Against Portuguese Strongholds in Malay Peninsula and Spice Islands

When the Majapahit Kingdom was dwindling, an emerging new Islamic Sultanate in Demak, then a small harbor on the northern coast of Central Java, replaced Majapahit’s declining role as the dominant ruler in the archipelago. The new kingdom was founded in 1500 by Raden Patah, a noble descendant of Majapahit ruling kings, who ruled until his death in 1518.

Just about the falling of Majapahit Kingdom, the Islamic religion flourished and spread throughout Java, especially under the role and influence of Nine Guardians who lived on the northern coast of Java in about 200 years from the end of 14^th to mid of 16^th century. Those Guardians were Sunan Gresik, Sunan Ampel, Sunan Giri, Sunan Drajat, and Sunan Bonang in East Java, Sunan Kalijaga, Sunan Kudus, Sunan Muria in Central Java and Sunan Gunung Jati in West Java. Some sheiks and Islamic preachers also coming from the Middle East supported the Islam dissemination throughout Java and beyond.

During Raden Patah’s reign, the Portuguese armada started to invade and occupy the Malay Peninsula in 1511 and worried him so much as that could obstruct Demak’s influence over the archipelago, especially on the main route of spice trading from the Moluccas. In 1512 the Portuguese were able to take control of Spice Islands of Moluccas.

To win the competition between the Aceh Sultanate and the Portuguese in controlling trade routes in Malacca Strait, Acehnese under the leadership of Sultan Ali Mughayat Syah and Sultan Iskandar Muda attempted to get rid of the Portuguese by equipping their merchant ships with soldiers and weapons. Besides, Acehnese cooperated with the Demak and asked for Turkey, England, Goa, and Gujarat to supply them with arms and munitions.

But when Portuguese subdued Samudera Pasai, the Islamic Sultanate at the northern coast of Sumatera in the following year, Raden Patah dispatched a small armada attacking Portuguese stronghold in Johor, Malay Peninsula but easily defeated by the Portuguese. However, Raden Patah’s determination to drive out the Portuguese failed. He asked Gowa Sultan in Sulawesi for help and ordering 375 warships, the most significant fleet ever built up to that time. However, the Sultan died in 1518, before the dream came true, succeeded by Patih Unus, the son of his close acquaintance, Khaliqul Idrus, Syekh from the Middle East, who became his son-in-law.

Pati Unus was proud of his father’s grand strategy, and once the fleet was ready, he established a grand allied armada with those of Demak, Banten and Cirebon sultanates. In 1521, with the blessing of Guardians chaired by Sunan Gunung Jati from Cirebon, he declared himself as the admiral of the whole allied armada heading to Portuguese bastion in Johor. When Patih Unus’ soldiers were just about to disembark, the Portuguese fleet concentrated on attacking Patih Unus’ commanding ship and fatally sinking the ship altogether with Patih Unus and all his crew. Notwithstanding, under the new admiral, Fadhlullah Khan, popularly known as Fatahillah, the allied armada continued to attack the Portuguese position. The battle, which caused heavy losses on both sides, lasted for three days before the Portuguese’ big cannons drove the attackers back to Java.

Pati Unus was succeeded by Sultan Trenggana (1521-1546) as the third Sultan from Demak. Some people living on the north coast of Java tacitly greeted the failure of Patih Unus, among others that led by Duke Wira of Tuban Regency, who did clandestinely trade with the Portuguese. Sultan Trenggana was determined to suppress such disobedience and extend his influence throughout Java. To the east, he successfully conquered the whole area except Pasuruan and Blambangan. Then he sent a naval expedition to the west commanded by Fatahillah. On June 22, 1527, the armada attacked and occupied Sunda Kelapa, then under the jurisdiction of Pajajaran, the remaining Hindu Kingdom in West Java. [Jakarta Metropolitan City commemorated the day of the conquer of Sunda Kelapa as its birthday].

Meanwhile, in the Moluccas, people of Ternate Sultanate welcomed the arrival of Portuguese led by Antonio de Abreau in Ternate in 1512. The kingdom was one of the oldest Islamic Sultanates in the archipelago.  Kolano Marhum (1465-1486), the 18th Sultan who first embraced Islam with all of his entourage, established the Sultanate. Sultan Bayanull, who reigned from 1500 to 1521, allowed Portuguese to develop a trading post in Ternate. Apart from expecting to get a fortune from the spice trading, the Sultan also asked the Portuguese to help to defeat Tidore, their great rival in the spice trade in the region.

Gradually, the Portuguese imposed to monopolize the trading and mingle in government affairs. Being unhappy with Portuguese interference, under Sultan Hairun (1534-1570), Ternate people rose and launched a war against Portuguese, which happened to be simultaneous with the attacks launched by Aceh and Demak in Malacca. Being in an awkward position, Lopez de Mesquita, then the Portuguese Governor of Moluccas, set up an ambush inviting Sultan Hairun to have a peace talk in their Sao Paulo fortress wherein the naive Sultan was arrested and killed. This dirty treachery united the angry people, and under the leadership of Sultan Baabullah (1570-1583), the successor of the Sultanate, they fiercely attacked Portuguese and drove them out of Moluccas in 1575, and for good.

