beginnings to 1500

8/14/2019 Beginnings to 1500

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Beginnings to 1500: The Old Kingdoms and the Coming ofIslam

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about 100

"Dvipantara" or "Jawa Dwipa" kingdom is reportedby Indian scholars to be in Java and Sumatra.

Prince Aji Saka introduces writing system to Javabased on scripts of southern India.

Hindu kings rule the area around Kutai onKalimantan.

"Langasuka" kingdom founded around Kedah inMalaya.

Help the People of Aceh

about 400

Taruma kingdom flourishes in West Java. In these early days, many new plants wereintroduced into Indonesia, including pepper andteak.
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Hinduism, one of Indonesia's five religions.

Early civilization in Java and Sumatra was heavilyinfluenced by India. Today's cultures in Indonesia,and even the language, still show influences fromthe Sanskrit language and literature.

(The first thousand years or so of thistimeline are not well-documented. Dates are

approximate.)

about 425

Buddhism reaches Sumatra. Records from these days in Indonesia are scarce,but we do know that sophisticated cultures alreadyexisted. The kings and cities of Sumatra and Javaare mentioned in records from China, becauseambassadors were sent there. Arabs and Persiansknew about the area from traders, and even theGreeks and Romans had very distant reports.

Records from inside Indonesia are very few, though,since writing was done on palm leaves and other

materials that did not survive well. Much of ourknowledge comes from stone buildings andinscriptions. By the time we start to get a clearhistory of Java and Sumatra, there are already greatbuildings in stone, fine sculptures, classical musicand dance, much as we know them today.

about 500

Beginning of Srivijaya kingdom near Palembang,in Sumatra.

about 600

Melayu kingdom flourishes around present-dayJambi on Sumatra.

Chinese records from around this time mentionkingdoms at Jambi and Palembang on Sumatra,and three kingdoms on Java, a western kingdomrelated to the Taruma of inscriptions, a centralkingdom called "Kalinga", and an eastern kingdomwith a capital perhaps near Surabaya or Malang.

about 670


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Chinese traveller I Ching visits Palembang,capital of Srivijaya.

Hindu temples built in the high Dieng plateau ofcentral Java.

686

Srivijaya takes the Melayu kingdom at Jambi, andsends an expedition against the kingdoms inJava.

Stone tablets dated 683 and 686 from southernSumatra and Bangka describe the militarycampaigns of Srivijaya against Melayu and Java.They are the oldest known writings in any Malayo-Polynesian language.

about 700

Suwawa kingdom flourishes in North Sulawesi. By now, Srivijaya had also conquered Kedah, on theMalay peninsula.

about 732

Sanjaya founds the Sanjaya line of princes incentral Java.

about 770

Sailendra King Vishnu (or Dharmatunga) beginsbuilding Borobudur.

Beginning of building activity on the plain ofPrambanan.

Buddhism, one of Indonesia's five religions.

782

Sailendra king Vishnu is succeeded by Indra (orSangramadhanamjaya).

about 790

Sailendra kingdom attacks and defeats Chenla

(today Cambodia); rules over Chenla for about 12years.

The Sailendra kings remembered that their

ancestors came from what is now Thailand orCambodia.

about 812

Sailendra king Indra is succeeded bySamaratunga.

about 825


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Borobudur is finished under king Samaratunga.

BorobudurBorobudur is a huge Buddhist monument covering avolcanic hill a few miles between present-dayMagelang and Yogyakarta. It is in levelsrepresenting the stages to enlightenment. The largecentral stupa is empty. The many beautiful reliefsculptures may have been used to educate youngmonks.

about 835

Samaratunga passes away. His young sonBalaputra has the throne taken from him by thefather of his sister's husband, Patapan ofSanjaya, who replaces Buddhism on Java withHinduism.

By this time, Buddhist culture had spread as far eastas Lombok.

about 838

Patapan is succeeded by his son Pikatan (orJatiningrat).

about 850

Pikatan defeats forces of Balaputra, then resignsthe throne to become an ascetic. He issucceeded by Kayuwani.

Balaputra, claimant to the Sailendra throne,escapes to Sumatra and takes power in Srivijaya.

King Warmadewa rules on Bali.

