Sultanate of Banten
Encyclopedia
The Sultanate of Banten was founded in the 16th century and centered in Banten
, a port city on the northwest coast of Java
; the contemporary English spelling of both was Bantam. It is said to have been founded by Sunan Gunungjati
, who later went on to found Cirebon
.
Once a great trading center in Southeast Asia
, especially of pepper
, its importance was overshadowed by Batavia, and finally annexed to Dutch East Indies
in 1813. Its core territory now forms the Indonesian province
of Banten
.
. It was known as Banten Girang, meaning “Banten-up-the-river" owing to its location.
In the early 16th century, an ulema
known today as Sunan Gunungjati
settled from Demak
in Banten Girang, then part of the kingdom of Sunda, with the intention of spreading the word of Islam
in this still-Hindu town. Although at first well received by Sunda authorities, after news of the Portuguese-Sunda alliance
became known, Gunungjati nevertheless asked Demak sultanate to send troops to Banten. It was likely his son, Hasanudin
, who commanded this military operation in 1527, just as the Portuguese
fleet was arriving of the coast at Sunda Kelapa
, to capture these towns.
Sunan Gunung Jati had Hasanudin named king of Banten by the Sultan of Demak who, in turn, offered Hasanudin his sister’s hand in marriage. Thus a new dynasty was born at the same time as a new kingdom was created. Banten was the capital of this kingdom, held as a vassal
-state of Demak.
, which had traditionally belonged to the kingdom of Sunda, and from which the bulk of the pepper
sold in the Sundanese region came. He was keen to assure himself of the loyalty of these wealthy areas as soon as possible and to guarantee supplies of pepper for his ports, since it was on this spice that all international trade was based and, hence, in which the wealth of his kingdom lay.
Having established control over the ports and the pepper
trade, Hasanuddin decided to build a new capital, to symbolize the new era which was beginning. On the advice of his father, Sunan Gunungjati
, he choose to construct it on the coast at the mouth of the Cibanten River. That a settlement already existed at this place is evidence by its harbour activities, but at this time the seat of political power was in Banten Girang. The royal city was founded on the delta
, formed by the two arms of the river. Two main streets running north-south and east-west divided the city into quarters. The royal palace surrounded by residences of the principal minister of state, was built on the south side of the royal square and the great mosque
on the west side. Foreigners, for the most part merchants, had to live outside the royal city, that is on either side of the delta.
After some twenty years the new dynasty was so firmly established that Hasanuddin had no hesitation in leaving the kingdom in 1546 to take part in a military expedition against Pasuruan in eastern Java
, at the request of Sultan Trenggana, third sultan of Demak
. The Sultan lost his life in this venture, and it is likely that Hasanuddin took advantage of his suzerain’s death and the troubles which ensued to free his kingdom from any further obligations to this royal house.
From 1550s onwards the kingdom enjoyed a period of great prosperity. According to tradition, the development of this kingdom was managed by Hasanuddin’s son, Maulana Yusuf
, who had become co-sovereign with his father, following a custom long practiced in the archipelago.
.
Also during this period, Hasanuddin decided to launch the final blow to what remained of the kingdom of Sunda. Maulana Yusuf led the attack on Dayeuh Pakuan
, its capital city located in modern Bogor
. After losing its most important port Sunda Kelapa
, the kingdom, already deprived of its trading revenues, was of symbolic importance only. The kingdom put up little resistance and henceforth Banten ruled over the entire territory of the former kingdom of Sunda, which corresponds to most of current Indonesian province
of West Java
.
The sacred stone (watu gigilang) that was serving as the sovereign’s throne of Sunda kingdom was taken away and put at the street intersection in the royal square of Banten, thus marking the end of the Sundanese dynasty. Henceforth this stone was to serve as the Banten sovereign’s throne.
When Hasanuddin died in 1570, the royal kingdom of Banten comprised all of Sunda, with the exception of Cirebon
, and all of southern Sumatra
, as far as Tulangbawang (modern-day Lampung
) in the northeast and Bengkulu
in the northwest. Trade was expanding to become one of the largest in Southeast Asia.