Since then, Sultan Baabullah managed to bring Ternate Sultanate to its peak and becoming the most influential Islamic empire in the area. Their territory was vast. It extended from North to Central and East Sulawesi in the west to the Marshall Islands in the east from the southern Philippines in the north to the Kai Islands and Nusa Tenggara in the south. Sultan Baabullah dubbed the “Ruler of 72 Islands,” divided the Sultanate Jurisdiction into regions, and each was under a Deputy Sultan called Sangaji.

The fate of Portuguese in the archipelago was determined, and their grip was fading away. And suddenly, in one day of 1592, a big ship under the command of Cornelius de Houtman, with VOC flag fluttering over its main mast, anchored silently at the port of Banten. It marked the beginning of Dutch colonization, which took place gradually expanding their grip throughout the archipelago. In January 1641, the Dutch defeated Portuguese in Malacca, putting an end to their existence throughout the archipelago and the surroundings.

Could Beijing Prove Their Historical Exclusive Exercise Control Over SCS?

The long-awaited international tribunal verdict declaring that the Chinese Nine-Dash Line had no legal basis came with no surprise. July 12, 2016, judgment was just a simple ‘translation’ of the text written in UNCLOS 1982. What was new was its declaration on the fact that there was no evidence that China had historically exercised exclusive control over SCS.

It was no surprise either that China rejected the whole verdict and declared it as null and void. They claimed that the Nine-Dash Line was nothing to do with maritime delimitation but the territorial sovereignty issue. The court has, therefore, no authority to put a hand on the SCS dispute. They considered that the matter should be resolved among the different nations and thus will handle it and do business as usual.

Already the United States, Japan, and Australia openly demanded China to observe the Tribunal Verdict. The European Union (EU) plan to do the same soon, but none from ASEAN countries that had a direct interest in the SCS will follow suit.  Sadly, not even a single word of sympathy uttered towards their college Philippine who won the case. Furiously China warned any country that criticized challenging Chinese attitude for not turning the SCS into a war arena.

Just a few days after the verdict, China announced they were planning to close off a part of the South China Sea for military exercises for a couple of days. China can do what they want to. But instead of showing forces, at least China should clarify to the international community who waited for China to challenge the Tribunal Verdict. China must show that they have substantial evidence on historical exercise exclusive control over SCS indeed. The international community wanted to know the detailed proofs on when, where, and which China armada that had ruled the SCS waves.

The history, however, recorded only three famous Chinese maritime military expeditions. The first and second expeditions were to the North towards Japan, which both failed because of naval disaster as the whole armadas were wiped out by ‘kamikaze’ typhoon (1274 and 1281 AD). The third expedition was to the South purposely to invade Java in 1292 AD. The journey failed as the Javanese exercised their tactical trick of burning nearly the whole armadas behind the Chinese Army, who had landed and trapped in the middle of the unfamiliar rain forest. The site then became the capital of Majapahit, one of the biggest Indonesia ancient empires.

As far as Natuna EEZ’s concern, the Tribunal Verdict doesn’t have much effect on Indonesia’s determination to exercise its control over Natuna EEZ. It strengthens Indonesia’s EEZ status, but with or without the verdict, Indonesia’s position already firmed that there never exists a maritime overlapping with China in Natuna EEZ. And if they think otherwise, it is not Indonesian concerned at all.

For Indonesia having a good relationship with China is strategically important both economically and politically. However, none of Indonesia people ever think that even a bit of Indonesian territorial, as well as its EEZ, is for sale. Indonesia is a peaceful country and doesn’t have any appetite to expand its territory and consider its neighboring countries to have the same attitude. Notwithstanding, Indonesia should now be more prudent towards specific campaigns such as the mystification of a legendary foreign maritime figure, the proposal to jointly building the 21st-century maritime silk road, the increasing number of illegal foreign work-forces in various significant projects. The government should seriously handle the revival movement of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), whatever weak it is, such as the circulation of their banners, etc.

Seize China Fishing Boat in Natuna EEZ, No Compromise About It

Indonesia has long settled the boundary around Natuna EEZ by UNCLOS with its neighboring countries. The border is now there firmly set up and recognized internationally except China. Indonesia regards China’s unilateral claim on the part of Natuna EEZ as their fishing ground is baseless. For Indonesia, holding negotiations with any country that tries to challenge its EEZ  is useless.

China has a dual system in running their country. In dealing with government affairs, it’s Communist Party who takes charge while in business; the party allows the government to adopt liberalism. The Communist Party knows that its Nine Dash-lines product will confront the ASEAN countries’ interest in the South China Sea (SCS). At the same time, they are willing to keep the business relationship with ASEAN countries intact.