From about this time we have a version of theRamayana epic in the Old Javanese language. Thework is sophisticated, and there were probablymany earlier such works in Old Javanese that havenot survived.

898

Sanjaya King Balitung takes power in centralJava.

Stone tablets of King Balitung are the first mentionof "Mataram" in central Java.

910

Sanjaya King Daksa succeeds Balitung inMataram. He begins building the major Hindutemples at Prambanan.

919


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Sanjaya King Tulodong succeeds Daksa; reignsuntil 921.

924

Sanjaya King Wawa takes throne of Mataram,

rules until 928.

929

Sanjaya King Mpu Sindok takes power. He movesthe court from Mataram to East Java (nearJombang).

A major eruption of Mount Merapi in 928 or 929 mayhave been the reason that the king of Mataram andmany of his subjects moved east.

947

Sri Isana Tunggawijaya, daughter of Mpu Sindok,succeeds Mpu Sindok as ruler in East Java.

about 975

King Udayana of Bali, father of Airlangga, is born.

985

Dharmavamsa becomes king of Mataram. Heconquers Bali and founds a settlement in westernKalimantan.

Dharmavamsa is also remembered for ordering thetranslation of the Mahabharata into Javanese.

990

Dharmavamsa and Mataram send an army

overseas to attack Srivijaya and take Palembang,but fail.

992

King Chulamanivarmadeva of Srivijaya sends anambassador to China to ask for protection againstthe forces of Dharmavamsa from Java.

1006

Srivijaya attacks and destroys the capital ofMataram. The palace is burned, and

Dharmavamsa is killed. Airlangga (then 15 yearsold) escapes the destruction. Several years ofchaos in eastern Java follow.

1017

Rajendra Chola, king of Coromandel in India,attacks Srivijaya.


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1019

Airlangga takes rule in eastern Java, foundsKahuripan kingdom, makes peace with Srivijaya,protects both Hindus and Buddhists. Over severalyears extends his rule over central Java, eastern

Java, and Bali, uniting areas that had fallen intodisunity.

Airlangga is remembered in today's Indonesia as amodel of religious tolerance. He spent his earlyyears living in the forests as an ascetic.

1025

Rajendra Chola of southern India takes Malaypeninsula from Srivijaya for twenty years. Cholaraiders attack Jambi and other areas of Sumatra.

Airlangga extends the power and influence ofKahuripan as Srivijaya is weakened.

Under Airlangga, the ports of the north coast ofJava, especially Surabaya and Tuban, became largeimportant trading centers for the first time. This was

partly due to the weakening of Srivijaya, whichmade trading there unsafe.

Around this time, Tumasik was a small kingdom onthe site of today's Singapore. It may have beeninfluenced by the newcomers from southern India.

Also around this time, the Panai kingdom wasflourishing in the Batak areas of northern Sumatra.

1030

Airlangga marries the daughter of SangramaVijayottungavarman, King of Srivijaya.

1045

Airlangga divides Kahuripan into two kingdoms,Janggala (around today's Malang) and Kediri, for

his two sons, and abdicates to live the life of anascetic. He passes away four years later.

1068

Vira Rajendra, king of Coromandel, conquersKedah from Srivijaya. More Chola raids occur onSumatra.

1117

Kamesvara becomes king of Kediri (until 1130).He marries a princess of Janggala and reunites

the two kingdoms.

1135

King Joyoboyo takes rule in Kediri until 1157. Joyoboyo is remembered for a prophecy thatIndonesia would be ruled by a white race for a longtime, then a yellow race for a short time, then beindependent. His reign was also a golden age of Old


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1275

Kertanegara begins a campaign to unite thevarious kingdoms around Sumatra and Java(whether by alliance or military conquest isdebated).

Historical records tell very different stories aboutKertanegara. Some say that he was a drunkard andlustful; others that he was an ascetic and saint.

1280

A group of Javanese from Kediri, unhappy withKertanegara, settle around Kutai in Kalimantan.

Around this time, the Thai kingdom of Sukhotaibegan to take the parts of the Malay peninsula thathad belonged to Srivijaya.

1281

Muslims from Jambi send an embassy to KublaiKhan.

1284

Kertanegara takes Bali for Singhasari. The lastWarmadewa king of Bali is killed.

