Mataram Sultanate

Mataram Sultanate
Nagari MataramSultanate of Mataram

15881755

Flag

The maximum extent of Mataram Sultanate during the reign of Sultan Agung Hanyokrokusumo (16131645)
Capital

Kota Gede (15881613)

Karta (16131647)
Plered (16471680)
Kartosuro (16801755)

Languages

Javanese

Religion

Islam, Kejawen

Government

Monarchy

Sultan
-

15881601

Senopati

16771681

Pakubuwono I

History
-

Death of Sultan Prabuwijaya of the Kingdom of Pajang 1588

Trunajaya rebellion

November 28, 1755

Mataram Sultanate

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300s

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358669

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500s600s

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600s1200s

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6691579

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10451221

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14961903

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15001825

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15261813

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1500s1700s

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Mataram Sultanate

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The Sultanate of Mataram /mtrm/ was the last major independent Javanese polity on Java before the island
was colonized by the Dutch. It was the dominant political force in interior Central Java from the late 16th century
until the beginning of the 18th century.

Javanese kingship
The name Mataram itself was never the official name of any polity. This name refers to the areas around present-day
Yogyakarta. The two kingdoms that have existed in this region are both called Mataram, but the second kingdom is
called Mataram Islam to distinguish it from the Hindu 9th-century Kingdom of Mataram. Javanese kingship varies
from Western kingship, which is essentially based on the idea of legitimacy from the people (Democracy), or from
God (divine authority), or both. The Javanese language does not include words with these meanings.
The concept of the Javanese kingdom is a mandala, or a centre of the world, in the sense of both a central location
and a central being, focused on the person of the king (variously called Sri Bupati, Sri Narendra, Sang Aji, Prabu).
The king is regarded as a semi-divine being, a union of divine and human aspects (binathara, the passive form of
bathara, god). Javanese kingship is a matter of royal-divine presence, not a specific territory or population. People
may come and go without interrupting the identity of a kingdom which lies in the succession of semi-divine kings.
Power, including royal power is not qualitatively different from the power of dukuns or shamans, but it is much
stronger. Javanese kingship is not based on the legitimacy of a single individual, since anyone can contest power by
tapa or asceticism, and many did contest the kings of Mataram.

Dates
The dates for events before the Siege of Batavia in the reign of Sultan Agung, third king of Mataram, are difficult to
determine. There are several annals used by H.J. de Graaf in his histories such as Babad Sangkala and Babad
Momana which contain list of events and dates in Javanese calendar (A.J., Anno Javanicus), but besides de Graafs
questionable practice of simply adding 78 to Javanese years to obtain corresponding Christian years, the agreement
between Javanese sources themselves is less than perfect.

Mataram Sultanate

The Javanese sources are very selective in putting dates to events. Events such as the rise and fall of kratons, the
death of important princes, great wars, etc. are the only kind of events deemed important enough to be dated, by
using a poetic formula called candrasengkala, which can be expressed verbally and pictorially, the rest being
simply described in narrative succession without dates. Again these candrasengkalas do not always match the annals.
Therefore, it is suggested to follow the following rule of thumb: the dates from de Graaf and Ricklefs for the period
before the Siege of Batavia can be accepted as best guess. For the period after the Siege of Batavia (162829) until
the first War of Succession (1704), the years of events in which foreigners participated can be accepted as certain,
butagain- are not always consistent with Javanese version of the story. The events in the period 17041755 can be
dated with greater certainty since in this period the Dutch interfered deeply in Mataram affairs but events behind
kraton walls are in general difficult to be dated precisely.

