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Roles of Lange
Lange himself came to play a crucial role in early colonial expansion. He fell under the protection of the highest-ranking raja of south Bali, Gusti Ngurah Gde Kesiman of Badung, who made Lange a prebekel (district official). Not only was he a powerful commercial broker who gained great profit from trade, but Lange also served as an indispensable link between the Dutch and southern Balinese rulers.
In 1844, the Dane was appointed Dutch agent and official middleman, maintaining many personal relationships with the quarrelsome Balinese princes. He served as a channel of information between the vastly different worlds of East and West, able to solve most problems by simply buying protection and goodwill.
Lange was also an adept mediator between conflicting parties, acting as a human buffer and diplomat between Dutch colonial interests and internal Balinese court politics. To avoid conflicts between oafish Europeans and the Balinese natives, no one but Lange and his brother Hans were allowed into the island's interior.
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