1289

Kublai Khan sends messengers to Singhasari todemand tribute; Kertanegara slashes their facesand sends them home.

1290

Kertanegara takes the Melayu kingdom on

Sumatra around Jambi.

Around this time, Kertanegara also took the Sunda

area of western Java, uniting the entire island.

1292

Marco Polo visits Sumatra and Java.

Kublai Khan prepares invasion fleet of 1000 shipsto take Java.

Kertanegara is killed in a court rebellion; his son-in-law Wijaya retreats and founds a new court atMajapahit (today Trowulan), with the help of AryaWiraraja, the local ruler of Madura.

Bali breaks away from Singhasari under thePejeng kings at Ubud.

NovemberMongol fleet leaves for Java; lands atTuban.

Majapahit was one of the few countries of that timeto defeat a Mongol invasion, along with Japan andEgypt. However, the Mongol fleet was hit by atyphoon along the way, and was refused permissionto land in Champa (in today's Vietnam) to take onsupplies. By the time the fleet reached Tuban, thearmy was sickened and weak.

1293


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Wijaya forms alliance with Mongol forces againstthe remainder of Singhasari in Kediri, led byJayakatwang.

March Combined force of Mongol/Chinesesoldiers and Majapahit takes Kediri.

Wijaya returns to Trowulan, then attacks theMongols in a surprise attack. The Mongols retreatand leave Java.

NovemberWijaya is enthroned as kingKertarajasa Jayawardhana of new Majapahit.

Candi Singasari, near today's Malang.

Wijaya being crownedKing Kertarajasa ofMajapahit, in a sculpture from that time.

According to tradition, Vijaya married all fourdaughters of the former king Kertanegara. Somethink that this tradition is actually symbolic, that thefour daughters represent Bali, Madura, Sumatra(Jambi) and Kalimantan, the outlying areasdependent on the kingdom.

1295

Rebellion against King Kertarajasa of Majapahit,led by Rangga Lawe, is put down.

1297

Pasai in Sumatra converts to Islam. Sultan MalekSaleh is the first Muslim ruler in what is nowIndonesia.

1298

Rebellion against Kertarajasa, led by Sora,

breaks out. It lasts for two years before beingsuppressed.

1309

Jayanegara becomes king of Majapahit.

1316


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Rebellion led by Nambi, son of a former chiefminister, is put down by Jayanegara.

Some observers think that the rebellions againstMajapahit were due to the ongoing policy ofexpansion, that Javanese members of the courtdisliked "outsiders" from Sumatra and other areashaving influence.

1319

Rebellion led by Kuti forces Jayanegara to fleethe court for the countryside. An uprising againstKuti allows Jayanegara to return to court.

During the rebellion, Jayanegara was accompaniedby a young leader of his bodyguards, Gajah Mada.Gajah Mada slipped back into the city in disguise,and started a rumor that King Jayanegara had beenkilled. This news was very unpopular among the

public, which told Gajah Mada that Kuti was dislikedand the King should try to retake his throne.

1328

Jayanegara is assassinated, possibly with thehelp of Gajah Mada. Tribhuwana Wijayatungga

Dewi, daughter of Kertarajasa, is titular head until1350.

Tradition says that King Jayanegara had stolen thewife of Gajah Mada. Gajah Mada, now a high-

ranking minister, conspired to have a doctor kill theKing on his sickbed, then turned around and had thedoctor executed for this deed.

Around this time, Odoric of Pordonone, aFranciscan monk from Italy, visited Java, Sumatra,and Kalimantan.

1330

Gajah Madah becomes patih or chief minister ofMajapahit, and rules as regent.

1333

Kingdom of Pajajaran is founded, with its capitalat Pakuan near today's Bogor.

One of the few areas that were not conquered byMajapahit was the Sundanese area of West Java,the Kingdom of Pajajaran. It occasionally paidtribute to Majapahit, but was known for itsindependent behavior.

1334

Hayam Wuruk is born to TribhuwanaWijayatungga Dewi; heir to line of Majapahit.

1343


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Force under Gajah Madah defeats the Pejengking of Bali, Dalem Bedaulu, and takes Bali forMajapahit.

