Their Royal Highnesses
The Raja and Ratu of Kupang

Raja Leopold Isu Nisnoni was born in 1936 as the son of the Crown Prince of Kupang, Raja Muda Alfonsus Nisnoni and a Princess from Termanu/Rote, who was later called the Kartine of the Timor area.

The Raja was born at a time, when the Rajas were still seen as divine persons and this great reverence went on unto the 1950s. A Raja could ask God to make rain for instance. 

His grandfather was then ruling Kupang, The Usif, Raja Nicolaas Nisnoni - a King full of qualities and his grandmother in Kupang of Prince Leopold was a princess of a more inland lying area of Amarasi. His grandmother was a sweet and loving royal for her grandson, but a little more traditional in her outlook towards life. 
 

Also in that time royalty still must marry royalty only and all more the more, especially, when they were ruling royalty.

The Second World War was the first shock for Prince Leopold on his traditional island of Timor. After World War II, the times had changed resulting in new, heavier tasks and responsibilities for the rajas, so the future king shall be better prepared.

So, there was  the 12 years old fragile Prince Leopold standing on the airport of Kupang (an adventure in itself for him already), going with a former very high level official of the court of justice in Kupang to Holland.

He stayed with the family of this official for he couple of years, very strictly learning what discipline is in life. The prince had to be obedient. There he had a very good friend, who maybe was the only one, who really knew, that he was the Crown Prince of Kupang, born of extremely high birth. 
 

In Holland, he had learned, that it is acceptable to live life as an ordinary human being, who liked to help the farmers with their harvest during his school holidays. So discipline and hard work is what he learned.
 

Later in his life back in Indonesia, he encountered many problems, because they believed, that the young prince was influenced too much by Holland. Even thought Indonesia was already independent then, but now had a crisis with Holland over New Guinea.
 

In Holland, the Prince first completed his basic schooling and did most of high school. He learned much of the modern and rebuilt Holland. But, in the north of Holland, where he stayed most of the time, he saw no Indonesian.
 

After 8 years of speaking no Timorese anymore and no Indonesian, he only spoke Dutch.

His roots went to much into the Dutch soil, so he had to go back to Indonesia. He ended in a Bandung Dutch high school. Then he went to Timor, 10 years after leaving traditional Timor, he came back to a Timor that was a little hostile to him.
 

Raja Leopold Isu Nisnoni was born in 1936 as the son of the Crown Prince of Kupang, Raja Muda Alfonsus Nisnoni and a Princess from Termanu/Rote, who was later called the Kartine of the Timor area.
 

The Raja was born at a time, when the Rajas were still seen as divine persons and this great reverence went on unto the 1950s. A Raja could ask God to make rain for instance. 

His grandfather was then ruling Kupang, The Usif, Raja Nicolaas Nisnoni - a King full of qualities and his grandmother in Kupang of Prince Leopold was a princess of a more inland lying area of Amarasi. His grandmother was a sweet and loving royal for her grandson, but a little more traditional in her outlook towards life.

Also in that time royalty still must marry royalty only and all more the more, especially, when they were ruling royalty.

The Second World War was the first shock for Prince Leopold on his traditional island of Timor. After World War II, the times had changed resulting in new, heavier tasks and responsibilities for the rajas, so the future king shall be better prepared.
 

So, there was  the 12 years old fragile Prince Leopold standing on the airport of Kupang (an adventure in itself for him already), going with a former very high level official of the court of justice in Kupang to Holland.
 

He stayed with the family of this official for he couple of years, very strictly learning what discipline is in life. The prince had to be obedient. There he had a very good friend, who maybe was the only one, who really knew, that he was the Crown Prince of Kupang, born of extremely high birth.
 

In Holland, he had learned, that it is acceptable to live life as an ordinary human being, who liked to help the farmers with their harvest during his school holidays. So discipline and hard work is what he learned.
 

Later in his life back in Indonesia, he encountered many problems, because they believed, that the young prince was influenced too much by Holland. Even thought Indonesia was already independent then, but now had a crisis with Holland over New Guinea.
 

In Holland, the Prince first completed his basic schooling and did most of high school. He learned much of the modern and rebuilt Holland. But, in the north of Holland, where he stayed most of the time, he saw no Indonesian. 
 

After 8 years of speaking no Timorese anymore and no Indonesian, he only spoke Dutch.

His roots went to much into the Dutch soil, so he had to go back to Indonesia. He ended in a Bandung Dutch high school. Then he went to Timor, 10 years after leaving traditional Timor, he came back to a Timor that was a little hostile to him.
 