The rise of Mataram

Details in Javanese sources about the early years of the kingdom are limited, and the line is unclear between the
historical record and myths since there are indications of the efforts of later rulers, especially Agung, to establish a
long line of legitimate descent by inventing predecessors. However, by the time more reliable records begin in the
mid-17th century the kingdom was so large and powerful that most historians concur it had already been established
for several generations.
According to Javanese records, the kings of Mataram were descended from one
Ki Ageng Sela (Sela is a village near the present-day Demak). In the 1570s one
of Ki Ageng Sela's descendants, Kyai Gedhe Pamanahan became the ruler of the
Mataram area with the support of the kingdom of Pajang to the north, near the
current site of Surakarta (Solo). Pamanahan was often referred to as Kyai Gedhe
Mataram.
Pamanahan's son, Sutawijaya or Panembahan Senapati Ingalaga, replaced his
father around 1584. Under Panembahan Senapati the kingdom grew substantially
through regular military campaigns against Mataram's overlord of Pajang and
Pajang's former overlord, Demak. After the defeat of Pajang, Senopati assumed
royal status by wearing the title "Panembahan" (literally "one who is
worshipped/sembah"). He began the fateful campaign to the East along the
Kota Gede, the former capital of
course of Solo River (Bengawan Solo) that was to bring endless conflicts and
Mataram Sultanate, founded in 1582
eventual demise of his kingdom. He conquered Madiun in 1590-1 and turned east
by Sutawijaya (Panembahan
Senapati).
from Madiun to conquer Kediri in 1591, and perhaps during the same time also
conquered Jipang (present day Bojonegoro), Jagaraga (north of present day
Magetan) and Ponorogo. His effort to conquer Banten in West Java in 1597 witnessed by Dutch sailors failed,
perhaps due to lack of water transport. He reached east as far as Pasuruan, who may have used his threat to reduce
pressure from the then powerful Surabaya.
The reign of Panembahan Seda ing Krapyak (circa 16011613), the son of Senapati, was dominated by further
warfare, especially against powerful Surabaya, already a major center in East Java. He faced rebellion from his
relatives who were installed in the newly conquered area of Demak (1602), Ponorogo (16078) and Kediri (1608).
The first contact between Mataram and the Dutch East India Company (VOC) occurred under Krapyak. Dutch
activities at the time were limited to trading from limited coastal settlements, so their interactions with the inland
Mataram kingdom were limited, although they did form an alliance against Surabaya in 1613. Krapyak died that
year.

Mataram Sultanate

Mataram under Sultan Agung

Krapyak was succeeded by his son, Raden Mas Rangsang, who assumed the title Panembahan ing Alaga and later
took the title of Sultan Agung Hanyokrokusumo ("Great Sultan") after obtaining permission to wear "Sultan" from
Mecca. Agung was responsible for the great expansion and lasting historical legacy of Mataram due to the extensive
military conquests of his long reign from 1613 to 1646. He attacked Surabaya in 1614 and also Malang, south of
Surabaya, and the eastern end of Java. In 1615, he conquered Wirasaba (present day Mojoagung, near Mojokerto). In
1616, Surabaya tried to attack Mataram but this army was crushed by Sultan Agung's forces in Siwalan, Pajang (near
Solo). The coastal city of Lasem, near Rembang, was conquered in 1616 and Pasuruan, south-east of Surabaya, was
taken in 1617. Tuban, one of the oldest and biggest cities on the coast of Java, was taken in 1619.
Surabaya was Mataram's most difficult enemy. Senapati had not felt strong enough to attack this powerful city and
Krapyak attacked it to no avail. Sultan Agung weakened Surabaya by capturing Sukadana, Surabaya's ally in
southwest Kalimantan, in 1622 and the island of Madura, another ally of Surabaya, was taken in 1624 after a fierce
battle. After five years of war Agung finally conquered Surabaya in 1625. The city was taken not through outright
military invasion, but instead because Agung surrounded it on land and sea, starving it into submission. With
Surabaya brought into the empire, the Mataram kingdom encompassed all of central and eastern Java, and Madura,
except for the west and east end of the island and its mountainous south (except for Mataram of course). In the
west Banten and the Dutch settlement in Batavia remain outside Agung's control. He tried in 162829 to drive the
Dutch from Batavia, but failed.
By 1625, Mataram was undisputed ruler of Java. Such a mighty feat of arms, however, did not deter Matarams
former overlords from rebellion. Pajang rebelled in 1617, and Pati rebelled in 1627. After the capture of Surabaya in
1625, expansion stopped while the empire was busied by rebellions. In 1630, Mataram crushed a rebellion in
Tembayat (south east of Klaten) and in 163136, Mataram had to suppress rebellion of Sumedang and Ukur in West
Java. Ricklefs and de Graaf argued that these rebellions in the later part of Sultan Agungs reign was mainly due to
his inability to capture Batavia in 162829, which shattered his reputation of invincibility and inspired Matarams
vassal to rebel. This argument seems untenable due to two reason: first, rebellions against Sultan Agung already
began as far back as 1617 and occurred in Pati even during his peak of invincibility after taking Surabaya in 1625.
The second, and more importantly, the military failure to capture Batavia was not seen as political failure by
Javanese point of view. See Siege of Batavia.
In 1645 Sultan Agung began building Imogiri, his burial place, about fifteen kilometers south of Yogyakarta. Imogiri
remains the resting place of most of the royalty of Yogyakarta and Surakarta to this day. Agung died in the spring of
1646, leaving behind an empire that covered most of Java and stretched to its neighboring islands.