China doesn’t seem confident in what they do in Natuna water. They are always escorting their fishing boats with their coastguards, the funniest thing that a country has ever done. It precisely what happened related to incidents taking in Natuna EEZ. The last incident occurred on June 18, 2016, when the Navy’s KRI Imam Bonjol 383 chased twelve Chinese fishing vessels a firing towards one of them (Yueyandong Yu 19038) after giving several warnings in concordance with the standard procedure. The warship commander stood firm and ignored the Chinese coastguards that tried to interfere with the vessel seizing.

The maneuver of so many China fishing boats could be suspected to test the water rather than solely catching the fish. Having faced such a situation, Indonesia must show its stern position to the world that Indonesia would never back off no matter the provocation comes. For Indonesia, the integrity of its EEZ is a matter of principle and will defend it at all cost.

Indonesia should be very cautious towards the sincerity of China’s statement on its recognition on the Natuna Islands as an integral part of Indonesia’s territory. It is now clear that China recognizes only the islands but not their surrounding water. The issue becomes more dangerous as China had issued a position paper in December 2014 that the dispute in SCS was a matter of sovereignty, not exploitation rights. Does China have a hidden agenda that sometime in the future they will claim the Dash-lines crossing Natuna EEZ as the delimitation of their sovereignty?

Being aware of China’s aggressiveness in imposing its claim, Indonesia could no longer maintain its neutral position. Indonesia should not behave like an ostrich and being selfish, ignoring their fellows ASEAN desperately confronting head-to-head with China in SCS. ASEAN should stand united against China, and as the most prominent nation among the community, Indonesia should stand in front.

One example of the embarrassing diplomatic move was what happened in ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Kunming, China, on June 14, 2016. It was sad to see that ASEAN broke apart, letting China take the leading role pressuring ASEAN countries to adopt Beijing’s stance in SCS. China has been keeping eyes on the gas-rich area in SCS and possibly in Natuna water as well. They could extend their claim on the right to exploit marine resources in the Natuna sea to the right to use the continental shelf beneath. This suspicion is logical if we look to what they did to build an oil platform in Vietnam offshore in 2014, which they claimed as theirs.

China claimed that the Nine Dash-Lines was a marine empire boundary established in the era of the Ming Dynasty around the 12^th century. Historically, we are doubtful that China ever ruled the waves imposing their power even on SCS. China was never becoming a naval country, and also, if they were so, it should occur in a brief period. Indonesia, on the other hand, was a maritime nation for a long time. In the era of Sriwijaya in the 8^th century and Majapahit in the 14^th century, the Royal Navy conquered what is now known as the Indonesian archipelago, Malaysia included.  Gajah Mada, one of the great Majapahit warlords,  sent big expeditions far west to Madagascar  (the island bears his name). Some in smaller groups had sailed up north as far as Taiwan and Japan. The people in Sulawesi and the eastern part of Indonesia had traditionally sailed off to the east across the Pacific Ocean, reaching as far as New Zealand in the south, Hawaii and Eastern Islands in the remote east. The vast area was known as the world of Tagaroa, the name of their common marine god.

The wooden boat generation, known as Phinisi, which was used by Indonesian ancestors, still survives until today, going around across the archipelago. Several expeditions have taken place using the replica of the ancient wooden boats heading to Madagascar and just recently to Japan, proving that such journeys were not only historical tales. Indonesia has more justification than what China did in claiming its maritime empire. Indonesia could include a much wider area by drawing Nine Thousand Dash-Lines covering those historical marine areas, including SCS. However, Indonesia was not that crazy to seriously pose such a notorious claim.

Before the Rooster Crows in 1963

On December 19, 1961, after diplomatic solutions came to a deadlock, Soekarno ordered under entitled of Trikora to seize Irian Barat (West Papua). He fiercely delivered a speech announcing that before the rooster crowed in 1963, the West Papua should become part of Great Indonesia.

Soekarno was very proud of Indonesian history in which the then Nusantara covering the areas from Lemuri in Aceh, the western part of Indonesia, to today’s known as Papua was united by Gajah Mada, the Grand Field Commander of Majapahit under his oath of “Palapa.”

We can trace back the diplomatic efforts for Indonesia to get back West Papua to the moment when Dutch Colonial recognized the sovereignty of Indonesia on December 27, 1949. All the former colonized areas became parts of Indonesia but West Papua. The Dutch considered that the region still became one of the provinces of the Netherlands.

Indonesia, on the other hand, claimed that West Papua historically had been part of Great Indonesia (Nusantara). In 1950, the UN stipulated that West Papua had the right to get their independence in concordance with the article 73e of the UN Charter. Indonesia rejected the Dutch invitation to settle the dispute to the International Court. On August 17, 1956, Indonesia established the Irian Barat province with Soasiu, Tidore Island, as the capital.

