Sejarah Banten ("History of Banten") is a Javanese chronicle containing stories of conversion to Islam in Indonesia. The manuscripts of the chronicle date from the late 19th century, although two are known to be copies written from the originals in the 1730s and 1740s.
Due to the scarcity and limitations of primary historical records, Sejarah Banten, is one of a number of accounts of Indonesian legends that scholars use to help illuminate aspects of the spread of Islam in Indonesia, the dominant religion in the Indonesian archipelago since the sixteenth century. Similar to the Babad Tanah Jawi ("History of the Land of Java"), Sejarah Banten, there are magical events, however, conversions are not specifically described nor is there emphasis on formal and tangible conversion rituals such as The Confession of Faith and circumcision.
According to the Sejarah Banten, a foreign holy man, Molana Usalam comes to Blambangan in the Eastern Salient of Java where Islam was not established until the eighteenth century. The daughter of Balambangan's ruler is critically ill, but recovers when Molana Usalam gives her betel nut to chew. She is given to Molana Usalam in marriage but Molana Usalam declines the offer when the princess refuses to adopt his religion of Islam. Moalana Usalam leaves the pregnant princess when he departs Balambangan. Her son is subsequently thrown into the sea in a chest, similar to the story of Moses as found in the Bible and sura XX of the Qur'an . The chest was pulled out of the sea at Gresik and the boy is raised as a Muslim. He becomes the first Sunan of Giri.
Banten is the westernmost province on the island of Java, Indonesia. Its capital city is Serang and its largest city is in Tangerang. The province borders West Java and the Special Capital Region of Jakarta on the east, the Java Sea on the north, the Indian Ocean on the south, and the Sunda Strait on the west and shares a maritime border with Bengkulu and Lampung to the east and Bangka Belitung Islands to the north. The province covers an area of 9,662.82 km2 (3,730.84 sq mi). It had a population of over 11.9 million in the 2020 census, up from about 10.6 million in 2010. The estimated mid-2022 population was 12.25 million. Formerly part of the province of West Java, Banten become a province in 2000. The northern half has recently experienced rapid rises in population and urbanization, and the southern half has a more traditional character but an equally fast-rising population.
The Sultanate of Mataram was the last major independent Javanese kingdom on the island of Java before it was colonised by the Dutch. It was the dominant political force radiating from the interior of Central Java from the late 16th century until the beginning of the 18th century.
Amangkurat II was the susuhunan of the Sultanate of Mataram from 1677 to 1703. Prior to taking the throne, he was the crown prince and had the title Pangeran Adipati Anom.
The Wali Songo are revered saints of Islam in Indonesia, especially on the island of Java, because of their historic role in the spread of Islam in Indonesia. The word wali is Arabic for "trusted one" or "friend of God", while the word sanga is Javanese for the number nine.
Malik Ibrahim, also known as Sunan Gresik or Kakek Bantal, was the first of the Wali Songo, the nine men generally thought to have introduced Islam to Java.
Sunan Kalijaga was one of the "nine saints" of Javanese Islam. The "Kalijaga" title was derived from an orchard known as "Kalijaga" in Cirebon. Other accounts suggest the name derives from his hobby of submerging himself in Kali. Others note that the name Kalijaga derived its nature from the Arabic notion of qadli dzaqa which means "holy leader" in the sultanate.
The history of the arrival of Islam in Indonesia is somewhat unclear. One theory states that Islam arrived directly from Arabia as early as the 9th century, during the time of the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates. Another theory credits Sufi travelers for bringing Islam in the 12th or 13th century, either from Gujarat in India or from Persia. Before the archipelago's conversion to Islam, the predominant religions in Indonesia were Hinduism and Buddhism.
The Sultanate of Cirebon was an Islamic sultanate in West Java founded in the 15th century. It is said to have been founded by Sunan Gunungjati, as marked by his letter proclaiming Cirebon's independence from Pajajaran in 1482, although the settlement and the polity had been established earlier, in 1445. Sunan Gunungjati also established the Sultanate of Banten. It was one of the earliest Islamic states established in Java, along with the Sultanate of Demak.
Babad Tanah Jawi, is a generic title for many manuscripts written in the Javanese language. Their arrangements and details vary, and no copies of any of the manuscripts are older than the 18th century.
Sunan Bayat is often mentioned in the Javanese manuscripts of the Babad Tanah Jawi as a Wali Sanga, although the chronicles do not generally consider Bayat as one of the main wali. The Wali Sanga are associated with establishing Islam as the dominant religion amongst the Javanese, the largest ethnic group in Indonesia.
Sunan Muria is, according to the Babad Tanah Jawi manuscripts, one of the Wali Sanga involved in propagating Islam in Indonesia.
Sunan Sitijenar is, according to the Babad Tanah Jawi manuscripts, one of the Wali Sanga to whom Indonesian legend attributes the propagation of Islam among the Javanese, Indonesia's largest ethnic group.
Kalinyamat Sultanate or Kalinyamat Kingdom, was a 16th-century Javanese Islamic polity in the northern part of the island of Java, centred in modern-day Jepara, Central Java, Indonesia.
Sumedang Larang is an Islamic Kingdom based in Sumedang, West Java. Its territory consisted of the Parahyangan region, before becoming a vassal state under the Mataram Sultanate.
Raden Patah, also known as Jin Bun was the first sultan of the Demak Sultanate. Ascending to the throne in 1475, his remained a vassal of the Majapahit Empire until 1478. Raden Patah took the title Panembahan Jimbun after legitimizing the Sultanate of Demak as the successor state to the Majapahit Empire, with Wali Sanga appointing him as the Sultan of Demak.
King Siliwangi or Prabu Siliwangi was a semi-legendary great king of the Hindu Sunda kingdom prior to the coming of Islam in West Java.
Prabhu Natha Girindrawardhana Dyah Ranawijaya was the ruler of the Majapahit Empire between 1474 and 1498. He is referred in a Jiyu inscription as Sri Wilwatikta Jenggala Kediri, which means ruler of Majapahit, Janggala and Kediri, and as Pa Bu Ta La in Chinese literature.
Giri Kedaton was an Islamic kedatuan located in Gresik, East Java and existed in the 15th to 17th centuries, until Giri was conquered by the Mataram Sultanate in 1636.
Cornelis Poortman otherwise known as resident Poortman was a colonial Dutch official in the Dutch East Indies. The existence of this figure in history still controversial.
Trenggana (1521–1546), also called "Trenggono", was the third Sultan of Demak after he succeeded Pati Unus.