Struggles for power

Upon taking the throne, Agung's son Susuhunan Amangkurat I tried to bring long-term stability to Mataram's realm,
murdering local leaders that were insufficiently deferential to him including the still-powerful noble from Surabaya,
Pangeran Pekik, his father-in-law, and closing ports and destroying ships in coastal cities to prevent them from
getting too powerful from their wealth. To further his glory, the new king abandoned Karta, Sultan Agungs capital,
and moved to a grander red-brick palace in Plered (formerly the palace was built of wood).
By the mid-1670s dissatisfaction with the king was turning into open revolt, beginning from the recalcitrant Eastern
Java and creeping inward. The Crown Prince (future Amangkurat II) felt that his life was not safe in the court after
he took his fathers concubine with the help of his maternal grandfather, Pangeran Pekik of Surabaya, making
Amangkurat I suspicious of a conspiracy among Surabayan factions to grab power in the capital by using Pekiks
grandsons powerful position as the Crown Prince. He conspired with Panembahan Rama from Kajoran, west of
Magelang, who proposed a stratagem in which the Crown Prince financed Ramas son-in-law, Trunajaya, to begin a
rebellion in the East Java. Raden Trunajaya, a prince from Madura, lead a revolt fortified by itinerant fighters from

Mataram Sultanate
faraway Makassar that captured the king's court at Mataram in mid-1677. The king escaped to the north coast with
his eldest son, the future king Amangkurat II, leaving his younger son Pangeran Puger in Mataram. Apparently more
interested in profit and revenge than in running a struggling empire, the rebel Trunajaya looted the court and
withdrew to his stronghold in Kediri, East Java, leaving Puger in control of a weak court. Seizing this opportunity,
Puger assumed the throne in the ruins of Plered with the title Susuhanan ing Alaga.

Amangkurat II and the beginning of foreign involvement

Amangkurat I died in Tegal just after his
expulsion, making Amangkurat II king in
1677. He too was nearly helpless, having
fled without an army nor treasury to build
one. In an attempt to regain his kingdom, he
made substantial concessions to the Dutch
East India Company (VOC), who then went
to war to reinstate him. For the Dutch, a
stable Mataram empire that was deeply
indebted to them would help ensure
Sultan Amangkurat II of Mataram (upper right) watching warlord Untung Surapati
continued trade on favorable terms. They
fighting Captain Tack of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). ca 1684 AD.
were willing to lend their military might to
keep
the
kingdom
together.
The
multinational Dutch forces, consisting of light-armed troops from Makasar and Ambon, in addition to heavily
equipped European soldiers, first defeated Trunajaya in Kediri in November 1628 and Trunajaya himself was
captured in 1679 near Ngantang west of Malang, then in 1681, the alliance of VOC and Amangkurat II forced
Susuhunan ing Alaga (Puger) to relinquish the throne in favor of his elder brother Amangkurat II. Since the fallen
Plered was considered inauspicious, Amangkurat II move the capital to Kartasura in the land of Pajang (northern part
of the stretch of land between Mount Merapi and Mount Lawu, the southern part being Mataram).
By providing help in regaining his throne, the Dutch brought Amangkurat II under their tight control. Amangkurat II
was apparently unhappy with the situation, especially the increasing Dutch control of the coast, but he was helpless
in the face of a crippling financial debt and the threat of Dutch military power. The king engaged in a series of
intrigues to try to weaken the Dutch position without confronting them head on; for example, by trying to cooperate
with other kingdoms such as Cirebon and Johor and the court sheltered people wanted by the Dutch for attacking
colonial offices or disrupting shipping such as Untung Surapati. In 1685, Batavia sent Captain Tack, the officer who
captured Trunojoyo, to capture Surapati and negotiate further details into the agreement between VOC and
Amangkurat II but the king arranged a ruse in which he pretended to help Tack. Tack was killed when pursuing
Surapati in Kartasura, then capital of Mataram (present day Kartasura near Solo), but Batavia decided to do nothing
since the situation in Batavia itself was far from stable, such as the insurrection of Captain Jonker, native commander
of Ambonese settlement in Batavia, in 1689. Mainly due to this incident, by the end of his reign, Amangkurat II was
deeply distrusted by the Dutch, but Batavia were similarly uninterested in provoking another costly war on Java.