Following his Tritura Command, Soekarno established Mandala Military Operation and appointed General Soeharto to lead the whole operation. The target was to destroy the Dutch Navy Base in Biak and to submerge the aircraft carrier Karl Doorman.

General Soeharto launched air infiltration dropping troops deep into the West Papua jungle, thanks to Hercules air carriers funded by the US. A famous battle that took place in Aru Sea foiled the troop infiltration by the sea where one leading motor torpedo boat (MTB) was destroyed and submerged together with Commodore Yos Sudarso, who hierarchically was not supposed to command such a mission.

The Navy prepared the army operation, the biggest of its kind in Indonesian history. The massive military war machines from the Soviet Union consisting of more than a hundred battleships, thousands of heavy artilleries including around 300 tanks, and 16,000 personnel were ready to launch a big battle. The destroyer KRI Irian, the biggest in its class, was the mainstay of the marine operation.

The Air Force strengthened the operation by deploying squadrons of Mig-15, Mig-17, Mig-17 and Mig-21 jet fighters, Ilyushin-28 light bombers, and  25 Tupolev-16 strategic bombers.

Just before Indonesia launched a grand battle to Dutch positions in West Papua, a US spy U-plane took pictures on a large Indonesian military concentration in the Ambon Sea. The day after, the US Government urged the Dutch to negotiate with Indonesia to settle West Papua’s case peacefully.

Being pressured by the US, which didn’t want to see Indonesia to side more deeply with the Soviet Block, on August 15, 1962, Netherlands negotiated the case with Indonesia in UN headquarters, New York.  Australia, which had been the strong proponent of West Papua independence, changed their position apparently under US counsel.

The Dutch finally agreed to hand over the West Papua to United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA), which later on would hand over it to Indonesia. Indonesia assisted by the UN would allow West Papua people to take free choice (Pepera) as whether staying with or separating from Indonesia.

In 1969, the vote as the implementation of Pepera took place witnessed by UN representatives. The result was that West Papua officially incorporated into Indonesia territory.

West Papua then became the 26th province of Indonesia. But at what cost? The foreign debt of Indonesia increased tremendously, deteriorating the people’s welfare. Indonesian people, however, were aware that such was the cost that they should pay to realize their old dream, the Great Indonesia, which now comes true.

The Broken Portrait of Raden Wijaya

In 1293 Raden Wijaya established the Kingdom of Majapahit after he was able to attack and defeat Jayakatwang, the king of Singasari, who took over the power from his father-in-law,  the king Kartanegara.

Pararaton called his full name as Raden Harsawijaya or Raden Wijaya ^a), whereas Nagarakertagama called him Dyah Wijaya.  He issued the Kudadu Inscription to commemorate his entitlement as Nararya Sanggramawijaya ^b)  in 1294, acclaiming that he was the founder of the Majapahit Kingdom. In 1305, Raden Wijaya proclaimed himself, written in Balawi Inscription, as part of the Rajasa Dynasty.

But his exact origin was still a mystery.  It was a great surprise to find that the prominent person such as Raden Wijaya, the founder of the Great Majapahit Empire, didn’t have a clear genealogy-line.

According to Pararaton, Raden Wijaya was the son of Mahisa Cempaka (Narasinghamurti), a prince from Singosari. His grandfather was Mahisa Wonga Teleng, the son of Ken Arok, the founder of the Rajasa Dynasty. On the contrary, Nagarakertagama mentioned that Raden Wijaya was the grandson of Narasinghamurti. His father was Dyah Lembu Tal, the son of Narasinghamurti.

According to Babad Tanah Jawi, the founder of Majapahit was called Jaka Sesuruh, who was the son of Prabu Sri Pamekas from the Pajajaran Kingdom situated in Sunda (West Java). Jaka Sesuruh had a clash against his step-brother Siyung Wanara and was defeated by the latter. Jaka Sesuruh fled to the east and established the Majapahit Kingdom. After being quite powerful, he, in turn, launched a counterattack and destroyed Siyung Wanara.

Pustaka Rayjarajya I Bhumi Nusantara pointed out that he was the son of Rakyan Jayadarma from the Sunda Galuh Kingdom who married Dyah Lembu Tal, the daughter of Mahisa Cempaka, a Singasari prince.

The more recent writer of The Power of Sejarah Indonesia¹ takes the version of Pustaka Rayjarajya I Bhumi Nusantara   supporting that Raden Wijaya was the son of Rakyan Jayadarma, the 26^th king of the Sunda-Galuh Kingdom, and Dyah Lembu Tal or Dyah Singhamurti, the daughter of Singhasari, the grandson of Mahisa Cempaka (in line with Nagarakertagama)

The version that Raden Wijaya was the son of a king Sunda-Galuh is not so outlandish as there had been a very long relationship between Sunda and Java Kingdom in Central Java since the 7^th century and subsequently with East Java since the 10^th century.

