Banten Sultanate

Banten Sultanate
Sultanate of BantenKasultanan Banten

15271813

Flag

Rough extent of Banten at the death of Hasanudin, controlling both sides of Sunda Strait
Capital

Banten (city)

Languages

Sundanese, Javanese, Lampung

Religion

Islam

Government

Sultanate

Sultan
-

15521570

Hasanudin

16511683

Ageng Tirtayasa

invasion of kingdom of Sunda

1527

annexation by Dutch East Indies 1813

History

(15271552 as a province under Sultanate of Cirebon)

Banten Sultanate

Part of a series on the

History of Indonesia

Prehistory
Early kingdoms
Kutai

300s

Tarumanagara

358669

Kalingga

500s600s

Srivijaya

600s1200s

Sailendra

800s900s

Sunda

6691579

Medang

7521006

Kahuripan

10061045

Kediri

10451221

Singhasari

12221292

Majapahit

12931500

Rise of Muslim states

Spread of Islam
Ternate Sultanate

12001600
1257present

Samudera Pasai Sultanate

12671521

Malacca Sultanate

14001511

Cirebon Sultanate

14451677

Demak Sultanate

14751548

Aceh Sultanate

14961903

Pagaruyung Kingdom

15001825

Banten Sultanate

15261813

Mataram Sultanate

1500s1700s

European colonisation
Portuguese

15121850

Dutch East India Company 16021800

Netherlands East Indies

18001942
19451950

Emergence of Indonesia

Banten Sultanate

National Awakening 19081942

Japanese occupation 19421945
National Revolution 19451950
Independence
Liberal democracy

19501957

Guided Democracy

19571965

Transition

19651966

New Order

19661998

Reformasi

1998present
Timeline
Indonesia portal

v
t

e [1]

The Banten Sultanate 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 had previously founded 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.
Today, in Old Banten, the Grand Mosque of Banten is an important destination for tourists and for pilgrims from
across Indonesia and from overseas.[2]

Formation
Before 1526 CE, 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 Serang. It was known as
Banten Girang, meaning Banten-up-the-river" owing to its location.
Sunan Gunungjati (Sharif Hidayatullah) was an "ulama", an educated class of Muslim legal scholars. He was
originally educated in Middle East, and can trace his ancestry to the kingdom of Sunda. Sharif Hidayatullah become
the Sultan of Cirebon in 1479. In 1482 Sharif Hidayatullah sent a letter to King of Sunda, proclaiming Cirebon
independence from Sunda Pajajaran. Previously Cirebon settlement was founded in 1445 by his uncle Prince
Cakrabuana. In the early 16th century, Gunungjati arrived in the town with the intention of spreading the word of
Islam in this still-Hindu area.
According to Suma Oriental, written in 15121515, Tom Pires, a Portuguese explorer report that the port of Banten
was still belongs to the Kingdom of Sunda, while Cirebon has been established as an Islamic state.
First the king of umda (Sunda) with his great city of Dayo, the town and lands and port of Bantam
(Banten), the port of Pomdam (Pontang), the port of Cheguide (Cigede), the port of Tamgaram
(Tangerang), the port of Calapa (Kelapa), and the port of Chemano (Chi Manuk or Cimanuk), this is
Sunda, because the river of Chi Manuk is the limit of both kingdoms. Now comes Java and we must
speak of the kings within the hinterland. The land of Cheroboam (Cherimon), the land of Japura, the
land of Locarj (Losari), the land of Tateguall (Tegal), the land of Camaram (Semarang), the land of

Banten Sultanate

Demaa (Demak)...
Although at first well received by Sunda authorities, after news of the Portuguese-Sunda alliance in 1522 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 Gunungjati had Hasanudin named king of Banten by the Sultan of Demak who, in turn, offered Hasanudin his
sisters 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 province under Sultanate of Cirebon.

Growth
From the beginning it was obviously Hasanuddins
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 Sumatra, 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.
De Stad Bantam, engraving by Franois Valentijn, Amsterdam,
[3]
1726

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 suzerains 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 Hasanuddins son, Maulana Yusuf, who had become co-sovereign with his father,
following a custom long practiced in the archipelago.

Banten Sultanate

5
.
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.