Wars of succession
Amangkurat II died in 1703 and was briefly succeeded by his son, Amangkurat III. However, this time the Dutch
believed they had found a more reliable client, and hence supported his uncle Pangeran Puger, formerly Susuhunan
ing Alaga, who had previously been defeated by VOC and Amangkurat II. Before the Dutch, he accused
Amangkurat III of planning an uprising in East Java. Unlike Pangeran Puger, Amangkurat III inherited blood
connection with Surabayan ruler, Jangrana II, from Amangkurat II and this lent credibility to the allegation that he

Mataram Sultanate
cooperated with the now powerful Untung Surapati in Pasuruan. Panembahan Cakraningrat II of Madura, VOCs
most trusted ally, persuaded the Dutch to support Pangeran Puger. Though Cakraningrat II harbored personal hatred
towards Puger, this move is understandable since alliance between Amangkurat III and his Surabaya relatives and
Surapati in Bangil would be a great threat to Maduras position, even though Jangrana IIs father was Cakraningrat
IIs son-in-law. Pangeran Puger took the title of Pakubuwana I upon his accession in June 1704. The conflict
between Amangkurat III and Pakubuwana I, the latter allied with the Dutch, usually termed First Javanese War of
Succession, dragged on for five years before the Dutch managed to install Pakubuwana. In August 1705,
Pakubuwono Is retainers and VOC forces captured Kartasura without resistance from Amangkurat III, whose forces
cowardly turned back when the enemy reached Ungaran. Surapatis forces in Bangil, near Pasuruan, was crushed by
the alliance of VOC, Kartasura and Madura in 1706. Jangrana II, who tended to side with Amangkurat III and did
not venture any assistance to the capture of Bangil, was called to present himself before Pakubuwana I and murdered
there by VOCs request in the same year. Amangkurat III ran away to Malang with Surapatis descendants and his
remnant forces but Malang was then a no-mans-land who offered no glory fit for a king. Therefore, though allied
operations to the eastern interior of Java in 170608 did not gain much success in military terms, the fallen king
surrendered in 1708 after being lured with the promises of household (lungguh) and land, but he was banished to
Ceylon along with his wives and children. This is the end of Surabayan faction in Mataram, and as we shall see
later this situation would ignite the political time bomb planted by Sultan Agung with his capture of Surabaya in
1625.
With the installation of Pakubuwana, the Dutch substantially increased their control over the interior of Central Java.
Pakubuwana I was more than willing to agree to anything the VOC asked of him. In 1705 he agreed to cede the
regions of Cirebon and eastern part of Madura (under Cakraningrat II), in which Mataram had no real control
anyway, to the VOC. The VOC was given Semarang as new headquarters, the right to build fortresses anywhere in
Java, a garrison in the kraton in Kartasura, monopoly over opium and textiles, and the right to buy as much rice as
they wanted. Mataram would pay an annual tribute of 1300 metric tons of rice. Any debt made before 1705 was
cancelled. In 1709, Pakubuwana I made another agreement with the VOC in which Mataram would pay annual
tribute of wood, indigo and coffee (planted since 1696 by VOCs request) in addition to rice. These tributes, more
than anything else, made Pakubuwana I the first genuine puppet of the Dutch. On paper, these terms seemed very
advantageous to the Dutch, since the VOC itself was in financial difficulties during the period of 16831710. But the
ability of the king to fulfil the terms of agreement depended largely on the stability of Java, for which VOC has
made a guarantee. It turned out later that the VOCs military might was incapable of such a huge task.
The last years of Pakubuwana's reign, from 1717 to 1719, were dominated by rebellion in East Java against the
kingdom and its foreign patrons. The murder of Jangrana II in 1706 incited his three brothers, regents of Surabaya,
Jangrana III, Jayapuspita and Surengrana, to raise a rebellion with the help of Balinese mercenaries in 1717.
Pakubuwana Is tributes to the VOC secured him a power which was feared by his subjects in Central Java, but this
is for the first time since 1646 that Mataram was ruled by a king without any eastern connection. Surabaya had no
reason to submit anymore and thirst for vengeance made the brother regents openly contest Matarams power in
Eastern Java. Cakraningkrat III who ruled Madura after ousting the VOCs loyal ally Cakraningrat II, had every
reason to side with his cousins this time. The VOC managed to capture Surabaya after a bloody war in 1718 and
Madura was pacified when Cakraningrat III was killed in a fight on board of the VOCs ship in Surabaya in the same
year though the Balinese mercenaries plundered eastern Madura and was repulsed by VOC in the same year.
However, similar to the situation after Trunajayas uprising in 1675, the interior regencies in East Java (Ponorogo,
Madiun, Magetan, Jogorogo) joined the rebellion en masse. Pakubuwana I sent his son, Pangeran Dipanagara (not to
be confused with another prince with the same title who fought the Dutch in 18251830) to suppress the rebellion in
the eastern interior but instead Dipanagara joined the rebel and assumed the messianic title of Panembahan
Herucakra.
In 1719 Pakubuwana I died and his son Amangkurat IV took the throne in 1719, but his brothers, Pangeran Blitar
and Purbaya contested the succession. They attacked the kraton in June 1719. When they were repulsed by the