The oldest Hindu kingdom in Java first arose in West Java. It was called Tarumanegara established at the upstream of Citarum River in the 4^th century, as recorded in Tugu Inscription. The fading out of Tarumanegara, the first Hindu kingdom in Java established at the upstream of Citarum River in the 4^th century,  was marked by the uprising of Sunda Kingdom, in the east of Tarumanegara, founded by Tarusbawa in 670.

Soon after Galuh, another part of the Tarumanegara Kingdom located near now Ciamis ruled by Wretikandayun, proclaimed its independence from Tarumanegara ^c). Maharani Shima, the queen Kalingga, located near Pekalongan in Central Java, whose daughter Parwati was the wife of Mandiminyak, the son of Wretikandayun, supported the proclamation.

Tarusbawa installed as his successor, his grandson-in-law Sanjaya (Rakyan Jamri), whose mother was the daughter of Mandiminyak and Parwati, the princess of Kalingga. Sanjaya had successfully united Sunda and Galuh to become a big kingdom. Still, when his grandmother Maharani Shima died, he chose to succeed her as the king of Kalingga ^d) instead of Sunda-Galuh.

Sanjaya changed the name Kalingga to Mataram which capital was in Medang Kamulan. Mpu Sindok, the 18^th ruler from the Sanjaya dynasty, removed the Medang kingdom to East Java because the violent eruption of Merapi destroyed most of the Kingdom’s areas.

Since then, the relationships of the Sunda-Galuh kingdom spread out to include the East Java kingdoms. The marriage of Rakyan Jayadarma, the 26^th king of Sunda-Galuh and Dyah Singhamurti (Dyah Lembu Tal?), the princess of Singasari, the far descendant of Rajasa (Ken Arok) ^e) marked the relationships.

When Rakyan Jayadarma was poisoned and killed by his entourage, his wife Dyah Singhamurti, together with his son, Raden Wijaya, left Galuh and came back to Singasari.  Later on, Raden Wijaya founded the vast Empire of Majapahit ^f) after defeated and drove the Kublai-Khan troops out of Java.

Ironically, when Hayam Wuruk, the grandson of Raden Wijaya’s was going to marry Dyah Pitaloka, the daughter of the King of Galuh, the Gajah Mada special troops g) intercepted and killed the Galuh visitor groups, including Dyah Pitaloka in their way to Majapahit.

Notes:

a.The title Raden was not popular in the 13-14^th At that time, the title for the noted person was Dyah, instead of Raden. Raden derived from the combination of Dyah with prefix Ra, so that name of Dyah Wijaya became Ra Dyah or Ra Dyan from which the title Raden emerged. It was also possible that Raden came from the term Rakyan usually used as the noble title in the Sunda-Galuh Kingdom.

b. Nararyawas also the noble title, though Dyah was more frequently used.

c. Tarumanegara then split into two kingdoms, the Sunda Kingdom ruled on the west side of Citarum River and the Galuh Kingdom in the east side.

d. As Sanjaya succeeded the Maharani Shima as the king of Kalingga, he changed the name of the latter to become Mataram which capital was in Medang Kamulan. His far descendant was Mpu Sindok, who moved the kingdom to East Java because of the violent Merapi eruption. Airlangga, the founder of Kahuripan Kingdom, was descendant of Mpu Sindok

e. Another close relationship between the Hindu Kingdom in West Java and East Java was the departure of the family and followers of Kertajaya, the King of Panjalu Kediri, to West Java. The exodus took place after Kertajaya was killed by the troops of Ken Arok, the ruler of Tumapel,  in the fierce battle near Ganter village in 1222. His followers fled and installed in the area north of Galuh and east of Galunggung, which they named under their native land, Panjalu. The indirect evidence of the relationship between Galuh – Galunggung, and Kediri appeared in the Galunggung inscription (circa 1194), which specifically mentioned the name of Kertajaya, the king of a faraway land in Panjalu Kediri, East Java.

f. Raden Wijaya dubbed his Kingdom based on the Maja trees he found in Tarik, the original site of Majapahit. The same kind of trees was growing abundantly in West Java, such as now indicated by the names of Majalengka, Majalaya, and Maja sub-regency in Banten.

g. Gajah Mada, the Majapahit Prime Minister and Commander in Chief, had an obsession with uniting Nusantara under Majapahit Empire. He wanted the Sunda entourage to surrender Dyah Pitaloka as a gesture that Sunda kingdom was under Majapahit domination, apparently without Hayam Wuruk’s consent, which was refused by Galuh visitor groups.

References:

1. Darmawan, J. et al.: “The Power of Sejarah Indonesia,” Indonesia Book Project, Jakarta, 2011”.
2. Purwadi, M. et al.: “Babad Tanah Jawi,” Gelombang Pasang, Yogyakarta, 2005, p. 21-25.
3. Adji, K.B.: ”Ensiklopedi Raja-Raja Jawa,” Araska, Jogjakarta, 2011

Nyoo Lay Wa, the King of Majapahit who never was

The year 1400 Saka or 1478 CE marked the downfall of the Majapahit Kingdom, once a vast empire that had united Nusantara. Indonesian people are familiar and used Majapahit as their icon to memorize the past national glory.