Colonial era sketch of Grand Mosque of Banten

The sacred stone (watu gigilang) that was serving as

the sovereigns 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 sovereigns
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.
During his reign Banten and Mataram Sultanate involved in rivalry to dominate the region, while Cirebon stuck in
the middle. Although Cirebon never been attacked by Mataram, since 1619 Cirebon has been practically held under
Mataram influences and behaves as vassal. In 1650 Mataram asked Cirebon to urge Banten to subscribe under
Mataram domination. Banten refuse the threat, and in response Mataram ordered Cirebon to attack Banten. In 1650
Cirebon sent 60 ships to attack Banten port in Tanahara. However this naval campaign ended in disastrous defeat of
Cirebon. This war is known as Pagarage war or Pacirebonan war that took place in 1650.
The greatest period in Banten is arguably under Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa. In 1661 he extended Banten's rule to
Landak in western Borneo. On the other hand, Cirebon relations with Mataram were also strained. The tension
culminated with the execution of Cirebon king Panembahan Girilaya in Plered, while the Cirebon Princes were taken
as the hostage in Mataram. Prince Wangsakerta of Cirebon went to Banten to seek Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa help in
order to free his brothers. Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa is the son of Prince Abu Maali that died in Pagarage war. Tirtayasa
agreed to assist Cirebon and saw it as an opportunity to raised Banten's influence upon Cirebon. Using the
opportunity of Trunojoyo rebellion against Mataram, Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa secretly supported the revolt and
managed to weaken Mataram and safe the two Cirebon princes.
However, Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa saw an opportunity to impose Banten's influence upon Cirebon. He coronated both
princes he saved as the sultans, Prince Mertawijaya as Sultan Kasepuhan while Prince Kertawijaya as Sultan
Kanoman. By doing so the Sultan of Banten disintegrated and weakened the Sultanate of Cirebon into several petty
states. On the other hand, Prince Wangsakerta that had fought for 10 years was only given a small title and estate.
The cunning divide strategy was meant to weaken Cirebon and to prevent Cirebon to be Mataram ally and become a
menace to Banten in the future as it had done in Pagarage war. In the 1670s he practically acquired Cirebon area as
vassal following a civil war in Mataram. Ageng established trade with the Spanish Manila for silver and built canals

Banten Sultanate

for coconut palm and sugar plantations, among other developments.

Western contacts
On June 27, 1596 Dutch 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 (159597) 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.[4]

Banten Residency after annexation to Dutch East Indies, with

neighbouring Batavia (now Jakarta) and Buitenzorg (now Bogor).

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 was a great fortune to become the monarch.

Decline
After conflict with the Dutch over the pepper trade in
1619,
the
Dutch
East
India
Company
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 16281629 Mataram Sultanate was involved in
power
contest with Dutch East India Company (VOC)
The ruins of Kaibon palace, the former residence of Banten Sultan's
and launched sieges on Batavia. Later Mataram was
queen mother.
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.

Banten Sultanate

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 18081810, 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.

Lineage
Sultan of Banten

Reign

Sunan Gunungjati

15261552

Maulana Hasanudin Panembahan Surosowan

15521570

Maulana Yusuf Panembahan Pakalangan Ged

15701580

Maulana Muhammad Pangeran Ratu Ing Banten 15801596

Pangeran Ratu Abdul Kadir Kenari

15961651

Ageng Tirtayasa Abul Fath Abdul Fattah

16511683

Abu Nasr Abdul Kahhar Sultan Haji

16821687

Abdul Fadhl

16871690

Abul Mahasin Zainul Abidin

16901733

Muhammad Wasi Zainifin

17331750

Muhammad Syifa

17501752

Syarifuddin Artu Wakilul Alimin

17521753

Muhammad Arif Zainul Asyikin

17531773

Abul Mafakir Muhammad Aliyuddin

17731799

Muhyiddin Zainush Sholihin

17991801

Muhammad Ishaq Zainul Muttaqin

18011802

Wakil Pangeran Natawijaya

18021803

Aliyuddin II

18031808

Wakil Pangeran Suramanggala

18081809

Muhammad Syafiuddin

18091813

Muhammad Rafiuddin

18131820

Banten Sultanate

Footnotes
[1] http:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ w/ index. php?title=Template:History_of_Indonesia& action=edit
[2] Multa Fidrus, ' Historic Grand Mosque to get new look' (http:/ / www. thejakartapost. com/ news/ 2013/ 04/ 20/
historic-grand-mosque-get-new-look. html), The Jakarta Post, 20 April 2013.
[3] From Valentijn, Beschrijving van Groot Djava, ofte Java Major, Amsterdam, 1796. Ludwig Bachhofer, India Antiqua (1947:280) notes that
Valentijn had been in Banten in 1694.
[4] Ricklefs, M.C. (1991). A History of Modern Indonesia Since c.1300, 2nd edition. London: MacMillan, p.29

References
Sumber-sumber asli sejarah Jakarta, Jilid I: Dokumen-dokumen sejarah Jakarta sampai dengan akhir abad ke-16
The Sunda Kingdom of West Java From Tarumanagara to Pakuan Pajajaran with the Royal Center of Bogor,
Herwig Zahorka, Yayasan Cipta Loka Caraka, Jakarta, 2007-05-20

Article Sources and Contributors

Article Sources and Contributors

Banten Sultanate Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=609939585 Contributors: Cherkash, ComfyKem, DragonflySixtyseven, Gorthian, Gunkarta, Hans wibowo, Jonesey95,
Merbabu, Pmccawley, Rajmaan, Rif Winfield, Rigadoun, Rjwilmsi, 1 anonymous edits

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