Javanese Wars of Succession

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The Javanese Wars of Succession were three military confrontations between the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and the Mataram Sultanate on central Java between 1703 and 1755. The hereditary succession in Maratam was at stake, prompting the VOC to field its own candidates in an attempt to gain more influence in central and eastern Java. At the end of the Javanese Wars of Succession, Mataram was carved into three weak Vorstenlanden ("Princely Lands"), independent in name only, as a consequence of the divide and rule policy of the VOC.

Contents

Overview

The Trunajaya rebellion (1674–1681) lay the seed for the Javanese Wars of Succession. During this uprising, sultan Amangkurat I of Mataram died in 1677, causing a war of succession to break out between his sons Rahmat (Amangkurat II) and Puger (Pakubuwono I). Puger surrendered in 1681 and recognised his brother as the rightful sultan, but when the latter died in 1703, he disputed his brother's succession by his son Amangkurat III, which led to the First Javanese War of Succession.

The three Javanese Wars of Succession were:

In the aftermath of this divide and rule policy on Java, one further partition of Yogyakarta occurred in 1812, increasing the number of Vorstenlanden to four. [3]

Indonesian nationalism

The most prominent leaders on the Javanese side (Untung Surapati, Hamengkubuwono I) were later elevated to national Indonesian heroes in the 19th and 20th century, preceding the independence struggle of the Republic of Indonesia proclaimed in 1945.

Literature

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Mataram Sultanate

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Vorstenlanden

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Amangkurat II of Mataram Sultan of Mataram, 1677–1703

Amangkurat II was the Susuhunan of Mataram from 1677 to 1703. Prior to taking the throne, he was the crown prince and had the title Pangeran Adipati Anom.

Treaty of Giyanti

The Treaty of Giyanti was signed and ratified on February 13, 1755 in Giyanti between Prince Mangkubumi, the Dutch East India Company, and Sunan Pakubuwono III along with his allies. The accord officially divided the Sultanate of Mataram between Mangkubumi and Pakubuwono. The name Giyanti was taken from the location of the signing of the agreement, namely in Giyanti Village which is now located in Hamlet Kerten, Jantiharjo Village, southeast of Karanganyar, Central Java.

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The First Javanese War of Succession was a struggle between Sultan Amangkurat III of Mataram and the Dutch East India Company who supported the claim of the Sultan's uncle, Pangeran Puger to the throne.

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Pakubuwono I, uncle of Amangkurat III of Mataram was a combatant for the succession of the Mataram dynasty, in the First Javanese War of Succession.

Amangkurat III was a short-lived ruler of Sultan of Mataram, reigned 1703-1705.

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The Fall of Plered was the capture of the capital of the Mataram Sultanate by the rebel forces loyal to Trunajaya in late June 1677. The attack on Plered followed a series of rebel victory, notably in the Battle of Gegodog and the fall of most of Mataram's northern coast. The aged and sick King Amangkurat I and his sons offered an ineffective defense, and the rebel overran the capital on or around 28 June. The capital was plundered and its wealth taken to the rebel capital in Kediri. The loss of the capital led to the collapse of the Mataram government and the flight of the royal family. The king fled with his son the crown prince and a small retinue to Tegal and died there, passing the kingship to the crown prince, now titled Amangkurat II, without any army or treasury.

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After his victory at the Battle of Gegodog in northeast Java, the Madurese rebel leader Trunajaya proceeded westwards to conquer Mataram Sultanate's remaining towns on the north coast of Java. By January 1677, nearly all coastal towns from Surabaya to Cirebon were taken.

1678 Kediri campaign Military campaign in which Mataram and VOC forces took Kediri from Trunajaya

The 1678 Kediri campaign took place from August to December 1678 in Kediri during the Trunajaya rebellion. The forces of the Mataram Sultanate, led by Amangkurat II, and the Dutch East India Company (VOC), led by Anthonio Hurdt, marched inland into eastern Java against Trunajaya's forces. After a series of marches beset by logistical difficulties and harassment by Trunajaya's forces, the Mataram–VOC army crossed the Brantas River on the night of 16–17 November. They then marched on Trunajaya's capital and stronghold at Kediri and took it by direct assault on 25 November. Kediri was plundered by the Dutch and Javanese victors, and the Mataram treasury—captured by Trunajaya after his victory at Plered—was completely lost in the looting. Trunajaya himself fled Kediri and continued his greatly weakened rebellion until his capture at the end of 1679.

Hermanus Johannes de Graaf was a Dutch historian specialising in the history of Java, Indonesia's most populous island. Trained as historian at Leiden University, he moved to Batavia to take a government job, and later became a teacher for various schools in Indonesia. At the same time, he pursued his interest in the history of Indonesia and published books and articles on the topic. After a brief assignment at the University of Indonesia, he returned to the Netherlands. He taught at various institutions, including Leiden, until 1967 and continued to publish scholarly works, even after his retirement. He suffered a serious stroke in 1982 and died two years later.

The Third Javanese War of Succession was an armed conflict that raged from 1749 to 1757 on the island Java. It led to the partition of the Mataram Sultanate into two, and later three, nominally independent 'Princely States': Surakarta, Yogyakarta and Mangkunegara.

References

  1. Terpstra, Heert (1944). Buitenlandse getuigen van onze koloniale expansie (in Dutch). P. N. van Kampen & zoon n. v. p. 165. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  2. Gaastra, F. S. (1991). De geschiedenis van de VOC (in Dutch). Walburg Pers. p. 62. ISBN   9789057300387 . Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  3. Encarta-encyclopedie Winkler Prins (1993–2002) s.v. "Vorstenlanden". Microsoft Corporation/Het Spectrum.