Mangkunegaran Kingdom

Part one

 The legend from Central Java

 Retold by Satoto Kusasi

 Raden Mas Said was the founder of Mangkunegaran Kingdom in Central Java.  Raden Mas Said the son of King Ario Mangkunegaran from Mataram Kingdom built his Kingdom while the Mataram Kingdom was about to ruin.   He was the man who could lift prestige of Java People from view of their enemies, the Dutch Colony.    The VOC, Dutch Company in East India had successfully destroyed Mataram Kingdom by their divide and rule policy to break Mataram Kingdom into many small Kingdoms.

How could Dutch break the Mataram Kingdom into many small Kingdoms?   Dutch played one against another; that might happen since there were too many Princesses wanted to become a King, for instance the King Amangkurat IV who had forty-two children.   All of those children wanted to become a King and then each of them had their own plan to reach their aim.    So the Dutch Colony or VOC had an access to influence the central power of Kingdom via those Princes by playing one against another.    A Prince, who was disliked by his father and then had no chance to become a King, could ask VOC’s helping to take power by force.  

King Amangkurat IV had many experiences about Dutch Colony’s bad role in Mataram Kingdom’s Palace.      As if they had power over the King himself to select one of many Princes who could be a successor.   That was why King Amangkurat IV elected the successor of him before he died.   And by this way the Dutch could do nothing about choosing a King.

King Amangkurat IV handed power over Pangeran Ario Mangkunegara, the eldest son before he died.   The reaction emerges from Pangeran Anom Hamangkunegara, the Tenth of his sons who had an ambition to become a King.     He asked Dutch for their helping to take Palace power from his eldest brother by force.   

Pangeran Anom Hamangkunegara was a Prince from King’s mistress.  This Prince was one of many other Princes who were disliked by his father, of course whom have no chance be a King.

The Dutch Colony VOC helped him with pleasure and then they mobilized their army to take power from the Mataram Palace.    The Dutch and Pangeran Anom Hamangkunegara as well as the Dutch officers broke into the Palace after Mataram’s soldier surrendered and seized the young King, Pangeran Ario Mangkunegara.    And then Dutch officer put Pangeran Mangkunegaran into Ceylon Island by force as an exile King.

Even though the fact was a battle between Dutch against Java but the Dutch said that Java fought each other, “we were just helping one of them, of course upon payment with some land”.    So the people of Java became frustrated because of suspicion between each other.    There were many families fighting each other because the father helped Pangeran Ario but on the other hand the son helped Pangeran Anom.  

 The area of Dutch Colony became larger and larger since they received plenty of land from young Princes who rebelled and by then the Dutch became rich.

Pangeran Ario Mangkunegara left his family in Surakarta while his wife was pregnant.    How sad and sorrow the wife to be left by her husband; left as an exile King by force of his little brother assisted by Dutch.    But she took that happening as wisdom from God.   She thought, “The Dutch should exile all of our family’s member but actually not, that is the wisdom from God”.

 In future son of the exile King would take revenge to Dutch power; that was Raden Mas Said.    

After a couple of months his wife was given birth, a son.  The day was Saturday, seventh of April 1726.   His Grandpa gave a name Said, an Arab Word that means witness, witness of a bad trick against the right power of Mataram Kingdom.   Amangkurat IV saw his grandson as a hoping of Mataram Gloria; he believed that his grandson would lift Mataram from the edge of ruin, “my grandson would be a good King in the next future”.

Pangeran Anom Hamangkunegara was inaugurated as a King with title Paku Buwono II and then he moved his Palace to Surakarta from Kartasura.    

At that moment the King’s children of the Twenty First was also inaugurated himself as a King, his name Raden Mas Suyono alias Pangeran Mangkubumi.   He had his title Sultan Hamengkubuwono I, his Palace was located in Yogyakarta.

King Amangkurat IV just saying that all of his children has power to be a King yes indeed.     He didn’t blame those children; he just blamed the Dutch that they could influence deep into his power policy.    He was also sad that he had no power chasing away the Dutch since there was no unity of his people.   The Dutch Colony was up rising indeed.

Raden Mas Said grew up and become a young man.   His Grandpa loved him very much, he also told what happened to his father, King Ario Mangkunegara who was exiled to Ceylon by his uncle, Paku Buwono II.   

 “Please don’t be angry and don’t be panic my grandson, this problem should give in God who would give punishment in the world or hereafter to his creature who did wrong” said his grandfather.     Amangkurat IV really hated his son, Paku Buwono II, but he could do nothing.

Raden Mas Said realized what happened to his father but he never hated his uncle as his grandpa’s message.     Even he respected his uncle as a King, King Paku Buwono II as if he didn’t know what the King did to his father.      Until the King became in love with him also; King thought, “How could he ignore what I have done to his father; it seemed a puzzle”

The young Said was so handsome that many Princesses fell, but young Said was fond of making friends at the street out side of Palace.     His friends were ordinary young people in the street and market.    He hated the luxury living in the Palace; he likes eating in the food stall; he wore customary dress not like a Prince; he likes to be an ordinary young people’s way of living.     Some times he must fight and some times he make friends, but as a whole every body in Mataram love him and support him because he always fight against injustice crime action.

But his brothers and sisters didn’t like his act; “he should act as a nobleman; by his way of life he means to make a dirt in our Palace” said his family.  

Said ignored what his brothers and sisters said, “go to hell with your saying, the important thing to do is to make people of Mataram want to give their sympathetic feeling to me and also give their support to me”.    By that way, he was a new modern Java Aristocracy to view his people by his way of thinking, to lift grade of people becoming a Democratic’s way of life.

