Sultan Anyakrakusuma is known as Sultan Agung ( jv, ꦱꦸꦭ꧀ꦠꦤ꧀ꦲꦒꦸꦁꦲꦢꦶꦥꦿꦧꦸꦲꦚꦏꦿꦏꦸꦱꦸꦩ, Sultan Agung Adi Prabu Anyakrakusuma) was the third
Sultan of Mataram in Central
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...
ruling from 1613 to 1645. A skilled soldier he conquered neighbouring states and expanded and consolidated his kingdom to its greatest territorial and military power.
''Sultan Agung'' or ''Susuhunan Agung'' (literally, "Great Sultan" or "Majestic Sultan") is subject of a substantial amount of literature due to his legacy as a Javanese ruler, a fighter against the incursions of the
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
, a conqueror, and his existence within a cultural framework where myth and magic are well intertwined with verifiable historical events and personages. The Dutch literature wrote his name by ''Agoeng de Grote'' (literally, "Agung the Great").
For his service as a fighter and cultural observer, Sultan Agung has been declared as
National Hero of Indonesia
National Hero of Indonesia ( id, Pahlawan Nasional Indonesia) is the highest-level title awarded in Indonesia. It is posthumously given by the Government of Indonesia for actions which are deemed to be heroic, defined as "actual deeds which can b ...
based on Presidential Decree no. 106/TK/1975, issued on November 3, 1975.
Early reign
Rangsang ascended to throne when he was 20 years old, succeeding his half-brother, Duke Martapura, who became Sultan of Mataram for one day. Rangsang was technically the fourth Sultan of Mataram, but he was commonly considered as the third sultan, because the coronation of his mentally retarded half-brother was just to fulfill his father's promise to his wife, Queen Tulungayu, Duke Martapura's mother.
In Sultan Agung's second year reign, Patih Mandaraka died of old age, and his position as ''patih'' (
viceregent
Vice-regent may refer to:
*a person who acts for a regent
*a synonym of viceroy
*a common misuse of vicegerent
Vicegerent is the official administrative deputy of a ruler or head of state: ''vice'' (Latin for "in place of") and ''gerere'' (La ...
) was occupied by Tumenggung Singaranu.
The capital of Mataram in the era of his coronation was still located in
Kotagede
Kotagede (Javanese: ꦏꦸꦛꦒꦼꦝꦺ ''Kuthagedhé'') is a city district (''kemantren'') and a historic neighborhood in Yogyakarta, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Kotagede contains the remains of the first capital of Mataram Sultana ...
. In 1614, a
new palace was built in Karta, approximately 5 km in the southwest of Kotagede, which began to occupy 4 years later.
Territorial conquests
![Mataram Sultanate in Sultan Agung Reign](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Mataram_Sultanate_in_Sultan_Agung_Reign.svg)
Sultan Agung became the ruler of Mataram in 1613 and the next year attacked
Surabaya, as well as
Malang which lies south of Surabaya, and the eastern end of the Java island, but failed to conquer them both. He was however able to extract a significant indemnity and used this in 1615, to conquer Wirasaba (present day
Mojoagung, near Mojokerto), an operation which he personally lead.
In 1616, Surabaya attempted to attack Mataram in retaliation, but lacking allies the Surabaya army was crushed by Sultan Agung's forces in Siwalan,
Pajang
The Kingdom of Pajang or Sultanate of Pajang (كسلطانن ڤاجڠ ;1586–1568) was a short-lived Muslim state in Java. It was established by Hadiwijaya or Jaka Tingkir, Lord of Boyolali, after a civil war and was a successor to Sultanate ...
(near
Surakarta). The coastal city of
Lasem
Lasem ( fa, لاسم, also romanized as Lāsem and Lasm; also known as Lishan) is a village in Bala Larijan Rural District, Larijan District, Amol County, Mazandaran Province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, ...
, near
Rembang
Rembang Regency ( id, Kabupaten Rembang) is a regency ( id, kabupaten) on the extreme northeast coast of Central Java Province, on the island of Java (bordering on the Java Sea) in Indonesia. The regency covers an area of 1,035.70 km2 on Java ...
, was conquered later in 1616, and
Pasuruan
Pasuruan ( nl, Pasoeroean) is a city in East Java, Java, Indonesia. It had a population of 186,262 at the 2010 Census and 208,006 at the 2020 Census.
It is surrounded by, but administratively separate from, Pasuruan Regency. It is located around ...
, south-east of Surabaya, was taken in 1617.
Tuban
Tuban is a town located on the north coast of Java, in Tuban Regency (of which the town is the administrative capital), approximately west of Surabaya, the capital of East Java. Tuban Regency is surrounded by Lamongan Regency in the east, Bo ...