Traders coming from China, India, Turkey, England, Portugal and the Netherlands were frequent visitors to the Banten harbor. Spices, silk, Chinese ceramics, gold, jewelry and other Asian goods attracted European merchants. Banten was a pioneer in international trade. Banten was also known as an educational center for Islamic studies.
Among Islamic scholars in Banten was Sheikh Yusuf
. He was a scholar from Makassar
who worked under Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa.
The greatest period in Banten is arguably under Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa. In 1661 he extended Banten's rule to Landak in western Borneo
. In the 1670s he also acquired Cirebon
area following a civil war in Mataram. Ageng established trade with the Spanish Manila
for silver and built canals for coconut palm and sugar plantations, among other developments.
trade ships led by Cornelis de Houtman
, the first ever Dutch fleet to arrive in East Indies, landed in Banten. On its return to the Netherlands, the voyage (1595–97) generated a modest profit. The Portuguese and Dutch fought for control of Banten in the 17th century. In 1600 the Dutch set up the Dutch East Indies Company.
Other Europeans were soon to follow. The English, who started to sail to the East Indies from around 1600, established a permanent trading post in Banten in 1602 under James Lancaster
. In 1603, the first permanent Dutch trading post in Indonesia was established in Banten.
Danish
merchants also arrived from Tranquebar
, in search of pepper. The trade relation is evident in two letters written by Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa to Frederick III of Denmark
.
Attesting to Bantem's renown in Europe is Henry Fielding
's play "The Author's Farce
" at whose conclusion the protagonist's problems are neatly solved when he is suddenly informed that he is "The Prince of Bantam", and that as the old "King of Bantam" has died he is to inherit the throne. Fielding and his London audience clearly conceived of "Bantam" as a prosperous country of which it a great fortune to become the monarch.
Governor-General Jan Pieterszoon Coen
took the port of Jayakarta
from Banten. He founded Batavia (now Jakarta) on the ruins of this Javanese town, which became the center of VOC operation and a serious rival for Banten, later contributing to its decline. During the middle of 17th century several conflicts between Banten and the Dutch in Batavia, just 60 miles separated along the northern coast of Java, occurred.
In 1628-1629 Mataram Sultanate
was involved in power contest with Dutch East India Company
(VOC) and launched sieges on Batavia
. Later Mataram was gradually weakened through struggle of successions of Javanese princes and Dutch involvements in internal Mataram court affair.
At Banten, meanwhile, Palace disputes erupted between Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa and his son and co-sovereign Sultan Haji
. Sultan Ageng wished to maintain a policy of free-trade with all European powers, but his son wanted close relations with the Dutch in Batavia. Ageng's independence is shown in the letter to the Danish king mentioned above, offering to trade pepper from Banten for firearms and gunpowder.
With Sultan Haji allied with the VOC, a war broke between Batavia and Banten in the 1670s and 1680s. The result was disastrous for Banten: the VOC gained Bogor
and Priangan Highlands (now West Java
) and reduced Banten's power substantially, making it a protectorate of the VOC. Although nominally independent, its power was gone.
In 1752, the Dutch annexed territories on western Borneo and southern Sumatra formerly held by Banten.
In 1808 Herman Willem Daendels
, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies in 1808-1810, commissioned the construction of Great Post Road
to defend Java from incoming British invasion
. Daendels ordered Sultan Aliyuddin II of Banten to move the capital to Anyer
and to provide labor to build a new port planned to be built at Ujung Kulon. The Sultan refused Daendels' command, and in response Daendels ordered the invasion of Banten and destruction of Surosowan palace. The Sultan, together with his family, was arrested in Puri Intan and held as a prisoner in Fort Speelwijk, and later sent into exile in Ambon.
On 22 November 1808, Daendels declared from his headquarters in Serang
that the Sultanate of Banten had been absorbed into the territory of the Dutch East Indies
. In 1813 Banten Sultanate ceased to exist when Thomas Stamford Raffles forced Sultan Muhamad Syafiuddin to give up his throne. This was the final blow that marked the end of Sultanate of Banten.
Bantam (city)
Bantam in Banten province near the western end of Java was a strategically important site and formerly a major trading city, with a secure harbor on the Sunda Strait through which all ocean-going traffic passed, at the mouth of Banten River that provided a navigable passage for light craft into...