But Said had not ambition to take power away from King Paku Buwono II, even he show his loyalty to King by assisting him to suppress rebellion.  Said himself lead the army of Mataram in the battle against enemies.   He was successful to eliminate rebellion even though he was just fifteen years old.

Said never bear a grudge to his uncle, he always forgive the wrong doing of his Uncle as Grandpa told, “This problem should give in God, God would give punishment in the world or hereafter to his creature who did wrong”

The King gave a position as Mantri (some thing grade position in the Mataram Army) and also King gave him a title Pangeran Suryakusuma.

A year later again there was a rebellion by Chinese ethnic in Solo Town.   He was also successful to eliminate the rebellion.    How happy and proud King of his nephew until King gave honor and position as Tumenggung, leader of whole army, and also King gave a title Pangeran Prabu Prangwandono.

The enemies of the King Paku Buwono II became more and more; then the next enemies were alliance of many little Kings surrounding Surakarta as well as Chinese ethnic.  They were going to attack Paku Buwono’s Palace.       The attack arrived so unexpectedly that Mass Said must take the King and his family out side Palace as refugee. 

Mas Said assembled his good friends; they are the boys from the street in Surakarta that he knew very well for a long time and he valued as brave boys; the amount of them were twenty.     Mas Said organized them as guerilla troop; they had an agreement to die together and be happy also together.

“We are gathering here to give sacrifice for our country and for our King, even to give our soul to protect our Palace.    We are ready to kill enemies and ready to be killed by enemies.   As you know the enemies have occupied our palace; we are successfully saving our King and now we faced the hard days for fighting to chase away our enemies”, Said spoke in front of his troop.  

He lead the troop to enter the Palace from the secret door in the forest, no body knew the secret door except the Royal Family.     They had their weapon like arrow, keris, wavy double-bladed dagger and sword.    They were young brave men that want to chase away enemies that had occupied Palace.

The enemies were not aware of counter attack from behind them.    The troop stabbed the enemies guard one by one without making sound.    Said hold a map of secret path under ground of the Palace and he was busy to give command to his friends.

“So far so good, the finishing touch is to seize the leader of rebel just in the next room, that is your duty Gatot while I will kill the guards in front of the door, go” Said gave command.

At last the leader of rebel and some of his assistants could be seized without any difficulty.     There were many dead bodies of the enemies that must be discarded, while the twenty little troop of Said still intact.   

The people of Mataram got surprised about the news and of course they did appreciate Raden Mas Said.    “He and his little troop are really hero of our country; they can kill many enemies even though they just a twenty little trooper; so we must give him a title Pangeran Samber Nyowo that means The Prince who easily killed many enemies” said one of Aristocracy of Mataram.

 Raden Mas Said alias Pangeran Samber Nyowo as well as the little trooper became famous among the people of Mataram but on the other hand the King Paku Buwono II became faded and drawn in the lonely situation.

Raden Mas Said established his famous little trooper to become an elite trooper with their exclusive characteristic, Sudden Attack; so the people of Mataram gave a name Pasukan Alap-alap or Eagle trooper.

The Dutch got worry about Raden Mas Said and his troop; “someday he would make much trouble to us” said the officer of Dutch.   So the Dutch also established their Military power in Yogyakarta and watched Said’s trooper movement.

Raden Mas Said along with his troop faced Sultan to report his successful duty.  “We have done our duty successfully and we are able to catch the leader of enemies and last but not least, we know who mastermind this rebel”, then Said pointed out the mastermind who was one of the Royal family.   The owner of this story didn’t mention who the mastermind was and what action the King did.

Pangeran Puger or King Paku Buwono I, the stepfather of King Paku Buwono II announced to every body in that room Palace that he wanted to give a present to Raden Mas Said.   

“I am interested in the heroic story of that young man, my grandson Said who could defeat our enemies; so I would like to give the Land of Modjoroto to him as a honor to reveal our happiness, and also I would like to give a title Pangeran Adipati Ario Mangkunegara”, said Pangeran Puger.

That event was so unexpected that made Mas Said surprise; he had a land and also he had a title that have weight like his father’s.     That meant he was approved to become a King and he could also to become a King.     Yes indeed, he wanted to become a King and he needed a Kingdom to organizer Java people for fighting against Dutch, that was his aim.

Four years later in his age of nineteenth in the year of 1745, he was inaugurated himself as a King by approval of Mataram Kingdom.     He had a name Sultan Adiprokoso Lalono Joyomiseno.

Sultan Adiprakoso became so famous that many girls wanted to be his wife, even though Sultan’s body was short but handsome.   Yes indeed he needed a girl to be his wife.   So the lucky girl to be chosen was a Princess of Prince Mangkubumi or King Hamengkubuwono I whose name Kanjeng Ratu Bendara.    She was really pretty girl that Sultan fell in love.  And then the wedding ceremony was done to confirm that marriage.

There was a background story mentioned that marriage was a part of Sultan Hamengkubuwono’s trick to take Mass Said in his part.

Pangeran Mangkubumi made strategy to invite Mas Said for attending a religious event at one village.    He came along with his daughter at this event to propose an accident meeting between Mas Said with his daughter.    The strategy was good enough that Princess Kanjeng Ratu Bendara met with Mas Said seemed accidentally and then Mass Said interested in her since she was pretty.   So far Mas Said didn’t know the trick, he though that every thing was going on properly, but it was a part of King Hamengkubuwono’s strategy from Kartasura Palace to fight King Paku Buwono from Surakarta Palace.

Hamengkubuwono I or Pangeran Mangkubumi was a little brother of Sultan Paku Buwono II from the other mother.     He had his own plan to take power palace from King Paku Buwono II by force.    That was why he wanted King Adiprakoso to be his son in law so he could invite Mas Said along his side when he fight against King Paku Buwono II.