, one of the oldest and biggest cities on the coast of Java, was taken in 1619.
Surabaya had been Mataram's most formidable adversary thus far. Agung's grandfather,
Senapati or Senopati, had not felt strong enough to attack this powerful city, and his father, Panembahan Seda Krapyak, attacked it to no avail. Sultan Agung weakened Surabaya by capturing
Sukadana
Sukadana () is a town and regency seat of North Kayong Regency (Kabupaten Kayong Utara), on the island of Borneo. North Kayong regency is one of the regencies of West Kalimantan province in Indonesia. The nearest airport is Rahadi Osman-Ketapang K ...
, Surabaya's ally in southwest
Kalimantan, in 1622, and the island of
Madura
Madura Island is an Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java. The island comprises an area of approximately (administratively 5,379.33 km2 including various smaller islands to the east, southeast and north that are administrati ...
, another ally of Surabaya, in 1624 after a fierce battle. After five years of war Agung finally conquered Surabaya in a
siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characteriz ...
in 1625. With Surabaya brought into the empire, the Mataram kingdom encompassed all of central and eastern Java (plus Madura), except for the west end of Java and its mountainous south. In the west
Banten
Banten ( id, Banten; Sundanese: , romanized ''Banten'') is the westernmost province on the island of Java, Indonesia. Its capital city is Serang. The province borders West Java and the Special Capital Region of Jakarta on the east, the Ja ...
and the Dutch settlement in
Batavia
Batavia may refer to:
Historical places
* Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands
* Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...
remained outside Agung's control.
The economy of Mataram was centered on agriculture, thus Sultan Agung who was openly contemptuous of trade, saw no need to maintain significant naval forces. This was later to prove costly when in 1629 he attacked and attempted to drive the Dutch out of their base at the coastal city of
Jakarta. Though he possessed larger and superior land based forces, the Dutch had decisive advantages in naval power and were able to withstand the
Siege of Batavia
The siege of Batavia was a military campaign led by Sultan Agung of Mataram to capture the Dutch port-settlement of Batavia in Java. The first attempt was launched in 1628, and the second in 1629; both were unsuccessful.
Prelude
In the Indone ...
.
After the failure of the siege, Agung turned against the Balinese, then controlling Balambangan in East Java, in a “holy war” against infidels. His campaign was successful in Java, but he was unable to extend his power to the island of Bali itself. Bali thus retained its identity as a Hindu state in the midst of the predominantly Muslim states of the archipelago.
Apart from his conquests the Sultan also sought to rationalize and improve the internal government of his kingdom. He reformed the tax-code and brought the courts and judicial system more in line with Qurʾānic precepts.
He commissioned the building of the
Karta Palace
Karta Palace (also known as, ''Court of Karto'', ''Keraton Karta'') was a palace built by Sultan Agung in Central Java in the early 1600s. It was located on the Oyo river, approximately due south of the current locality of Kota Gede and just west ...
in 1614, the Royal Graveyard of
Imogiri
Imogiri (ꦲꦶꦩꦒꦶꦫꦶ in Javanese script or ''Imagiri'' in standard Javanese spelling) is a royal graveyard complex in Yogyakarta, in south-central Java, Indonesia, as well as a subdistrict under the administration of Bantul Regency. Im ...
, as well as other social and civic structures within the kingdom.
Rebellions
By 1625, Mataram was the undisputed ruler of most of Java.
[Drakeley S. ''The History of Indonesia''. Greenwood, 2005. ] However, its military strength did not deter Mataram's vassals from rebellion, due to his inability to conquer Batavia. Pajang rebelled in 1617, and
Pati rebelled in 1627. Following the capture of Surabaya in 1625, expansion halted as the empire was beset by rebellions.
In 1630, Mataram crushed a rebellion in Tembayat (southeast of
Klaten). However, in 1631–36, Mataram had to suppress the rebellion of
Sumedang
Sumedang (former spelling: Soemedang) is a town in Western Java, Indonesia, approximately 46 km northeast of Bandung. It is the capital of Sumedang Regency. The town is just south of the volcanic Mount Tampomas, which is 1,684 m (5,52 ...
and
Ukur in West Java. Agung's attempt to capture Batavia in 1628–29, and drive the Dutch from Java ended in failure.
Rebellions still continued, now Mataram had to see Giri Kedaton rebellion, who was unwilling to submit to Mataram. As Mataram's troops still respected
Giri Kedaton's soldiers which was considered as the descendant of
Sunan Giri
Sunan Giri (also called Raden Paku or Joko Samudro), Muhammad Ainul Yakin (born 1442 CE in Blambangan (now Banyuwangi) is considered one of the Wali Sanga (revered saints of Islam) of Indonesia.