Gajah Madah in a statue from the 1300s.

With Gajah Madah as chief minister, the kingdom ofMajapahit gained control or collected tribute frommost of what is now Indonesia. He is rememberedfor the "Palapa Oath", saying that he would refuse toeat spices in his food (palapa) until all the islandsaround were united under one rule. Today in

Yogyakarta, the university is named for him.

Around this time, traditional chronicles say thatMajapahit collected tribute from "Makassar, Gowa,Banda, Sumbawa, Ende, Timor, Ternate, Sulu,Seram, Manila, and Burni (Brunei?)". Palembangand Bali were also within Majapahit's sphere, butwere more troublesome.

1345

Arab traveller and writer Ibn Battuta visits Pasaion Sumatra.

Ibn Battuta reported that the Muslims he metfollowed the madhhab or legal school of Shafi'i,which is the school followed by almost all Muslim

Indonesians today.

1347

Adityavarman, king of Melayu or Jambi, rulesMinangkabau for Majapahit.

Adityavarman had been kept at the court ofMajapahit as a boy. When he came of age, he ruledover Melayu as a vassal of Majapahit, and extendedthe influence of Majapahit into the Minangkabauareas of Sumatra.

1350

Rajasanegara becomes King of Majapahit.

Majapahit conquers the Islamic kingdoms ofPasai and Aru (later Deli, near Medan) in northernSumatra.

The poet Mpu Tantular of Majapahit, who lived

about this time, is remembered for coining the motto"Bhinneka Tunggal Eka", which is Indonesia'snational motto today. (The meaning is very similar tothe United States' "E Pluribus Unum": "Unity inDiversity".)

1351

Hayam Wuruk asks to marry the daughter of theKing of Pajajaran. The King of Pajajaran agrees,


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and travels to Bubat in eastern Java for theceremonies. At the last minute, Gajah Madainsists that the daughter be handed over as anact of tribute from a dependent king. The King ofPajajaran refuses to submit, violence breaks out,and the entire company from Pajajaran is killed.Pajajaran becomes a dependency of Majapahit

for several years.

1364

Gajah Madah passes away. The manyresponsibilities that he handled are considered tobe too burdensome for one normal person, so hisduties are divided between four new governmentposts.

Hayam Wuruk becomes King of Majapahit.

1377

Majapahit sends a navy against Palembang, aremnant of Srivijaya, and conquers it.

The King of Palembang sent a courier to China,offering his kingdom to the emperor in exchange for

protection. The Emperor of China accepted theoffer, and sent officials in return, but by the time theofficials got to Palembang, it had already beenconquered by Majapahit, and they were executed.

1387

Empu Jamatka founds Banjarmasin.

1389

Hayam Wuruk passes away and is succeeded byWikramawarddhana. Another son of HayamWuruk, Wirabumi, disputes the succession.Beginning of the decline of Majapahit.

1400

Aceh converts to Islam.

1401

War of succession begins in Majapahit, lasting

four years, with the rebellious forces led byWirabumi. The power of Majapahit begins tolessen.

Paramesvara, a prince of Palembang (anddescendant of the Sailendras), is driven fromPalembang to Tumasik (today's Singapore), thenruled by a local chief under the King of Siam.Paramesvara kills the chief and takes Tumasik forhimself.


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Temple complex at Besakih, in Gelgel on Bali:Around this time, the kings of Gelgel began to ruleas "dewa agung", or chief king, in Bali.

Also around this time, Palembang fell under thecontrol of Chinese pirates.

1402

Paramesvara is driven from Tumasik by the Kingof Pahang (or perhaps Patani), acting on behalf ofthe King of Siam. Paramesvara with his followersfounds Melaka on the west coast of Malaya.

1404

Paramesvara sends an embassy to Beijing,receives promise of protection from China.

1405

Chinese Admiral Cheng Ho visits Semarang.

1406

Wirabumi is executed, and his head is brought tothe court of Majapahit. The war of successionends.

1409

Cheng Ho visits Melaka for the first time.

1411

Paramesvara visits Beijing on a state visit.

1414

Paramesvara converts to Islam, and takes thename Iskandar Syah, after marrying the daughterof the Sultan of Pasai. Melaka is now an Islamicsultanate.