Raja Leopold Isu Nisnoni was born in 1936 as the son of the Crown Prince of Kupang, Raja Muda Alfonsus Nisnoni and a Princess from Termanu/Rote, who was later called the Kartine of the Timor area.
 

The Raja was born at a time, when the Rajas were still seen as divine persons and this great reverence went on unto the 1950s. A Raja could ask God to make rain for instance.
 

His grandfather was then ruling Kupang, The Usif, Raja Nicolaas Nisnoni - a King full of qualities and his grandmother in Kupang of Prince Leopold was a princess of a more inland lying area of Amarasi. His grandmother was a sweet and loving royal for her grandson, but a little more traditional in her outlook towards life.
 

Also in that time royalty still must marry royalty only and all more the more, especially, when they were ruling royalty.
 

The Second World War was the first shock for Prince Leopold on his traditional island of Timor. After World War II, the times had changed resulting in new, heavier tasks and responsibilities for the rajas, so the future king shall be better prepared.
 

So, there was  the 12 years old fragile Prince Leopold standing on the airport of Kupang (an adventure in itself for him already), going with a former very high level official of the court of justice in Kupang to Holland.
 

He stayed with the family of this official for he couple of years, very strictly learning what discipline is in life. The prince had to be obedient. There he had a very good friend, who maybe was the only one, who really knew, that he was the Crown Prince of Kupang, born of extremely high birth.

In Holland, he had learned, that it is acceptable to live life as an ordinary human being, who liked to help the farmers with their harvest during his school holidays. So discipline and hard work is what he learned.
 

Later in his life back in Indonesia, he encountered many problems, because they believed, that the young prince was influenced too much by Holland. Even thought Indonesia was already independent then, but now had a crisis with Holland over New Guinea.
 

In Holland, the Prince first completed his basic schooling and did most of high school. He learned much of the modern and rebuilt Holland. But, in the north of Holland, where he stayed most of the time, he saw no Indonesian. 
 

After 8 years of speaking no Timorese anymore and no Indonesian, he only spoke Dutch.

His roots went to much into the Dutch soil, so he had to go back to Indonesia. He ended in a Bandung Dutch high school. Then he went to Timor, 10 years after leaving traditional Timor, he came back to a Timor that was a little hostile to him.
 

Raja Leopold Isu Nisnoni was born in 1936 as the son of the Crown Prince of Kupang, Raja Muda Alfonsus Nisnoni and a Princess from Termanu/Rote, who was later called the Kartine of the Timor area.
 

The Raja was born at a time, when the Rajas were still seen as divine persons and this great reverence went on unto the 1950s. A Raja could ask God to make rain for instance.
 

His grandfather was then ruling Kupang, The Usif, Raja Nicolaas Nisnoni - a King full of qualities and his grandmother in Kupang of Prince Leopold was a princess of a more inland lying area of Amarasi. His grandmother was a sweet and loving royal for her grandson, but a little more traditional in her outlook towards life.
 

Also in that time royalty still must marry royalty only and all more the more, especially, when they were ruling royalty.
 

The Second World War was the first shock for Prince Leopold on his traditional island of Timor. After World War II, the times had changed resulting in new, heavier tasks and responsibilities for the rajas, so the future king shall be better prepared.
 

So, there was  the 12 years old fragile Prince Leopold standing on the airport of Kupang (an adventure in itself for him already), going with a former very high level official of the court of justice in Kupang to Holland.
 

He stayed with the family of this official for he couple of years, very strictly learning what discipline is in life. The prince had to be obedient. There he had a very good friend, who maybe was the only one, who really knew, that he was the Crown Prince of Kupang, born of extremely high birth.
 

In Holland, he had learned, that it is acceptable to live life as an ordinary human being, who liked to help the farmers with their harvest during his school holidays. So discipline and hard work is what he learned.
 

Later in his life back in Indonesia, he encountered many problems, because they believed, that the young prince was influenced too much by Holland. Even thought Indonesia was already independent then, but now had a crisis with Holland over New Guinea.
 

In Holland, the Prince first completed his basic schooling and did most of high school. He learned much of the modern and rebuilt Holland. But, in the north of Holland, where he stayed most of the time, he saw no Indonesian.
 

After 8 years of speaking no Timorese anymore and no Indonesian, he only spoke Dutch.

