Mataram Sultanate

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. Mataram reached its peak of power during the reign of Sultan Agung Anyokrokusumo (r. 1613–1645) after the conquest of his most powerful rival, the prosperous state of Surabaya. Sultan Agung's death set off a period of gradual decline as his successors endeavoured to consolidate his empire. The revolt of a Madurese prince in 1677 resulted in the sacking of the court and the death of Susuhunan Amangkurat I in exile. His son, Susuhunan Amangkurat II, requested military assistance from the Dutch East India Company (Dutch: Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie; VOC), who then went to war to restore him. This preceded the enduring pattern of dispossessed princes instrumentalizing the military power of the VOC in exchange for payment and favourable treaties, by which means the kingdom gradually lost political and economic power to the VOC. The First Javanese War of Succession and the Second Javanese War of Succession led to a further fracturing of the state, a diminishing in territory, and a waning in economic and political power. Following the ruinous Chinese Rebellion of 1741, Susuhunan Pakubuwono II ceded sovereignty over the Pasisir to the VOC. This preceded the Third Javanese War of Succession which ultimately resulted in the division of the realm into the Sultanate of Yogyakarta and the Surakarta Sunanate, with the VOC acting as broker. After...