, a port city on the northwest coast of Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
; the contemporary English spelling of both was Bantam. It is said to have been founded by Sunan Gunungjati
Sunan Gunungjati
Sunan Gunungjati was one of the Wali Songo, or Nine Apostles of Islam. He founded the Sultanate of Bantam, as well as the port town of Cirebon on the north coast of Java...
, who later went on to found Cirebon
Cirebon
Cirebon is a port city on the north coast of the Indonesian island of Java. It is located in the province of West Java near the provincial border with Central Java, approximately 297 km east of Jakarta, at .The seat of a former Sultanate, the city's West and Central Java border location have...
.
Once a great trading center in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, especially of pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
, its importance was overshadowed by Batavia, and finally annexed to Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
in 1813. Its core territory now forms the Indonesian province
Provinces of Indonesia
The province is the highest tier of local government subnational entity in Indonesia. Each province has its own local government, headed by a governor, and has its own legislative body...
of Banten
Banten
Banten is a province of Indonesia in Java. Formerly part of the Province of West Java, it was made a separate province in 2000.The administrative center is Serang. Preliminary results from the 2010 census counted some 10.6 million people.-Geography:...
.
Formation
Before 1526 AD, a settlement called Banten was situated not on the coast, but about ten kilometers inland on the Cibanten River, in the area which is today occupied by the southern suburbs of the town of SerangSerang
Serang is a regency of Banten province, Indonesia. The administrative center of the regency and the capital of the province is the independent municipality of Serang...
. It was known as Banten Girang, meaning “Banten-up-the-river" owing to its location.
In the early 16th century, an ulema
Ulema
Ulama , also spelt ulema, refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several fields of Islamic studies. They are best known as the arbiters of shari‘a law...
known today as Sunan Gunungjati
Sunan Gunungjati
Sunan Gunungjati was one of the Wali Songo, or Nine Apostles of Islam. He founded the Sultanate of Bantam, as well as the port town of Cirebon on the north coast of Java...
settled from Demak
Sultanate of Demak
The Sultanate of Demak was Javanese Muslim state located on Java's north coast in Indonesia, at the site of the present day city of Demak. A port fief to the Majapahit kingdom thought to have been founded in the last quarter of the 15th century, it was influenced by Islam brought by Arab and...
in Banten Girang, then part of the kingdom of Sunda, with the intention of spreading the word of Islam
Islam in Indonesia
Islam is the dominant religion in Indonesia, which also has a larger Muslim population than any other country in the world, with approximately 202.9 million identified as Muslim as of 2009....
in this still-Hindu town. Although at first well received by Sunda authorities, after news of the Portuguese-Sunda alliance
Luso Sundanese padrão
The Luso Sundanese padrão is a stone pillar commemorating the Sunda–Portuguese treaty, better known as the Luso-Sundanese Treaty of Sunda Kalapa.-History:...
became known, Gunungjati nevertheless asked Demak sultanate to send troops to Banten. It was likely his son, Hasanudin
Hasanudin
Mulana Hasanudin was the second ruler of the Banten Sultanate, following the mysterious Sunan Gunungjati when he left to found Cirebon. Hasanudin reigned from c. 1552 to 1570....
, who commanded this military operation in 1527, just as the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
fleet was arriving of the coast at Sunda Kelapa
Sunda Kelapa
Sunda Kelapa is the old port of Jakarta located on the estuarine of Ciliwung River. "Sunda Kalapa" is the original name, and it was the main port of Sunda Kingdom of Pajajaran. The port is situated in Penjaringan sub-district, of North Jakarta, Indonesia...
, to capture these towns.
Sunan Gunung Jati had Hasanudin named king of Banten by the Sultan of Demak who, in turn, offered Hasanudin his sister’s hand in marriage. Thus a new dynasty was born at the same time as a new kingdom was created. Banten was the capital of this kingdom, held as a vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
-state of Demak.