But then came a surprise following the new version raised by M.O. Parlindungan, in his book entitled Tuanku Rao, published in 1964, introducing a new mysterious figure named Nyoo Lay Wa, a Muslim Chinese, into Majapahit ruler’s list.

Parlindungan took the version similar to Babad Tanah Jawi, which stated that it was Raden Patah, who defeated Majapahit. But Parlindungan’s version differs significantly from the others, especially in the episode of the installment of Raden Patah’s kinship ^a) named Nyoo Lay Wa as the ruler of Majapahit, after  Raden Patah defeated his father – the then King of Majapahit.

The report informed that the Majapahit situation became more chaotic as the political elite, and the bureaucrats refused to be governed by a Chinese. Ten years after his installment (1486),  Nyoo Lay Wa was killed in turmoil triggered by the elite discontentment. Raden Patah realized his mistake, and he then picked up his brother-in-law Girindrawardhana (Ranawijaya) to replace Nyoo Lay Wa.

According to Parlindungan, the episode was from old chronicles seized in Chinese Sam Po Kong temple in Semarang by Poortman, a Dutch Resident, in 1928. He further stated that the seized documents were so voluminous that Poortman had to load it in three big carts. Poortman then made five copies of those documents. One of them was in the Rijswijk building in the Netherlands.

The controversy has been widespread and becomes a fiery polemic until recently as Slamet Muljana, a prominent Indonesian historian, believed in the existence of what so-called Poortman documents. He recited the version in his book entitled “The Downfall of Hindu-Java Kingdom and the Raising of Islamic States in Nusantara,”  published in 1968. He further concluded that all Demak Sultans and most of “Wali Songo” were Chinese ^b).

This version is fictitious for several reasons:

1. That Majapahit downfall was the result of Raden Patah’s attack is debatable as the Jiyu and Petak stony inscriptions show otherwise ^c). Those inscriptions indirectly stated that it was Girindrawardana (Ranawijaya) who defeated Majapahit and established a new Kingdom in Daha.
2. The Majapahit Kingdom was demolished and ceased to exist as symbolized by the chronogram  1400, which means “Disappeared and Annihilated Kingdom out of the Ground” ^d). Even if Raden Patah defeated Majapahit, nobody might rule anything as Majapahit was erased from the history and replaced by Wilwatika – Jenggala – Daha – Kingdom. The name of this new kingdom appeared in Jiyu and Petak inscriptions.
3. The claim that Girindrawardana was installed by Raden Patah as the ruler of Majapahit is against Jiyu and Petak inscriptions which stated that Girindrawardana was the ruler of  Wilwatika – Jenggala – Daha  Kingdom, not Majapahit.
4. No chronicles support the Parlindungan – Slamet Mulyono’s version. Parlindungan didn’t try to explain why Poortman seized the Sam Po Kong documents. He argued that the Dutch administration didn’t want to let them open to the public being afraid of troubling the Javanese, which is absurd. If the documents indeed existed, the colonial administration would undoubtedly use them to let the Javanese down.

The Jiyu and Petak stony inscriptions are strong evidence to fix these messy versions. Now, if Nyoo Lay Wa was fictitious, then why someone should make up such a dirty “joke”?

Notes:

a. In this version, Raden Patah was claimed as the son of Barawijaya V with a Chinese concubine. Parlindungan might make use of Raden Patah’s mother blood as the basis of his fictitious episode by introducing a Chinese Muslim figure as the ruler of Majapahit, whom he named Nyoo Lay Wa, the kinship of Raden Patah.

b. The book of Slamet Mulyono was banned by the Attorney General in 1971 but was permitted to publish after the fall of the Suharto’s New Era.

c. The defeat of Majapahit by Ranawijaya was recorded in Jiyu and Perak stony Inscriptions in 1486 at the occasion of awarding Trailokyapuri land to Sri Brahmaraja Ganggadhara as a gesture of appreciation to him for supporting in defeating Majapahit. Ranawijaya died in the last battle launched by the Demak Kingdom in 1527, the time when Daha Kingdom (Wilwatika-Jenggala-Daha) was demolished.

d. Literally translated from Sirna Hilang Kertaning Bumi, the Sangsakala 1400.

References:

1. Atmadja, N W.:”Genealogi Keruntuhan Majapahit,” Pustaka Pelajar, Yogyakarta, 2010, p. 12-15.
2. Hamaminatadipura, RT.:”Babad Karaton Mataram,” Intermedia Paramadina, Semarang, 2006, p. 7-17.