History
He was the son of Dewi Sekardadu and ...
, a member of
Walisanga, Sultan Agung assigned
Pangeran Pekik
Pangeran Pekik (or Prince Pekik, died in 1659) was a Javanese prince, and son of the last Duke of Surabaya, Jayalengkara. After the Mataram conquest of Surabaya he was forced to live in Mataram court. He was executed in 1659 under the orders of ...
, a descendant of
Sunan Ampel (Sunan Giri's father-in-law), to suppress the rebellion. Pangeran Pekik himself had been married to Queen Pandansari, Sultan Agung's sister, in 1633. Giri Kedaton rebellion could be suppressed by them 3 years later.
Death
In 1632 Sultan Agung began building
Imogiri
Imogiri (ꦲꦶꦩꦒꦶꦫꦶ in Javanese script or ''Imagiri'' in standard Javanese spelling) is a royal graveyard complex in Yogyakarta, in south-central Java, Indonesia, as well as a subdistrict under the administration of Bantul Regency. Im ...
, his burial place, about 15 kilometers south of
Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...
. Imogiri remains the resting place of most of the royalty of Yogyakarta and
Surakarta to this day which in Agung's complex buried Sultan Agung, Queen Batang, and their sons. Agung died in the spring of 1645, leaving behind an empire that covered most of Java and stretched to its neighboring islands.
In accordance to his will, Sultan Agung was succeeded by his son, RM. Sayidin, styled Amangkurat I.
Family
His original name was Raden Mas Jatmika, also popularly known as Raden Mas Rangsang. He was the son of Anyakrawati and Ratu Mas Adi Dyah Banawati. His father was Mataram's second monarch, and his mother was the daughter of Prince Benawa, the last Sultan of Pajang.
Another version said that Sultan Agung was the son of Prince Purbaya (Anyakrawati's brother). It was said that Prince Purbaya exchanged the baby born by his wife with the one born by Dyah Banawati. This version is an opinion of minority whose truth has to be proven.
Like other Mataram's monarchs, Sultan Agung had 2 main queen consorts:
# Ratu Kulon, born as Ratu Mas Tinumpak, daughter of Panembahan Ratu,
Sultan of Cirebon, who gave birth RM. Syahwawrat alias Prince Alit.
# Ratu Wetan, daughter of Duke of Batang (Ki Juru Martani's granddaughter), who gave birth RM. Sayidin (later
Amangkurat I
Amangkurat I (Amangkurat Agung; 1619–1677) was the ''susuhunan'' of the Mataram Sultanate from 1646 to 1677. He was the son of Sultan Agung of Mataram. He experienced many rebellions during his reign. He died in exile in 1677, and buried in T ...
).
From his
queen consorts, Sultan Agung has 9
children:
# Raden Mas Sahwawrat alias Pangeran Temenggong Pajang
# Raden Mas Kasim alias Pangeran Demang Tanpa Nangkil
# Pangeran Ronggo Kajiwan
# Gusti Ratu Ayu Winongan
# Pangeran Ngabehi Loring Pasar
# Pangeran Ngabehi Loring Pasar
# Raden Mas Sayidin (later
Sunan Prabu Amangkurat Agung/Amangkurat I, Sultan Agung's successor, reigning between 1645 and 1677)
# Gusti Ratu Ayu Wiromantri
# Prince Danupoyo alias Raden Mas Alit
Titles
In his early reign, Rangsang's title was Susuhunan Anyakrakusuma or Prabu Pandita Anyakrakusuma. After conquering
Madura
Madura Island is an Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java. The island comprises an area of approximately (administratively 5,379.33 km2 including various smaller islands to the east, southeast and north that are administrati ...
in 1624, he changed his titles as Susuhunan Agung Anyakrakusuma, abbreviated as Sunan Agung Anyakrakusuma.
In 1640s, he used title Sultan Agung Senapati ing Alaga Abdurrahman. In 1641, Sunan Agung has an Arabic title, Sultan Abdullah Muhammad Maulana of Mataram, bestowed by imams in
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow ...
.
For the sake of convenience, the name used in this article is the most common and popular name: Sultan Agung.
Historical reputation
The development of the sacred dance
bedhaya, and important developments in
gamelan
Gamelan () ( jv, ꦒꦩꦼꦭꦤ꧀, su, ᮌᮙᮨᮜᮔ᮪, ban, ᬕᬫᭂᬮᬦ᭄) is the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments. T ...
and
wayang are attributed to the court of Sultan Agung. However, there is almost no historical evidence for the claims of high artistic achievement, and there is little information at all about the arts in the court. Some written evidence comes from a handful of mentions in Dutch accounts, which can be difficult to interpret.