Growth
From the beginning it was obviously Hasanuddin’s intention to revive the fortunes of the ancient kingdom of Sunda for his own benefit. One of his earliest decision was to travel to southern SumatraSumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, which had traditionally belonged to the kingdom of Sunda, and from which the bulk of the pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
sold in the Sundanese region came. He was keen to assure himself of the loyalty of these wealthy areas as soon as possible and to guarantee supplies of pepper for his ports, since it was on this spice that all international trade was based and, hence, in which the wealth of his kingdom lay.
Having established control over the ports and the pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
trade, Hasanuddin decided to build a new capital, to symbolize the new era which was beginning. On the advice of his father, Sunan Gunungjati
Sunan Gunungjati
Sunan Gunungjati was one of the Wali Songo, or Nine Apostles of Islam. He founded the Sultanate of Bantam, as well as the port town of Cirebon on the north coast of Java...
, he choose to construct it on the coast at the mouth of the Cibanten River. That a settlement already existed at this place is evidence by its harbour activities, but at this time the seat of political power was in Banten Girang. The royal city was founded on the delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
, formed by the two arms of the river. Two main streets running north-south and east-west divided the city into quarters. The royal palace surrounded by residences of the principal minister of state, was built on the south side of the royal square and the great mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
on the west side. Foreigners, for the most part merchants, had to live outside the royal city, that is on either side of the delta.
After some twenty years the new dynasty was so firmly established that Hasanuddin had no hesitation in leaving the kingdom in 1546 to take part in a military expedition against Pasuruan in eastern Java
East Java
East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and islands to its east and to its north East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and...
, at the request of Sultan Trenggana, third sultan of Demak
Sultanate of Demak
The Sultanate of Demak was Javanese Muslim state located on Java's north coast in Indonesia, at the site of the present day city of Demak. A port fief to the Majapahit kingdom thought to have been founded in the last quarter of the 15th century, it was influenced by Islam brought by Arab and...
. The Sultan lost his life in this venture, and it is likely that Hasanuddin took advantage of his suzerain’s death and the troubles which ensued to free his kingdom from any further obligations to this royal house.
From 1550s onwards the kingdom enjoyed a period of great prosperity. According to tradition, the development of this kingdom was managed by Hasanuddin’s son, Maulana Yusuf
Maulana Yusuf
Maulana Yusuf was the third sultan of Banten, and reigned from c. 1570 to 1580.In about 1579, he conquered Pajajaran, which was the last significant Hindu-Buddhist kingdom on Java. With this conquest, the Sundanese elite are said to have embraced Islam....
, who had become co-sovereign with his father, following a custom long practiced in the archipelago.
.
Also during this period, Hasanuddin decided to launch the final blow to what remained of the kingdom of Sunda. Maulana Yusuf led the attack on Dayeuh Pakuan
Pakuan Pajajaran
Pakuan Pajajaran was a capital city of Sunda kingdom. In this city, king Prabu Susuktunggal established a palace called "Sri Bimapunta Narayana Madura Suradipati"....
, its capital city located in modern Bogor
Bogor
Bogor is a city on the island of Java in the West Java province of Indonesia. The city is located in the center of the Bogor Regency , 60 kilometers south of the Indonesian capital Jakarta...
. After losing its most important port Sunda Kelapa
Sunda Kelapa
Sunda Kelapa is the old port of Jakarta located on the estuarine of Ciliwung River. "Sunda Kalapa" is the original name, and it was the main port of Sunda Kingdom of Pajajaran. The port is situated in Penjaringan sub-district, of North Jakarta, Indonesia...
, the kingdom, already deprived of its trading revenues, was of symbolic importance only. The kingdom put up little resistance and henceforth Banten ruled over the entire territory of the former kingdom of Sunda, which corresponds to most of current Indonesian province
Provinces of Indonesia
The province is the highest tier of local government subnational entity in Indonesia. Each province has its own local government, headed by a governor, and has its own legislative body...
of West Java
West Java
West Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...
.
The sacred stone (watu gigilang) that was serving as the sovereign’s throne of Sunda kingdom was taken away and put at the street intersection in the royal square of Banten, thus marking the end of the Sundanese dynasty. Henceforth this stone was to serve as the Banten sovereign’s throne.