Mataram Sultanate
cannons in VOCs fort, they retreated south to the land of Mataram. Another royal brother, Pangeran Arya Mataram,
ran to Japara and proclaim himself king, thus began the Second War of Succession. Before the year ended, Arya
Mataram surrendered and was strangled in Japara by kings order and Blitar and Purbaya was dislodged from their
stronghold in Mataram in November. In 1720, these two princes ran away to the still rebellious interior of East Java.
Luckily for VOC and the young king, the rebellious regents of Surabaya, Jangrana III and Jayapuspita died in
171820 and Pangeran Blitar died in 1721. In May and June 1723, the remnants of the rebels and their leaders
surrendered, including Surengrana of Surabaya, Pangeran Purbaya and Dipanagara, all of whom were banished to
Ceylon, except Purbaya, who was taken to Batavia to serve as backup to replace Amangkurat IV in case of any
disruption in the relationship between the king and VOC since Purbaya was seen to have equal "legitimacy" by
VOC. It is obvious from these two Wars of Succession that even though VOC was virtually invincible in the field,
mere military prowess was not sufficient to pacify Java. In the year of 1645 Sultan Reyhan, the son of Sunan
Amangkurat II attacked Padjajaran and make it as one of Mataram Sultanate. His best general named Nicholas
Callijon led his troop to Bandung but he was soon defeated. so he committed suicide by cutting his shinbone, stabe
his stomach, and hang his self.

Court intrigues in 17231741

After 1723, the situation seemed to stabilize, much to the delight of the Dutch. Javanese nobility had learned that the
alliance of VOCs military with any Javanese faction made them nearly invincible. It seemed that VOCs plan to reap
the profit from a stable Java under a kingdom which was deeply indebted to VOC would soon be realized. In 1726,
Amangkurat IV fell to an illness that resembled poisoning. His son assumed the throne as Pakubuwana II, this time
without any serious resistance from anybody. The history for the period of 1723 until 1741 was dominated by a
series of intrigues which further showed the fragile nature of Javanese politics, held together by Dutchs effort. In
this relatively peaceful situation, the king could not gather the support of his "subjects" and instead was swayed by
short-term ends siding with this faction for a moment and then to another. The king never seemed to lack challenges
to his "legitimacy". The descendants of Amangkurat III, who were allowed to return from Ceylon, and the royal
brothers, especially Pangeran Ngabehi Loring Pasar and the banished Pangeran Arya Mangkunegara, tried to gain
the support of the Dutch by spreading gossips of rebellion against the king and the patih (vizier), Danureja. At the
same time, the patih tried to strengthen his position by installing his relatives and clients in the regencies, sometimes
without kings consent, at the expense of other nobles interests, including the powerful queens dowager, Ratu
Amangkurat (Amangkurat IVs wife) and Ratu Pakubuwana (Pakubuwana Is wife), much to the confusion of the
Dutch. The king tried to break the dominance of this Danureja by asking the help of the Dutch to banish him, but
Danurejas successor, Natakusuma, was influenced heavily by the Queens brother, Arya Purbaya, son of the rebel
Pangeran Purbaya, who was also Natakusumas brother-in-law. Arya Purbayas erratic behavior in court, his alleged
homosexuality which was abhorred by the pious king and rumors of his planning a rebellion against the heathen
(the Dutch) caused unrest in Kartasura and hatred from the nobles. After his sister, the Queen, died of miscarriage in
1738, the king asked the Dutch to banish him, to which the Dutch complied gladly. Despite these faction strruggles,
the situation in general did not show any signs of developing into full-scale war. Eastern Java was quiet: though
Cakraningrat IV refused to pay homage to the court with various excuses, Madura was held under firm control by
VOC and Surabaya did not stir. But dark clouds were forming. This time, the explosion came from the west: Batavia
itself.

