the 2000 census., rising to 875,663 males and 837,730 females recorded in the 2010 census

The English East India Company established a pepper-trading center and garrison at Bengkulu (Bencoolen) in 1685. In 1714 the British built Fort Marlborough in the city, which still stands. The trading post was never financially profitable for the British, hampered by a location which Europeans found unpleasant, and by an inability to find sufficient pepper to buy.

Despite these difficulties, the British persisted, maintaining their presence for 150 years before ceding it to the Dutch as part of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 to focus attention on Malacca. Like the rest of Indonesia, Bengkulu remained a Dutch colony until after World War II.