Islam, one of Indonesia's five religions.

The Islamic religion had been common amongtraders in Sumatra and Java for some time. TheSinghasari and Majapahit kingdoms probably had afew Muslims involved in their courts. Large-scale


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conversions to Islam began when local kingsadopted the new religion. Aceh and Melaka wereamong the first. Most of Java did not becomeMuslims until the early 1500s.

(Today, over 85% of Indonesians are Muslims.)

See alsoNotes on Islam in Modern Indonesia.

1414

First masjid founded on Ambon island.

1419

Iskandar Syah of Melaka visits China to ask forhelp against Siam.

1424

Iskandar Syah passes away aged 72. His sontakes the title Sri Maharaja, and immediatelytravels to China to seek support.

The son and grandson of Iskandar Syah includedHindu titles in their names; some scholars haveinterpreted this as meaning that Islam was not yetfirmly established in Melaka.

1427

Queen Suhita inherits the Majapahit kingdomfrom Wikramawardhana.

1445

Hindu revolt in Melaka against Islam issuppressed.

Thai attack on Melaka is driven back.

1446

Muzaffar Syah leads a coup in Melaka and takesthe throne.

1447
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Kertawijaya, brother of Suhita, becomes King ofMajapahit. He converts to Islam on the advice ofhis wife, Darawati, a princess of Champa (in whatis now Vietnam).

Sunan Ampel, nephew of Kertawijaya, works to

spread Islam around Surabaya.

Sunan Ampelin a traditional portrait. Sunan Ampelwas the first notable member of the Nine Walis orWalisongo, Islamic teachers who worked to spreadIslam around Java in the late 1400s and early1500s. See also the separate page on theWalisongo.

1451

King Kertawijaya is murdered and replaced byRajasawardhana, who hinders the spread ofIslam in Majapahit.

1456

Thai attack on Melaka by sea is driven back.Melaka's forces are led by Tun Perak.

Bhre Wengker becomes king of Majapahit afterthree years of chaos.

Around this time, Palembang converted to Islam.

1459

Muzaffar Syah of Melaka is succeeded by RajaAbdullah or Mansur Syah.

Mansur Syah of Melaka conquers Kedah andPahang from the Thais. The forces of Melaka areled by Tun Perak. Pahang becomes an Islamicsultanate under Melaka.

1460

Kingdom of Aru (near Deli) on Sumatra becomesindependent.

1466

Suraprabhawa becomes king of Majapahit.

Kyai Demung founds Sumenep on Madura;breaks away from Majapahit control.

1468
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Court rebellion in Majapahit: Bhre Kertabhumidrives Suraprabhawa out of his court at Tumapel.Suraprabhawa moves his seat to Daha, nearKediri.

Around this time, many Hindus from Majapahit leftJava for Bali.

1471

Bugis state of Wajo founded in Sulawesi.

1475

Ternate and Tidore convert to Islam.

1477

Ala'uddin Riayat Syah, son of Mansur Syah,becomes Sultan of Melaka. Tun Perak exercisesgreat power in the Sultanate.

1478

Daha region under Girindrawardhana, a great-grandson of Kertawijaya, revolts. Majapahitkingdom falls into chaos. Bhre Kertabumi, King ofMajapahit at Tumapel, flees to Demak.Girindrawardhana sets himself up as ruler inMajapahit.

Islamic Kingdom of Demak is founded by RadenPatah (or Fattah), a prince of Majapahit (son ofKing Kertawijaya by a Chinese wife). Masjid isfounded at Demak.

Islamic Sultanate founded at Cirebon, formerly apossession of the Pajajaran King Siliwangi.

By the 1490s, the Portuguese had sailed around thesouthern tip of Africa and had landed in India.

1486

Zainal Abidin becomes Sultan of Ternate (until1500).

Court of Majapahit moves to Kediri.

1488

Mahmud becomes Sultan of Melaka.

First mention of Bandung in historical records.

1498

Tun Perak, military leader in Melaka, passesaway.

Sultan Mahmud of Melaka was considered to be aweak ruler. Tun Perak and his successors exercisedthe real power in the Sultanate. The last severalyears of Mahmud's time on the throne were spent in


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