When Hasanuddin died in 1570, the royal kingdom of Banten comprised all of Sunda, with the exception of Cirebon
Cirebon
Cirebon is a port city on the north coast of the Indonesian island of Java. It is located in the province of West Java near the provincial border with Central Java, approximately 297 km east of Jakarta, at .The seat of a former Sultanate, the city's West and Central Java border location have...
, and all of southern Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, as far as Tulangbawang (modern-day Lampung
Lampung
Lampung is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southern tip of the island of Sumatra and borders the provinces of Bengkulu and South Sumatra. Lampung is the original home of the Lampung people, who speak a distinct language from other people in Sumatra and have their own alphabet. Its...
) in the northeast and Bengkulu
Bengkulu
Bengkulu is a province of Indonesia. It is on the southwest coast of the island of Sumatra, and borders the provinces of West Sumatra, Jambi, South Sumatra and Lampung. The capital and largest city is Bengkulu city. It was formerly the site of a British garrison, which they called Bencoolen...
in the northwest. Trade was expanding to become one of the largest in Southeast Asia.
Traders coming from China, India, Turkey, England, Portugal and the Netherlands were frequent visitors to the Banten harbor. Spices, silk, Chinese ceramics, gold, jewelry and other Asian goods attracted European merchants. Banten was a pioneer in international trade. Banten was also known as an educational center for Islamic studies.
Among Islamic scholars in Banten was Sheikh Yusuf
Sheikh Yusuf
Abadin Tadia Tjoessoep , more commonly known as Sheikh Yusuf, was an Indonesian muslim of noble descent. In 1693 he was exiled to the Cape of Good Hope which resulted in his establishing Islam in the Cape.-Early and middle life :...
. He was a scholar from Makassar
Makassar
Makassar, is the provincial capital of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and the largest city on Sulawesi Island. From 1971 to 1999, the city was named Ujung Pandang, after a precolonial fort in the city, and the two names are often used interchangeably...
who worked under Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa.
The greatest period in Banten is arguably under Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa. In 1661 he extended Banten's rule to Landak in western Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
. In the 1670s he also acquired Cirebon
Cirebon
Cirebon is a port city on the north coast of the Indonesian island of Java. It is located in the province of West Java near the provincial border with Central Java, approximately 297 km east of Jakarta, at .The seat of a former Sultanate, the city's West and Central Java border location have...
area following a civil war in Mataram. Ageng established trade with the Spanish Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
for silver and built canals for coconut palm and sugar plantations, among other developments.
Western contacts
On June 27, 1596 DutchNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
trade ships led by Cornelis de Houtman
Cornelis de Houtman
Cornelis de Houtman , brother of Frederick de Houtman, was a Dutch explorer who discovered a new sea route from Europe to Indonesia and managed to begin the Dutch spice trade...
, the first ever Dutch fleet to arrive in East Indies, landed in Banten. On its return to the Netherlands, the voyage (1595–97) generated a modest profit. The Portuguese and Dutch fought for control of Banten in the 17th century. In 1600 the Dutch set up the Dutch East Indies Company.
Other Europeans were soon to follow. The English, who started to sail to the East Indies from around 1600, established a permanent trading post in Banten in 1602 under James Lancaster
James Lancaster
Sir James Lancaster was a prominent Elizabethan trader and privateer.Lancaster came from Basingstoke in Hampshire. In his early life, he was a soldier and a trader in Portugal...
. In 1603, the first permanent Dutch trading post in Indonesia was established in Banten.
Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
merchants also arrived from Tranquebar
Tranquebar
Tharangambadi is a panchayat town in Nagapattinam district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, 15 km north of Karaikal, near the mouth of a distributary of the Kaveri River. Its name means "place of the singing waves"...
, in search of pepper. The trade relation is evident in two letters written by Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa to Frederick III of Denmark
Frederick III of Denmark
Frederick III was king of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death. He instituted absolute monarchy in Denmark and Norway in 1660, confirmed by law in 1665 as the first in western historiography. He was born the second-eldest son of Christian IV of Denmark and Anne Catherine of Brandenburg...
.
