Mataram Sultanate: Map & History
The Sultanate of Mataram was an early modern state based on the island of Java that lasted from the late 16th century to the 18th century.
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The Sultanate of Mataram was an early modern state based on the island of Java that lasted from the late 16th century to the 18th century. At its peak, Mataram was one of the most powerful kingdoms in the Indonesian archipelago and Southeast Asia. Along with Aceh and Makassar, it has been referred to as one of Southeast Asia's major "gunpowder empires." At its greatest extent, Mataram's territory spanned most of mainland Java and Madura, with vassals in Palembang, Sukadana, and Jambi.
Modern Countries Once Part of Mataram Sultanate
At its mapped extent, Mataram Sultanate covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Mataram Sultanate's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Mataram Sultanate in Depth
History
According to Javanese records, the kings of Mataram were descended from one Ki Ageng Sela (Sela is a village near the present-day Demak). In the 1570s, one of Ki Ageng Sela's descendants, Kyai Gedhe Pamanahan was awarded rule of the land of Mataram by the King of Pajang, Sultan Hadiwijaya, as the reward for his service of defeating Arya Panangsang, Hadiwijaya's enemy. Pajang was located near the current site of Surakarta, and Mataram was originally a vassal of Pajang. Pamanahan was often referred to as Kyai Gedhe Mataram. A kyai is a Muslim cleric who is well educated and tend to be well-respected.
Meanwhile, in Pajang, there were major power struggles that took place after the death of Sultan Hadiwijaya in 1582.
Government and state
The Susuhunan's exercise of power was for the most part indirect, through the cooperation of lesser notables. The kingdom has been characterized by scholars as a "network state" based on complex personal structures between patrons and clients within various rungs of the court hierarchy. Especially where the administration of outlying provinces were concerned, there was as such minimal regularization across administrative offices and titles. The individual powers of officials and governors were dependent in part on their personal relationship with the Susuhunan or some other court dignitary. Some regents could claim to be the Susuhunan's equal in wealth and military might, while others were figures of little significance.
Military
Military technology was one of the most developed branches of industry in Java. Chinese cannons were introduced to the island by the Mongol invasion of 1293. Rudimentary gunpowder technologies continued to spread through the island across the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The expeditions of Zheng He, for instance, left behind an extant Chinese bombard dated 1421. This period saw a flourishing in local innovations and adaptations, such as the early cetbang, the Java arquebus and the Istinggar. Following their conquest of Melaka, the Portuguese reported that "the gun founders were as good as those in Germany" and that the Jepara fleet which later attacked Melaka in 1513 was armed with cannons cast in Java.
Culture
Despite being an Islamic Sultanate, Mataram had never adopted Islamic culture, systems and institutions thoroughly. Its political system was more like a syncretism of earlier Javanese Hindu civilisation merged with Islamic elements. The major formation took place during Sultan Agung's reign as he adapted Islam to the Hindu-Javanese tradition and introduced a new calendar in 1633 based on Islamic and Javanese practice. The arts during Sultan Agung's reign were a mixture of Islamic and Hindu-Javanese elements.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Mataram Sultanate (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Mataram Sultanate: Key Facts
| Capitals | Kotagede, Kerto, Pleret, Kartasura |
|---|---|
| Official language | Javanese |
| Religion | Islam |
| Form of government | constitutional monarchy, hereditary monarchy |
| Currencies | Netherlands Indies guilder, Dirham |
| Founded | 1586 |
| Dissolved | 1755 |
Preceded by
- Kingdom of Pajang
Succeeded by
- Surakarta Sunanate
- Yogyakarta Sultanate
Facts from Wikidata Q402145 (CC0).
Mataram Sultanate Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Mataram Sultanate appears, with the other states of the time.
Mataram Sultanate Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 65,741 km² in 1651 CE.
Mataram Sultanate: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Mataram Sultanate exist?
The Mataram Sultanate is dated to 1588 CE – 1743 CE, in the Early Modern & Age of Discovery era.
What was the capital of the Mataram Sultanate?
The capital of the Mataram Sultanate was Pleret.
How large was the Mataram Sultanate at its peak?
At its peak in 1651 the Mataram Sultanate covered about 65,741 km².
How did the map of the Mataram Sultanate change over time?
The Mataram Sultanate appears on 2 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1600 CE to 1700 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
Other Sovereign Realms
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Avarga
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople
Industrial Era • Capital: London
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Delhi