Mataram Sultanate

Chinese War 17411743

In the meantime, the Dutch were contending with other problems. The excessive use of land for sugar cane
plantation in the interior of West Java reduced the flow of water in Ciliwung River (which flows through the city of
Batavia) and made the city canals an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes, resulting in a series of malaria outbreaks
in 17331795. This was aggravated by the fall of sugar price in European market, bringing bankruptcy to sugar
factories in the areas around Batavia (the Ommelanden), which were mostly operated by Chinese labor. The unrest
prompted VOC authorities to reduce the number of unlicensed Chinese settlers, who had been smuggled into Batavia
by Chinese sugar factory owners. These laborers were loaded onto ships out of Batavia but the rumor that these
people were thrown into the sea as soon as the ship was beyond the horizon caused panic among the remaining
Chinese. In 7 October 1740, several Chinese mobs attacked Europeans outside the city and incited the Dutch to order
a massacre two days later. The Chinese settlement in Batavia was looted for several days, in which 10,000 Chinese
were killed. The Chinese ran away and captured Bekasi, which was dislodged by VOC in June 1741.
In 1741, Chinese rebels were present in Central Java, particularly around Tanjung (Welahan), Pati, Grobogan, and
Kaliwungu. In May 1741 Juwana was captured by the Chinese. The Javanese at first sided with the Dutch and
reinforced Demak in 10 June 1741. Two days later, a detachment of Javanese forces together with VOC forces of
European, Balinese and Buginese in Semarang to defend Tugu, west of Semarang. The Chinese rebel lured them into
their main forcess position in Mount Bergota through narrow road and ambushed them. The allied forces were
dispersed and ran as fast as they could back to Semarang. The Chinese pursued them but were repulsed by Dutch
cannons in the fortress. Semarang was seized by panic. By July 1741, the Chinese occupied Kaligawe, south of
Semarang, Rembang, and besieged Jepara. This is the most dangerous time for VOC. Military superiority would
enable VOC to hold Semarang without any support from Mataram forces, but it would mean nothing since a
turbulent interior would disrupt trade and therefore profit, VOCs main objective. One VOC high official, Abraham
Roos, suggested that VOC assumed royal function in Java by denying Pakubuwana IIs legitimacy and asking the
regents to take an oath of loyalty to VOCs sovereignty. This was turned down by the Council of Indies (Raad van
Indie) in Batavia, since even if VOC managed to conquer the coast, it would not be strong enough to conquer the
mountainous interior of Java, which do not provide much level plain required by Western method of warfare.
Therefore, the Dutch East India Company must support its superior but inadequate military by picking the right
allies. One such ally had presented itself, that is Cakraningkrat IV of Madura who could be relied on to gold the
eastern coast against the Chinese, but the interior of Eastern and Central Java was beyond the reach of this
quarrelsome prince. Therefore, VOC had no choice but to side with Pakubuwana II.
VOCs dire situation after the Battle of Tugu in July 1741 did not escape the kings attention, but like Amangkurat
II he avoided any open breach with VOC since his own kraton was not lacking of factions against him. He ordered
Patih Natakusuma to do all the dirty work, such as ordering the Arch-Regent (Adipati) of Jipang (Bojonegoro), one
Tumenggung Mataun, to join the Chinese. In September 1741, the king ordered Patih Natakusuma and several
regents to help the Chinese besiege Semarang and let Natakusuma attack VOC garrison in Kartasura, who were
starved into submission in August. However, reinforcement from VOCs posts in Outer Islands were arriving since
August and they were all wisely concentrated to repel the Chinese around Semarang. In the beginning of November,
the Dutch attacked Kaligawe, Torbaya around Semarang, and repulsed the alliance of Javanese and Chinese forces
who were stationed in four separate fortress and did not coordinate with each other. At the end of November,
Cakraningrat IV had controlled the stretch of east coast from Tuban to Sedayu and the Dutch relieved Tegal of
Chinese rebels. This caused Pakubuwana II to change sides and open negotiations with the Dutch.
In the next year 1742, the alliance of Javanese and Chinese let Semarang alone and captured Kudus and Pati in
February. In March, Pakubuwana II sent a messenger to negotiate with the Dutch in Semarang and offered them
absolute control over all northern coasts of Java and the privilege to appoint patih. VOC promptly sent van
Hohendorff with a small force to observe the situation in Kartasura. Things began to get worse for Pakubuwana II. In
April, the rebels set up Raden Mas Garendi, a descendant of Amangkurat III, as king with the title of Sunan Kuning.

