Behind the Conquest of Surabaya by Sultan Agung

Behind the Conquest of Surabaya by Sultan Agung

By Cindy Murti Fatikasari

In the historical literature of the archipelago, Islamic Mataram can be said to be the cruelest empire. Sultan Agung Hanyokrokusumo (1593 - 1645) was the king of the Mataram Sultanate who ruled from 1613-1645. His real name is Raden Mas Jatmika or known as Raden Mas Rangsang.

Initially, Mataram was just a small area around Kota Gede. King Hadiwijaya gave this land from the kingdom of Pajang as a contest prize. This area eventually enlarged to form its own kingdom, and the kingdom of Pajang also declined. Mataram's sovereignty was recognized through the surrender of the throne from Prince Benawa to Panembahan Senopati. Panembahan Senopati continued to try to expand the expansion of his territory after being confirmed as King of Mataram. The politics of Mataram expansion under the command of Panembahan Senopati is said to have sparked conflict between Mataram and the areas that were its target of conquest. Almost all areas in central and eastern Java were subordinated to Mataram as envisioned by Panembahan Senopati.

When entering the 17th order, three emerged as prominent powers, namely the Sultanate of Banten in West Java, the Sultanate of Mataram in the interior of Central Java, and the Duchy of Surabaya on the coast of East Java. As a result, Panembahan Senopati launched a target of expansion to Surabaya. This was because the Duke of Surabaya at that time was seen as the most formidable ruler, and had many subordinate areas. The conquest of Surabaya was considered automatically as other areas under Surabaya's control became Mataram's territory. The Mataram Kingdom also consolidated its power by uniting other kingdoms, such as Pajang around 1588, Demak in 1588, Madiun in 1590, and the Kediri Kingdom in 1591. Mataram also made an attack on Surabaya, a remedy for its failed expansion westward into the Kingdom of Banten. circa 1597 AD. It is said that the attempt to conquer Mataram to Surabaya was carried out by three generations of kings namely Panembahan Senopati, Hanyokrowati, and Sultan Agung.

Sultan Agung was one of the kings who succeeded in bringing the Islamic Mataram kingdom to its peak in 1627, to be precise fourteen years after Sultan Agung led the Islamic Mataram kingdom, he succeeded in conquering coastal areas such as Surabaya.

"From 1620 to 1625, Sultan Agung laid siege to Surabaya and destroyed its crops," wrote Ricklefs. "Finally in 1625 Surabaya was conquered, not because it was attacked but because it died of hunger."

Sultan Agung's strategy to conquer Surabaya was to dam Kali Mas, a tributary of the Brantas river. The people of Surabaya are pretty dependent on this water source, but the Brantas River is filled with human and animal remains so some of the water that flows becomes dirty and toxic. As a result, many people in Surabaya were affected by the disease, namely coughing, itching, and stomach pain, this is what caused Surabaya to surrender.

The report to the Dutch dated October 27, 1625, stated: “This summer Surabaya surrendered to the king of Mataram, without a fight, simply because of a shortage of people and because of hunger, so that out of 50-60 thousand people there was no one left alive. more than a thousand." Even the Daghregister, May 1, 1624, says "500 souls remained, the rest dead and missing due to desolation and hunger".