Biography Raden Ajeng Kartini

R.A Kartinis Childhood

Raden Adjeng Kartini was born in Jepara on April 21, 1876.

She comes from a noble family. Her father, Raden Mas
Adipati Ario Sosroningrat is a regent who governed Jepara at
that time. While her mother, MA Ngasirah descended from
the common people. Like the other children from noble
descent in general, she lived in prosperity and strict Javanese
rules. She is the 5th child of 11 brothers and sisters coming
from her biological and stepmother. Among her siblings
from her biological mother, she is the eldest daughter.

R.A Kartini studied in the ELS School (Europese Lagere

School). She studied Dutch language there, so that she could speak Dutch language very well.

R.A Kartinis Adolescence

When she was 12 years old, she had to quit studying because she had to do pingit at that
time, a rule of Javanese custom that forbid woman to go outside before marriage. Finally, on
12th November 1983 she was married to Raden Adipati Joyodiningrat.

After getting married, R.A Kartini never stopped learning. She continued to study in her own
house by reading a lot of European books and magazines. When she was reading them, she
found a great difference between European womens life with Indonesian women. European
women live in freedom and they have the same equivalent position with men. While,
Indonesia women lived under mans power.

Based on that fact, she had an idea to change Indonesian womens life. She along with her
friends opened the first school for women in Indonesia in 1912 in Semarang. They taught
Indonesian women how to read and write, so that they could come out of ignorance.

In addition to teaching, she also wrote letters to her friends in the Netherlands. One of them is
Rosa Abendanon which strongly supported Kartinis idea. She also often wrote to the Dutch
womens magazine De Hollandsche Lelie several times. Thanks to her efforts, many women
schools were built in other areas such as in Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Malang, Madiun, and
Cirebon. Moreover, there was also Kartini Foundation, founded by Van Deventers family
who is a political figures, opened Kartinis School.

R.A Kartinis Death On 13th September 1904, RA Kartini died after giving birth to her son
named RM Soesalit. She was 25 years old at that time. Although she had passed away, her
spirit and brilliant ideas remain alive and inspire Indonesian women to continue the struggle
to make her dream comes true.
Even her spirit made a Dutch figure, Mr.JH Abendanon, compiled and published her letters
sent to her friends in Europe entitle Duisternis DOOR TOT Licht, which means Through
Darkness to Light.