Mataram Sultanate
In May, the Dutch agreed to support Pakubuwana II after considering that after all, the regencies in eastern interior
were still loyal to this weak king but the Javano-Chinese rebel alliance had occupied the only road from Semarang to
Kartasura and captured Salatiga. The princes in Mataram tried to attack the Javano-Chinese alliance but they were
repulsed. On 30 June 1742, the rebels captured Kartasura and van Hohendorff had to run away from a hole in kraton
wall with the helpless Pakubuwana II on his back. The Dutch, however, ignored Kartasuras fate in rebel hands and
concentrated its forces under Captain Gerrit Mom and Nathaniel Steinmets to repulse the rebels around Demak,
Welahan, Jepara, Kudus and Rembang. By October 1742, the northern coast of Central Java was cleaned of the
rebels, who seemed to disperse into the traditional rebel hideout in Malang to the east and the Dutch forces returned
to Semarang in November. Cakraningrat IV, who wished to free the eastern coast of Java from Mataram influence,
could not deter the Dutch from supporting Pakubuwana II but he managed to capture and plunder Kartasura in
November 1742. In December 1742, VOC negotiated with Cakraningrat and managed to persuade him to relieve
Kartasura of Madurese and Balinese troops under his pay. The treasures, however, remained in Cakraningrats hand.
The reinstatement of Pakubuwana II in Kartasura in 14 December 1742 marked the end of the Chinese war. It
showed who was in control of the situation. Accordingly, Sunan Kuning surrendered in October 1743, followed by
other rebel leaders. Cakraningrat IV was definitely not pleased with this situation and he began to make alliance with
Surabaya, the descendants of Untung Surapati, and hired more Balinese mercenaries. He stopped paying tribute to
VOC in 1744, and after a failed attempt to negotiate, the Dutch attacked Madura in 1745 and ousted Cakraningrat,
who was banished to the Cape in 1746.

Division of Mataram
The fall of Kartasura made the palace
inauspicious for the king and
Pakubuwana II built a new kraton in
Surakarta or Solo and moved there in
1746. However, Pakubuwana II was far
from secure in this throne. Raden Mas
Said, or Pangeran Sambernyawa
(meaning Soul Reaper), son of
banished Arya Mangkunegara, who
later would establish the princely house
of Mangkunagara in Solo, and several
other princes of the royal blood still
maintained rebellion. Pakubuwana II
declared that anyone who can suppress
the rebellion in Sukawati, areas around
present day Sragen, would be rewarded
with 3000 households. Pangeran
Mangkubumi, Pakuwana IIs brother,
who would later establish the royal
house of Yogyakarta took the challenge
The divided Mataram in 1830, after the Java War.
and defeated Mas Said in 1746. But
when he claimed his prize, his old
enemy, patih Pringgalaya, advised the king against it. In the middle of this problem, VOCs Governor General, van
Imhoff, paid a visit to the kraton, the first one to do so during the whole history of the relation between Mataram and
VOC, in order to confirm the de facto Dutch possession of coastal and several interior regions. Pakubuwana II
hesitantly accepted the cession in lieu of 20.000 real per year. Mangkubumi was dissatisfied with his brothers

10

Mataram Sultanate
decision to yield to van Imhoffs insistence, which was made without consulting the other members of royal family
and great nobles. van Imhoff had neither experience nor tactfulness to understand the delicate situation in Mataram
and he rebuked Mangkubumi as too ambitious before the whole court when Mangkubumi claimed the 3000
households. This shameful treatment from a foreigner who had wrested the most prosperous lands of Mataram from
his weak brother led him to raise his followers into rebellion in May 1746, this time with the help of Mas Said.
In the midst of Mangkubumi rebellion in 1749, Pakubuwana II fell ill and called van Hohendorff, his trusted friend
who saved his life during the fall of Kartasura in 1742. He asked Hohendorff to assume control over the kingdom.
Hohendorff was naturally surprised and refused, thinking that he would be made king of Mataram, but when the king
insisted on it, he asked his sick friend to confirm it in writing. On 11 December 1749, Pakubuwana II signed an
agreement in which the sovereignty of Mataram was given to VOC.
On 15 December 1749, Hohendorff announced the accession of Pakubuwana IIs son as the new king of Mataram
with the title Pakubuwana III. However, three days earlier, Mangkubumi in his stronghold in Yogyakarta also
announced his accession with the title Mangkubumi, with Mas Said as his patih. This rebellion got stronger day by
day and even in 1753 the Crown Prince of Surakarta joined the rebels. VOC decided that it did have not the military
capability to suppress this rebellion, though in 1752, Mas Said broke away from Hamengkubuwana. By 1754, all
parties were tired of war and ready to negotiate.
The kingdom of Mataram was divided in 1755 under an agreement signed in Giyanti between the Dutch under the
Governor General Nicolaas Hartingh and rebellious prince Mangkubumi. The treaty divided nominal control over
central Java between Yogyakarta Sultanate, under Mangkubumi, and Surakarta, under Pakubuwana. Mas Said,
however, proved to be stronger than the combined forces of Solo, Yogya and VOC. In 1756, he even almost captured
Yogyakarta, but he realized that he could not defeat the three powers all by himself. In February 1757 he surrendered
to Pakubuwana III and was given 4000 households, all taken from Pakubuwana IIIs own lungguh, and a parcel of
land near Solo, the present day Mangkunegaran Palace, and the title of Pangeran Arya Adipati Mangkunegara. This
settlement proved successful in that political struggle was again confined to palace or inter-palace intrigues and
peace was maintained until 1812.