Sultan Agung is also attributed with the founding of the unique
Javanese calendar
The Javanese calendar ( jv, ꦥꦤꦁꦒꦭ꧀ꦭꦤ꧀ꦗꦮ, Pananggalan Jawa) is the calendar of the Javanese people. It is used concurrently with two other calendars, the Gregorian calendar and the Islamic calendar. The Gregorian calendar ...
– this established a uniquely indigenous calendar which is still in use. Besides of it, Sultan Agung had written a mystical manuscript, entitled ''Sastra Gending''.
In the environment of Mataram Palace, Sultan Agung established a standard language called Bagongan obliged to be used by Mataram
noblemen
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characterist ...
and officials to eradicate imbalance between them. The language was created to form unity between royal court officials. The
Sundanese language had been changed since Mataram's rule in West Java, marked by the creation of refined language only previously known in
Central Java.
Sultan Agung's major legacy lies however in the administrative reforms he undertook in the conquered territories. The ever-increasing large territorial extent of these territories led him to create an innovative and rational administrative structure.
[Bertrand, Romain, ''Etat colonial, noblesse et nationalisme à Java'', Paris, 2005.]
He created "provinces" by appointing people as ''
adipati'' (equivalent to
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
) at the head of territories called ''
kadipaten'' (
Duchy), particularly those territories in the western part of Java, where Mataram was facing Banten and Batavia, two places who resisted his wars of conquest. A ''
kabupaten'' like
Karawang, for instance, was created when Sultan Agung appointed prince Kertabumi as its first ''adipati'' in 1636.
When the V.O.C. (the
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
) took control of Mataram territories, it kept the ''kadipaten'' structure. Under the colonial administration of the Netherlands Indies, ''adipati'', now called ''
bupati'', were called ''regenten'' and ''kadipaten'', now ''kabupaten'', ''regentschappen''. The title of a ''bupati'' consisted generally in a formal name, for instance "Sastradiningrat" in the case of Karawang, preceded by "Raden Aria Adipati", hence "Raden Aria Adipati Sastradiningrat" (shortened into R. A. A. Sastradiningrat). The word ''adipati'' survived in the colonial system.
The Dutch had grouped ''kabupaten'' into regions under a ''resident'', called ''residenties''. The Indonesian government kept the ''kabupaten'' but disbanded the ''residenties'' in the 1950s, resulting in ''kabupaten'' being administrative subdivisions directly under a province. The laws on regional autonomy promulgated in 1999 give a high degree of autonomy to the ''kabupaten'', not to the provinces. Sultan Agung's legacy is also recognised by modern Indonesia.
Sultan Agung is revered in contemporary Java both for his unification of Java, modernizing reforms, as well as his wars with the Dutch. In 1975, he was nominated and confirmed as a
National Hero of Indonesia
National Hero of Indonesia ( id, Pahlawan Nasional Indonesia) is the highest-level title awarded in Indonesia. It is posthumously given by the Government of Indonesia for actions which are deemed to be heroic, defined as "actual deeds which can b ...
(''Pahlawan Nasional Indonesia'').
His existence within a cultural framework where myth and magic are intertwined and the scarcity of verifiable records of his early life have elevated him to heroic and near-mythical status.
In the syncretic religious culture of Java, with its mixture of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam; pilgrimage to his graveyard complex is considered auspicious, and many make considerable effort to go to Imogiri at appropriate times and days in the
Javanese and
Islamic calendar
The Hijri calendar ( ar, ٱلتَّقْوِيم ٱلْهِجْرِيّ, translit=al-taqwīm al-hijrī), also known in English as the Muslim calendar and Islamic calendar, is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 ...
s.
References
Further reading
* Pranata, ''Sultan Agung Anyokrokusumo'', Jakarta: Yudha Gama (In Indonesian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mataram, Sultan Agung Of
Agung
The agung is a set of two wide-rimmed, vertically suspended gongs used by the Maguindanao, Maranao, Sama-Bajau and Tausug people of the Philippines as a supportive instrument in kulintang ensembles. The agung is also ubiquitous among othe ...
Agung
The agung is a set of two wide-rimmed, vertically suspended gongs used by the Maguindanao, Maranao, Sama-Bajau and Tausug people of the Philippines as a supportive instrument in kulintang ensembles. The agung is also ubiquitous among othe ...
Agung
The agung is a set of two wide-rimmed, vertically suspended gongs used by the Maguindanao, Maranao, Sama-Bajau and Tausug people of the Philippines as a supportive instrument in kulintang ensembles. The agung is also ubiquitous among othe ...
Indonesian Muslims
1593 births
Year of birth unknown
Sultan Agung
1645 deaths
17th-century Indonesian people
16th-century Indonesian people