Ending the Controversy of Majapahit Downfall

The 1478 CE, which corresponds to 1400 Saka year marks the downfall of the Majapahit Empire known through the famous chronogram written in Kawi as “sirna ilang kertaning bumi,” encodes 0041.  Everybody agrees with this fact, but when it comes to the question of who attacked Majapahit at that very time, then a significant confusion starts to arise.

There are two versions of this significant milestone for Indonesian history, which make it look unclear. Some people, mostly Javanese, believe in what Babad Tanah Jawi narrated that it was Raden Patah, the Sultan of Demak, who attacked and destroyed Majapahit, then under the ruler of Brawijaya V,  Raden Patah’s father ^a).

Others believe that it was Girindrawardhana Dyah Ranawijaya, the ruler of Daha, who defeated the king Brawijaya V. He did that as the retaliation toward Brawijaya V who toppled down his father the then King of Majapahit Singawikramawardhana in 1468.

Ranawijaya succeeded his father, who died in 1474.  After toppling down Majapahit ^b), he declared himself as the king of Wilwatika (Majapahit), Jenggala, and Kediri, in which Daha was as the capital ^c).

The Jiyu and Perak stony inscriptions made in 1486 (10 years after the downfall) verified the fact that Ranawijaya was the ruler of Wilwatika-Jenggala-Kediri. The signatory of the inscription was Dyah Ranawijaya, entitled Sri Wilwatikta Jenggala Kediri. Furthermore, the inscription declared the donation of Trailokyapuri to Sri Brahmaraja Ganggadhara for his support to topple down Majapahit (Brawijaya V).

This declaration proved that the downfall of Majapahit as the result of Ranawijaya’s attack supported by Sri Brahmaraja. The act of Ranawijaya toppling down Brawijaya V was the climax of so many internal conflicts that occurred among the royal family after the death of Hayam Wuruk in 1389, which gravely deteriorating Majapahit Empire.

The writer of Babad Tanah Jawi had certainly confused on picking up one of the fights against Majapahit as the mark of its downfall. There happened several battles against Majapahit, the one of which was that of 1400 Saka (1478 CE) mentioned previously. The others occurred in 1517 through 1527, this time was launched by Demak against Daha after Daha’s had attempted to collaborate with Portuguese ^d), which would endanger Demak sovereign.

After being defeated in the first two battles, under the command of  Adipati Unus, Demak troops launched the last campaign, which was the fiercest and the bloodiest of all. It was a coup de grace for the Wilwatika-Jenggala-Kediri Kingdom and annihilated the Hindu Kingdom’s existence in Java.

All the riches of Majapahit were seized and brought to Demak. Majapahit people who did not want to subdue under the rule of Demak fled away to the eastern tip of Java and Bali. These episodes were recorded and narrated in the historical note of Pigafetta from Italy and by Tome Pires in his famous Suma Oriental.

It was possible that the authors of Babad Tanah Jawi, who wrote it more than 200 years after the events, had lost the detailed information and confusedly identified the Demak’s attack against Daha, the capital of Wilwatika-Jenggala-Kediri in 1527  with that of Ranawijaya’s attack against Majapahit in 1478.

With all of those pieces of evidence, mainly with the discovery of Jiyu and Perak stony inscriptions long after the publication of Babad Tanah Jawi,  it is time for us to stop once for all the Majapahit downfall’s controversy.

Notes:

a. Slamet Mulyana, a prominent Indonesian historian, put forward the same version. He added that after defeating Brawijaya V Raden Patah installed his Chinese entourage, Nyoo Lay Wa, as the Majapahit ruler, the historical fact that people cannot find in any other records.

b. A precise chronicle told that Demak sent the troops supporting Majapahit to fight against Daha but without success.

c. Daha was the city where Singawikramawardhana moved to after Kertabhumi (Brawijaya V) defeated him.

d. Demak had sent an armada to attack the Portuguese position in Malacca but defeated in 1511.

References:

1. Olthof, W.L.:”Babad Tanah Jawi,” (translated by Sumarsono, H.R.), Narasi, Jakarta, 2011
2. Atmadja, N.B.:”Genealogi Keruntuhan Majapahit,” Pustaka Pelajar, Yogyakarta, 2010
3. Adji, K.B. et al.: “Ensiklopedi Raja-Raja Jawa,” Araska, Yogjakarta, 2011.

Who really was the Champa Princess, the Moslem Wife of Brawijaya V?

Nobody is aware that the historians who studied the downfall of Majapahit in around 1400 Saka year (1478 CE) have committed an unparalleled grave error. The problem originated from the failure on the identification of the Champa Princess, called Anarawati or Dwarawati (Darawati), a Muslim wife of Brawijaya V, the Majapahit King reigning in 1474-1478 CE. The Islamic tomb of the Princess of Champa was in Trowulan, near Mojokerto, the site of Majapahit imperial capital.

In Javanese, people spell Champa Princess as Putri “Cempa.” Most people included the prominent Dutch historians such as Snouck Hurgronje ^a), had all done wrong when they identify the princess as coming from Champa, part of what is now Cambodia-Vietnam. And the Indonesian historians have taken it for granted.

