The Baju Rantai (also known as Badjoe-Rante, Baju Besi, Baju Rante, Wadjoe-Rante, and Waju Rante) is a type of armor from Nusantara archipelago (Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Philippines).
The Baju Rantai (also known as Badjoe-Rante, Baju Besi, Baju Rante, Wadjoe-Rante, and Waju Rante) is a type of armor from Nusantara archipelago (Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Philippines).
The name originates from old Javanese words, baju comes from waju meaning jacket, clothing or apparel, [1] : 2174 meanwhile rantai comes from rante, rantay, or ranti which mean chain, string, or wreath. [1] : 1504
The Baju Rantai is a chain armor that is worked in the form of a shirt. It consists of small iron rings. It has no collar and sleeves that reach about to the elbow. The lower end is approximately at the height of the thighs. It is used by various ethnic groups in Indonesia. [2]
One of the earliest mention of Baju Rantai is in KidungPanji Wijayakrama-Rangga Lawe, a javanese kidung text that tells about the rebellion of Rangga Lawe against Majapahit in 1295 A.D.. The name in the text is waju rante, which means apparel consisting of iron chains. Zoetmulder noted the use of special apparel for soldiers: In his research about old Javanese he found a troops called bala winaju gangsa ranti, [3] : 1370 which means soldier dressed with gangsaranti. Gangsa (from sanskrit: kangśa) refers to a kind of copper and lead alloy, [3] : 275 while ranti means chain. [3] : 919
The Hikayat Banjar noted the Bhayangkara equipments in the Majapahit palace, which includes:
Maka kaluar dangan parhiasannya orang barbaju-rantai ampat puluh sarta padangnya barkupiah taranggos sakhlat merah, orang mambawa astenggar ampat puluh, orang mambawa parisai sarta padangnya ampat puluh, orang mambawa dadap sarta sodoknya sapuluh, orang mambawa panah sarta anaknya sapuluh, yang mambawa tumbak parampukan barsulam amas ampat puluh, yang mambawa tameng Bali bartulis air mas ampat puluh.
So came out with their ornaments men with chain mail numbered forty alongside their swords and red kopiah [skull cap], men carrying astengger [ arquebus] numbered forty, men carrying shield and swords numbered forty, men carrying dadap [a type of shield] [lower-roman 1] and sodok [broad-bladed spear-like weapon] [lower-roman 2] numbered ten, men carrying bows and arrows numbered ten, (men) who carried parampukan spears [lower-roman 3] embroidered with gold numbered forty, (men) who carried Balinese shields with golden water engraving numbered forty.
— Hikayat Banjar, 6.3 [9] : Line 1209–1214 [10] : 204–205
Two related ethnic communities of South Sulawesi, the Bugis and Makassarese, also adopted chain mail armor which they call as waju rante or waju ronte. The armor is made by string of iron rings tied together, which makes it similar to knitwork. [11] : 39 The Bugis and Makassarese soldiers were known for using chain mail and muskets which they made themselves. [12] : 431
Majapahit, also known as Wilwatikta, was a Javanese Hindu-Buddhist thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia that was based on the island of Java. It existed from 1293 to circa 1527 and reached its peak of glory during the era of Hayam Wuruk, whose reign from 1350 to 1389 was marked by conquests that extended throughout Southeast Asia. His achievement is also credited to his prime minister, Gajah Mada. According to the Nagarakretagama written in 1365, Majapahit was an empire of 98 tributaries, stretching from Sumatra to New Guinea; consisting of present-day Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, southern Thailand, Timor Leste, southwestern Philippines although the scope of Majapahit sphere of influence is still the subject of debate among historians. The nature of Majapahit relations and influences upon its overseas vassals, and also its status as an empire are still provoking discussions.
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Petrus Josephus Zoetmulder S.J. was a Dutch expert in the Old Javanese language. He came from Utrecht and was associated with the Society of Jesus by 1925. He worked at Leiden University in the 1930s. His first work appeared in 1930 and he continued to write into the 1990s. He lived in Yogyakarta and was interred in the Jesuit necropolis at Muntilan, Java.
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