Surakarta Sunanate

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Surakarta Sunanate (Indonesian: Kasunanan Surakarta; Javanese: ꦟꦒꦫꦶ
ꦑꦱꦸꦤꦤꦤꦤ ꦯ ꦸꦸꦫꦏꦂꦠꦲꦢꦶꦤꦫ ꦁ ꦠ꧀ , Kasunanan/Karaton Surakarta
Hadiningrat; Dutch: Soerakarta) is a Javanese monarchy centred in the city of Surakarta, in the
province of Central Java, Indonesia.
The Surakarta Kraton was established in 1745 by Pakubuwono II. Surakarta Sunanate
and Yogyakarta Sultanate are together the successors of Mataram Sultanate. Unlike their
counterparts in Yogyakarta, who use the title of sultan, the rulers of Surakarta use the title of sunan.
The Dutch name was used during Dutch colonial rule until the 1940s. The title is
sometimes anglicized as the Prince of Solo, from the location of their palace.

Contents

 1History
 2Residences
 3See also
 4Further reading
 5External links
 6References

History[edit]
Serimpi dancers, circa 1910

After Sultan Agung I, the power and prestige of Sultanate of Mataram was declining due to a power
struggle and conflict of succession within the royal family. The VOC (Dutch East India Company)
exploited the power struggle to increase its control on Java, and manage to gain concessions of
Mataram's former colony inPriangan and Semarang. The Mataram seat
in Plered near Kotagedecollapsed after the Trunojoyo revolt in 1677. Sunan Amral (Amangkurat II)
relocated the palace to Kartasura. During the reign of Sunan Pakubuwono II, in 1742 Raden Mas
Garendi (Sunan Kuning) led Chinese mercenaries and launched a revolt against the crown and also
VOC. Raden Mas Garendi was the son of Prince Teposono and also the grandson of Amangkurat II.
The rebels managed to take control of the Kartasura capital and ousted Pakubuwono II who fled and
sought refuge in Ponorogo. With the help of Adipati Cakraningrat IV the ruler of western Madura,
Pakubuwono II regained the capital and cracked down on the rebellion. However the palace of
Kartasura was destroyed and considered inauspicious since the bloodbath took place there.
Pakubuwono II decided to build a new palace and capital city in Sala (Solo) village. The transfer of
the capital to Sala village is commemorated in chandrasengkala (chronogram) "Kombuling Pudya
Kepyarsihing Nata" which corresponds to Wednesday 12 Sura 1670 Javanese year (17 February
1745). The date is considered the day that the Surakarta Sunanate was established.
Pakubuwono II faced numerous rebellions, among other from Raden Mas Said, and later from his
own younger brother, Prince Mangkubumi who joined Mas Said's rebellion in 1746. Pakubuwono II
died from illness in 1749, but before he died, he entrusted the royal affairs of Surakarta to his trusted
protector, Baron von Hohendorff, a VOC officer. On behalf of the successor of Pakubuwono
II, Pakubuwono III, the VOC manage to broker a peace negotiation with Prince Mangkubumi. The
peace deal was reached with Mataram Sultanate being split in two based on the Treaty of Giyanti of
13 February 1755: Yogyakarta Sultanate under the rule of Prince Mangkubumi who was later
stylised as Hamengkubuwono I and Surakarta Sunanate under Pakubuwono III.

The Giyanti Treaty named Pangeran Mangkubumi as Sultan of Yogyakarta. During the era of Dutch
rule, there were recognised two main principalities ofVorstenlanden Mataram, the Surakarta
Sunanate and The Yogyakarta Sultanate. Then a few years later Surakarta was divided further with
the establishment of theMangkunegaran Princedom after the Treaty of Salatiga (17 March 1757).
TheMangkunegaran Princedom was led by notorious rebel Raden Mas Said who was stylised as
Mangkunegara I. The territory of Surakarta Sunanate were reduced much further after the Java
War (1825–1830) led by Prince Diponegoro. SusuhunanPakubuwono VI was alleged to have
secretly supported Diponegoro's rebellion, and as punishment after the Java War the Sunanate was
obliged to surrender much of its lands to the Dutch.

Throughout the Dutch East Indies era, the Sunanate of Surakarta enjoyed autonomous status under
the Vorstenlanden Mataram arrangements.Together with Sultanate of Yogyakarta, the Sunanate of
Surakarta was considered as a vassal state of the Dutch Empire under royal patronage of
Netherlands crown. The peak of the Surakarta Sunanate's prestige and power were during the reign
of Pakubuwono X (1893–1939) when the Sunan renovated and enlarged the Surakarta palace and
construct many infrastructure projects and buildings in Surakarta city. The kingdom faced an era of
strife and uncertainty during World War II and the Japanese occupation of Indonesia.

After the declaration of independence of the Republic of Indonesia on 17 August 1945, followed
by Indonesian National Revolution, the Surakarta Sunanate with Mangkunegaran Princedom sent a
letter of confidence to Sukarno to demonstrate their support for the Indonesian Republic. As the
reward the Republic awarded the status of Daerah Istimewa (Special Region, similar to today
Yogyakarta Sultanate) within the Republic of Indonesia. However, because the political agitation and
opposition from Indonesian communists that led to an anti-monarchy movement and rebellion in
early 1946, on 16 June 1946 the Indonesian Republic aborted the special region status; both
Surakarta's and Mangkunegara's status were reduced to merely a residence and were later merged
into Central Java province.

In contrast, the Yogyakarta Sultanate has successfully maintained special status. Yogyakarta's
historical support and close ties with the founding fathers of the Indonesian Republic during the war
of independence and Indonesian national revolution. The Surakarta Sunanate holds no actual
political power. Its power is limited to royal prestige and its special position in sustaining
traditional Javanese culture. The prestige still remains, that leading many leaders and political
figures in Indonesia to seek affiliations with the Sunanate.

Residences[edit]
The principal residence of the sunan is the kraton (palace), sometimes called the Surakarta
Kraton or Kraton Solo but otherwise known in formal terms as Karaton Surakarta Hadiningrat. As is
the case with a number of other kratons in various cities in Java, the Surakarta Kraton has become
quite neglected over the years. Very little funding is available for maintenance, many parts of the
palace have been in an advanced states of decay.[1]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surakarta_Sunanate