His roots went to much into the Dutch soil, so he had to go back to Indonesia. He ended in a Bandung Dutch high school. Then he went to Timor, 10 years after leaving traditional Timor, he came back to a Timor that was a little hostile to him.

His mind, the mind of a Timorese Crown Prince of 22 years old was full of Holland, in which atmosphere he stayed nearly half of his life. The movie star looking prince was very motivated to bring the spirit of modernization and a new era (the good things of it) to his people, but there was no interest in that. Only independence and proud of the own Indonesian culture was the spirit then.
 

After working in the office of the meat canning factory of his already abdicated father (his father was the first Indonesian to start a factory in Indonesia) in Kupang, he wanted to make a career in the government, but his views were considered as much too modern and Dutch.
 

Only because a Timor Royal on a very high post had pity with him, he was given a chance to proof himself. With hard work he managed to become the director of the printing company of the total province of NTT. He was soon known, as the man, who was always a bit better than others due to the discipline he had learned in Holland.
 

With the money from his career he could build a modern residence on the place of the palaces of the former Rajas of his dynasty. The last palace here was destroyed in the WW II.
 

When his father died in 1992 it was the question, who would become the Liurai of Sonbai Kecil. That was an automatic succession. The Rajadom of Kupang was an elective dignity; but in fact semi-automatic.
 

Because the enthusiasm for Prince Leopold to become the King had diminished for the reason mentioned above. But to put another on the throne was taboo for his close dynasty members. So in 1992, he became Liurai of Sonbai Kecil.
 

From then on, he spent more of his time on traditional affairs of his people. He gradually moved away from his job with the printing company and only stayed on as advisor. That also meant a financial loss to his family, because the pensions were still not organised in a western way in Indonesia.
 

Being also he is good tennis player (sport number one in Indonesia), so earning an income also as a tennis teacher and being member of the local provincial tennis association was lucky to him.

The jazz loving raja became known since about 1995 into more international networks.

People became more interested to research on local dynasties and because the raja spoke 6 languages, he could be of a big help and be a bridge of trust between the local dynasties of the province and the western dynasties. That was because all of the raja dynasties know him, because he was an important man before in the local  provincial government.
 

So he could work for opening up the NTT dynasties to the outside world from then until present time.So he visted all the dynasties of West-Timor, the 19 dynasties of the island of Rote, the dynasties of Kolana,Alor,Kui and Batulolong on Alor,the dynasties of Blagar and Barnusa on Pantar,the dynasties of Lamakera and Lohayong on Solor,the dynasties of Terong and Lamahala on Adonara,the dynasties of Sikka, Larantuka and Manggarai on Flores,etc.

As he is the first Nusa Tenggara Timor (NTT) king to be member of the royalty network of Indonesia, he worked hard to let the other NTT dynasties to participate. He did that especially with help of the dynasty chiefs/rajas of Timorese Insana, Amanuban, Amfoan,Amanuban,Amabi,etc. and with his main Fettor (sub-king) of OEmatan.

Also on the national level he was working for the royalty. Because of his international network many dynasties asked him how to become involved in the national royalty network.His latest new requests to him for contact were the dynasties of Mori (East=Sulawesi) and Riau-Lingga. But also the network of the dynasties of the Philippines came in the Indonesia network.

 
Now he is regarded as the grand old man of the royalty network. Not talking to much during royal meetings, but when he says something it is mostly gold.

As a young boy he married a member of the raja dynasty of Termanu. But being not a daughter of a raja, or prince/princess close to a raja, his wife was not acceptable to the most of his dynasty, who already half arranged a marriage for him with a princess of a big principality of Timorese Belu area.

But he refused strongly to give up his love for Fredrika Lino, a noblewoman born on Flores and whose family also had many Muslims in their family. She really was the wife the prince needed, a woman who totally understood him. With her, the sometimes lonely prince became happy, later the dynasty saw how good she was for their future king, so changed their attitude.
 

His hard time in Holland and later for a time in Indonesia made his character strong, so that he is always a king with an open mind to help others, Yes, everything has a meaning in life.
 

Because the dynasty had to divide and divest many of their royal lands, the dynasty as a "dry dynasty" wasn't very rich anymore. The last recent few years, the raja also concentrates on religion (he is Protestant Christian).Because of him helping the local church and trying to seek more guidance in his life with the religion, his life is more blessed with business opportunities where possible.

But he still has so many things to do in his life for his people and enjoy life also. But, for the Raja of Kupang, the first thing is helping other people always.