At that time,  the vast majority of Champa people were Buddhist, and barely Muslims lived there, not mentioned Muslim Kings and nobles. A lady who was eligible to be the bride of a mighty King such as that of Majapahit should come from the noble or high society family, which was, in fact, never there until 17th-century ^b).  However, if it was the case, there was not even a single record either in Champa or Majapahit on such an essential cross-border dynastic marriage tying royal families of two different sovereign countries.

The Javanese spelling of “Cempa” is more closely to Jeumpa rather than Champa.  Jeumpa was a coastal region near Samudra Pasai (now Bireun), one of the first Islamic cities in Aceh flourished from the around the 7th century. Stamford Raffles supported his geography interpretation of Cempa ^c) but surprisingly none from Indonesian historians.

Jeumpa, because of its very strategic site located at the northern tip of Sumatra island, had long become an important trading and transit port of ships that would set sail to open sea from China to India, Persia, or Arabic Peninsula and vise-versa.

Together with Barus, Fansur, and Lamuri ^d), Jeumpa has rare commodities such as kafur (mothballs) popularly called Kafur [from] Barus, identical with luxury enjoyed by the nobles people from civilized countries such as Arab, Persian, India, and China. Such a commodity catapulted the region as an integral part of civilization advancement.

Many Acehnese were the descendants of the inter-marriage between those foreign “immigrants” and the locals. During the glories of Pasai, the beauty and intelligence of Jeumpa women became a legend among people in Perlak, Pasai, Malacca, even in Java.

And Putri Cempa, named as Darawati, was one of the beautiful Jeumpa ladies whose Brawijaya V loved to marry. When the King met with the princess who came along with her entourage consisting of Maulana Malik Ibrahim ^e) and the nobles of Pasai, he was speechless because of her beauty.

In Hikayat (Chronicle) Banjar dan Kotawaringin ^f)   that the King of Majapahit ordered his minister to propose Putri Pasai (Jeumpa) bringing ten ships to Pasai carrying dowry [and indeed a lot of guard troupes]. As a leader of the Islamic Sultanate, Sultan Pasai reluctantly accepted the King proposal considering the risk and danger if he refused such a scheme.

Notes:

a. Snouck Hurgronje, being an Islamologist who studied Aceh, certainly knew about Jeumpa close to Samudra [Pasai] as the possible origin of Putri Cempa instead of Champa (Cambodia-Vietnam). Or didn’t he?

b. Champa (Cambodia-Vietnam) during that period (1360-1390) was under Che Bong Nga, known as The Red King, the last and most powerful King of Champa. No records that he was Muslim or related him or his royal families whatsoever with Islam.

c. It was true that Islam started making headway among the Cham people since the 10th century, which intensified after the 1471 invasion. However, only by the 17th century that the Royal families of Cham Lords began to turn to Islam. When the Vietnamese made their final annexation, the majority of the Cham people had converted to Islam.

d. Raffles knew well about Jeumpa and Samudra Pasai, the old flourished trading and transit ports in North Aceh, which he aimed to replace with Singapura (Singapore).

e. Under the reign of the Queen Tribuwanatunggadewi, Majapahit expanded its territory throughout Nusantara (the Archipelago). Adityawarman, his cousin, having the blood of Melayu, was sent to conquer the remaining of Sriwijaya and Melayu kingdoms. Later on, he became “uparaja” (vice King) of Majapahit in Sumatra. The territorial expansion was continued under the reign of Hayam Wuruk to include Lamury in the far West and Wanin in the East. Negarakertagama clearly stated that Samudra (Jeumpa), Lamuri, and Barus were under Majapahit’s jurisdiction.

f. He was the brother-in-law of Darawati, Putri Cempa, and the earliest of the Wali Songo (nine great Islamic preachers). He was born in Samarkand and lived for 13 years in Jeumpa, beginning in 1379. He married with a Jeumpa princess, Darawati’s sister, and had two sons, one of them was Raden Rahmat, then entitled Sunan Ampel. Arriving in Ampel (now Surabaya) in 1404, Maulana engaged in small business, treated sick people in the community, introduced a new technique in agriculture, and accepted lower castes people outcasted by Hinduism.

g. The texts, written in 1663, were also known as the Chronicle of Lambung Mangkurat The detail of the story related to Majapahit was not so accurate. Still, at least the story was in line with Raffles’ version that Princess Champa was from Pasai (Jeumpa), not from the region which is now Cambodia-Vietnam. One may believe in the authenticity of the story as Banjar writers were undoubtedly more objective than the Javanese writers (Babad Tanah Jawi, serat Kandha, and serat Darmogandul) who still had an emotional attachment with Majapahit’s glory.

References:

1. Atmadja N.B.:”Genealogi Keruntuhan Majapahit,” Pustaka Pelajar, Yogyakarta, 2010, p. 7.