the last Indianized kingdom in Indonesia; based in eastern
Java, it existed between the 13th and 16th centuries. The founder of the empire was
Vijaya, a prince of Singhasari,
who escaped when Jayakatwang, the ruler of Kadiri, seized the palace. In 1292
Mongol troops came to Java to avenge an insult to the emperor of China, Kublai Khan, by
Kertanagara, the king of Singhasari, who had been replaced by Jayakatwang. Vijaya
collaborated with Mongol troops in defeating Jayakatwang; Vijaya then turned against the
Mongols and expelled them from Java.Under his rule the new kingdom, Majapahit,
successfully controlled Bali, Madura, Malayu, and Tanjungpura. The power of Majapahit
reached its height in the mid-14th century under the leadership of King Hayam Wuruk and
his prime minister, Gajah Mada. Some scholars have argued that the territories of
Majapahit covered present-day Indonesia and part of Malaysia, but others maintain that its
territory was confined to eastern Java and Bali. Nonetheless, Majapahit became a
significant power in the region, maintaining regular relations with China, Champa,
Cambodia, Annam, and Siam (Thailand). The golden era of Majapahit was short-lived; the
empire began to decline after the death of Gajah Mada in 1364, and it was further weakened
after the death of Hayam Wuruk in 1389. The spread of Islam and the rise of the Islamic
states along the northern coast of Java eventually brought the Majapahit era to an end in
the late 15th or early 16th century. |