Attesting to Bantem's renown in Europe is Henry Fielding
Henry Fielding
Henry Fielding was an English novelist and dramatist known for his rich earthy humour and satirical prowess, and as the author of the novel Tom Jones....
's play "The Author's Farce
The Author's Farce
The Author's Farce and the Pleasures of the Town is a play by the English playwright and novelist Henry Fielding, first performed on 30 March 1730 at the Little Theatre, Haymarket. Written in response to the Theatre Royal's rejection of his earlier plays, The Author's Farce was Fielding's...
" at whose conclusion the protagonist's problems are neatly solved when he is suddenly informed that he is "The Prince of Bantam", and that as the old "King of Bantam" has died he is to inherit the throne. Fielding and his London audience clearly conceived of "Bantam" as a prosperous country of which it a great fortune to become the monarch.
Decline
After conflict with the Dutch over the pepper trade in 1619, the Dutch East India CompanyDutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
Governor-General Jan Pieterszoon Coen
Jan Pieterszoon Coen
Jan Pieterszoon Coen was a officer of the Dutch East India Company in the early seventeenth century, holding two terms as its Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies....
took the port of Jayakarta
Sunda Kelapa
Sunda Kelapa is the old port of Jakarta located on the estuarine of Ciliwung River. "Sunda Kalapa" is the original name, and it was the main port of Sunda Kingdom of Pajajaran. The port is situated in Penjaringan sub-district, of North Jakarta, Indonesia...
from Banten. He founded Batavia (now Jakarta) on the ruins of this Javanese town, which became the center of VOC operation and a serious rival for Banten, later contributing to its decline. During the middle of 17th century several conflicts between Banten and the Dutch in Batavia, just 60 miles separated along the northern coast of Java, occurred.
In 1628-1629 Mataram Sultanate
Mataram Sultanate
The Sultanate of Mataram was the last major independent Javanese empire on Java before the island was colonized by the Dutch. It was the dominant political force in interior Central Java from the late 16th century until the beginning of the 18th century....
was involved in power contest with Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
(VOC) and launched sieges on Batavia
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
. Later Mataram was gradually weakened through struggle of successions of Javanese princes and Dutch involvements in internal Mataram court affair.
At Banten, meanwhile, Palace disputes erupted between Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa and his son and co-sovereign Sultan Haji
Abu Nasr Abdul Kahhar
Abu Nasr Abdul Kahhar was the sultan of Banten from 1682 to 1687, who was largely responsible for subjugating Banten to the Dutch East India Company . He had considerable political power as a crown prince, and from the 1650s the court was divided into factions in support of his father Ageng and him...
. Sultan Ageng wished to maintain a policy of free-trade with all European powers, but his son wanted close relations with the Dutch in Batavia. Ageng's independence is shown in the letter to the Danish king mentioned above, offering to trade pepper from Banten for firearms and gunpowder.
With Sultan Haji allied with the VOC, a war broke between Batavia and Banten in the 1670s and 1680s. The result was disastrous for Banten: the VOC gained Bogor
Bogor
Bogor is a city on the island of Java in the West Java province of Indonesia. The city is located in the center of the Bogor Regency , 60 kilometers south of the Indonesian capital Jakarta...
and Priangan Highlands (now West Java
West Java
West Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...
) and reduced Banten's power substantially, making it a protectorate of the VOC. Although nominally independent, its power was gone.
In 1752, the Dutch annexed territories on western Borneo and southern Sumatra formerly held by Banten.
In 1808 Herman Willem Daendels
Herman Willem Daendels
Herman Willem Daendels was a Dutch politician who served as the 36th Governor General of the Dutch East Indies between 1808 and 1811....
, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies in 1808-1810, commissioned the construction of Great Post Road
Great Post Road
The Great Post Road , is the name for the historical road that runs across Java that connects Anyer and Panarukan. It was built during the reign of governor-general of the Dutch East Indies Herman Willem Daendels .-Construction:...
to defend Java from incoming British invasion
Anglo-Dutch Java War
The Anglo-Dutch Java War in 1810–1811 was a war between Britain and the Netherlands , fought entirely on the Island of Java in colonial Indonesia.-Background:...