References
Anderson, BROG. The Idea of Power in Javanese Culture dalam Anderson, BROG. Language and Power:
Exploring Political Cultures in Indonesia. Cornell University Press. 1990.
Blusse, Leonard. 2004. Persekutuan Aneh: Pemukim Cina, Wanita Peranakan, dan Belanda di Batavia VOC.
LKiS: Yogyakarta.
Carey, Peter. 1997. Civilization on loan: the making of an upstart polity: Mataram and its successors, 16001830.
Modern Asian Studies 31(3):711734.
Cosmopolis and Nation [2]
de Graaf, H.J. dan T.H. Pigeaud. 2003. Kerajaan Islam Pertama Di Jawa: Tinjauan Sejarah Politik Abad XV dan
XVI. Pustaka Utama Graffiti.
De Graaf, H.J. Puncak Kekuasaan Mataram: Politik Ekspansi Sultan Agung. Pustaka Utama Graffiti 2002.
Depdikbud. 1980. Serat Trunajaya.
Mangunwijaya Y.B. 1983. Rara Mendut. Jakarta : Gramedia.
Miksic, John (general ed.), et al. (2006) Karaton Surakarta. A look into the court of Surakarta Hadiningrat,
central Java (First published: 'By the will of His Serene Highness Paku Buwono XII'. Surakarta: Yayasan
Pawiyatan Kabudayan Karaton Surakarta, 2004) Marshall Cavendish Editions Singapore ISBN 981-261-226-2
Remmelink, Willem G.J. 2002. Perang Cina dan Runtuhnya Negara Jawa 17251743. Yogyakarta: Penerbit
Jendela.
Ricklefs, M.C. 2002. Yogyakarta di Bawah Sultan Mangkubumi 17491792: Sejarah Pembagian Jawa.
Yogyakarta: Penerbit Matabangsa.

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Mataram Sultanate
Ricklefs, M.C. 2001. A history of modern Indonesia since c.1200. Stanford: Stanford University Press. ISBN
0-8047-4480-7.
Ricklefs. M.C. 2001. Sejarah Indonesia Modern 12002004. PT. Serambi Ilmu Semesta. Cetakan I: April 2005.

References
[1] http:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ w/ index. php?title=Template:History_of_Indonesia& action=edit
[2] http:/ / www. ari. nus. edu. sg/ docs/ wps/ wps04_022. pdf

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Article Sources and Contributors

Article Sources and Contributors

Mataram Sultanate Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=583411222 Contributors: Adam Keller, Akhmad santoso, Algri, Aloy andra, Andres rojas22, Artemis Dread, Bejnar,
CanisRufus, Cdc, Cmdrjameson, Crisco 1492, Deflective, Dogaroon, Downwards, Earth, Epolk, Everyking, Gunkarta, HHEHUM, Hmains, Indon, IngridIguana, Irishpunktom, Joyson Prabhu,
Julius.kusuma, Khazar2, Korny O'Near, Kummi, Languagehat, Melchoir, Merbabu, Meursault2004, Mild Bill Hiccup, Nalokka, Nijmeagen, Paul A, PhnomPencil, Prawiroatmodjo, Rigadoun,
Rubyuser, SatuSuro, Seb az86556, Sepa, Siafu, Sue Anne, Tigeroo, Tobias Conradi, Vitriden, Xyzzyva, 22 anonymous edits

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