. Daendels ordered Sultan Aliyuddin II of Banten to move the capital to Anyer
Anyer
Anyer is a town in Banten, formerly West Java, Indonesia, fifteen kilometres south of Merak. It is home of a forty metre lighthouse built by King Willem III of the Netherlands in 1885 as a memorial for the townspeople killed by the eruption of Krakatau, which destroyed the town.It is also the...
and to provide labor to build a new port planned to be built at Ujung Kulon. The Sultan refused Daendels' command, and in response Daendels ordered the invasion of Banten and destruction of Surosowan palace. The Sultan, together with his family, was arrested in Puri Intan and held as a prisoner in Fort Speelwijk, and later sent into exile in Ambon.
On 22 November 1808, Daendels declared from his headquarters in Serang
Serang
Serang is a regency of Banten province, Indonesia. The administrative center of the regency and the capital of the province is the independent municipality of Serang...
that the Sultanate of Banten had been absorbed into the territory of the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
. In 1813 Banten Sultanate ceased to exist when Thomas Stamford Raffles forced Sultan Muhamad Syafiuddin to give up his throne. This was the final blow that marked the end of Sultanate of Banten.
Lineage
| Sultan of Banten | Reign |
|---|---|
| Sunan Gunungjati Sunan Gunungjati Sunan Gunungjati was one of the Wali Songo, or Nine Apostles of Islam. He founded the Sultanate of Bantam, as well as the port town of Cirebon on the north coast of Java... |
1526 - 1552 |
| Maulana Hasanudin - Panembahan Surosowan | 1552 – 1570 |
| Maulana Yusuf Maulana Yusuf Maulana Yusuf was the third sultan of Banten, and reigned from c. 1570 to 1580.In about 1579, he conquered Pajajaran, which was the last significant Hindu-Buddhist kingdom on Java. With this conquest, the Sundanese elite are said to have embraced Islam.... - Panembahan Pakalangan Gedé |
1570 – 1580 |
| Maulana Muhammad - Pangeran Ratu Ing Banten | 1580 – 1596 |
| Pangeran Ratu Pangeran Ratu Pangeran Ratu was the ruler of Banten in Northwest Java, Indonesia, and was the first ruler anywhere on the island of Java to take the title of sultan, which he took in 1638, under the Arabic name Abulmafakhir Mahmud Abdulkadir... - Abdul Kadir Kenari |
1596 – 1651 |
| Ageng Tirtayasa - Abul Fath Abdul Fattah | 1651 – 1683 |
| Abu Nasr Abdul Kahhar Abu Nasr Abdul Kahhar Abu Nasr Abdul Kahhar was the sultan of Banten from 1682 to 1687, who was largely responsible for subjugating Banten to the Dutch East India Company . He had considerable political power as a crown prince, and from the 1650s the court was divided into factions in support of his father Ageng and him... - Sultan Haji |
1682 – 1687 |
| Abdul Fadhl | 1687 – 1690 |
| Abul Mahasin Zainul Abidin | 1690 – 1733 |
| Muhammad Wasi Zainifin | 1733 – 1750 |
| Muhammad Syifa | 1750 – 1752 |
| Syarifuddin Artu Wakilul Alimin | 1752 – 1753 |
| Muhammad Arif Zainul Asyikin | 1753 – 1773 |
| Abul Mafakir Muhammad Aliyuddin | 1773 – 1799 |
| Muhyiddin Zainush Sholihin | 1799 – 1801 |
| Muhammad Ishaq Zainul Muttaqin | 1801 – 1802 |
| Wakil Pangeran Natawijaya | 1802 – 1803 |
| Aliyuddin II | 1803 – 1808 |
| Wakil Pangeran Suramanggala | 1808 – 1809 |
| Muhammad Syafiuddin | 1809 – 1813 |
| Muhammad Rafiuddin | 1813 – 1820 |
See also
- History of IndonesiaHistory of IndonesiaThe History of Indonesia was shaped by its geographic position, its natural resources, the series of human migrations, contacts, economy and trade, conquests and politics. Indonesia is an archipelagic country of 17,508 islands stretching along the equator in South East Asia...
- List of Sunni Muslim dynasties
- List of monarchs of Java