Kangjeng Gusti Pangeran Adipati Arya Mangkunegara I, also known as Pangeran Sambernyawa ("''Life Reaping Prince''"), his birth name was Raden Mas Said (April 7, 1725 – December 28, 1795), established the Puro

Mangkunegaran The Principality of Mangkunegaran () was a small Javanese princely state located within the region of Surakarta in Indonesia. It was established in 1757 by Raden Mas Said, when he submitted his army to Pakubuwono III in February, and swore a ...

, in

Surakarta Surakarta (Javanese script, Javanese: , Pegon script, Pegon: ), known colloquially as Solo (Javanese script, Javanese: ; ), is a major List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in Central Java, Indonesia. The city adjoins Karanganyar Reg ...

Java Island Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

. Thus, he was the first ruler of The Principality of

Personal life

Mangkunegara was given the nickname "Life Reaping Prince" by Nicolaas Hartingh because the prince had brought his enemies to death during the war. Hatingh was the Dutch East India Company's Governor of the Northeast Coast of Java, located in Batavia. He was born on 7 April 1726 in

Kartasura Kartasura (, also spelled Kartosuro) is a district ''(kecamatan)'' in Sukoharjo Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. Kartasura is considered Surakarta's satellite city and a junction of highways to Yogyakarta and Semarang. It can be reached within ...

. Mangkunegara was brought up by his mother, Raden Ayu Wulan and his father, Prince Mangkunegara Kartasura. His maternal grandfather was Prince Sambernyawa Balitar and his paternal grandfather was

Amangkurat IV Amangkurat IV was the son of Pakubuwono I, and Susuhunan Mataram between 1719 and 1726. His son was ruler of Mataram, Pakubuwono II. References * Miksic, John N. (general ed.), et al. (2006) ''Karaton Surakarta. A look into the court of Sur ...

, King of Mataram.

War Against Dutch East India Company

Raden Mas Said (RM Said) war against the Dutch East India Company started with the rebellion in Kartasura Palace on June 30, 1742, which was led by Raden Mas Garendi (a.k.a. Sunan Kuning) and destroyed the four meters of Kartasura’s castle wall.

Pakubuwono II Pakubuwono II (also transliterated Pakubuwana II) (1711–1749) was the ruler of Mataram. His correct title in Javanese etiquette standards contains honorific appellations, some of which each successive ruler inherits. The move of his court fro ...

, the ruler of Kartasura Palace at that time, evacuated himself to

Ponorogo Regency Ponorogo Regency (; ) is an inland Regency (Indonesia), regency () of East Java Province of Indonesia. It is considered the birthplace of Reog, Reog Ponorogo, a traditional Indonesian dance form. The regency covers an area of , and it had a popu ...

. RM Said was 19 years old when he joined his brother,

Mangkubumi ''Mangkubhumi'' (; ; Jawi: ) is a term for prime minister which was historically used in kingdoms in Java, Sumatra and Borneo during Hindu–Buddhist civilizations in Nusantara.ISBN 978-979-407-410-7 Elsewhere, ''Mangkubhumi'' is also referred ...

, to defend the people of Mataram which was oppressed by the Dutch Company, and their king,

. The two brothers siege the Kartasura Palace, which was called the Dutch puppet Kingdom. When the army sieged the palace, the nobles left the Kartasura Palace to evacuate themselves. RM Said built a fortress in Randuwalang, to the north of

, and merged his army with Sunan Kuning forces to fight against the Dutch Company. RM Said was promoted and became the warlord. Their army managed to destroy the Surakarta Palace. When

died,

ran to

Semarang Semarang (Javanese script, Javanese: , ''Kutha Semarang'') is the capital and largest city of Central Java province in Indonesia. It was a major port during the Netherlands, Dutch Dutch East Indies, colonial era, and is still an important regio ...

to meet the ruler of the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...

and asked him so

become the king of Mataram. Of course, the

did not grant Mangkubumi’s wish. Then,

joins Prince Puger in Sukowati, a district in Surakarta. With the help of the Dutches, all of the Chinese armies drove out from Kartasura Palace, but six months later,

went back to Kartasura just to find out that his palace had been destroyed. But the king’s request for reinforcement from the Dutches is not for free, and must be paid expensively; the north region of

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

, from Rembang, Pasuruan, Surabaya, and Madura Island must be handed over to the

. Also, every coronation and promotion in the palace must receive approval from the Dutch Company first. When Prince

declared that he join the army with RM Said, he chose to guerrilla against the Dutch Company in the jungle in Jogjakarta. RM Said married to Ray. Kusumapatahati, the daughter of Kyai Kasan Nuriman. Then, at the age of 22, married again for the second time with Raden Ayu Inten (Kangjeng Ratu Bandara), the daughter of Prince

. When RM Said separated his army from Raden Mas Garendi, and built a headquarters in Panambangan, then declared himself as Price Mangkunegara I. Not long after his declaration, his throne was struck by lightning. This means that RM Said cannot be the king or act like the king in the palace. When the news of the death of

heard, RM Said met Prince

and asked his parent-in-law to declare himself as a king of Mataram before the coronation of the son of Pakuwubono II. Prince Mangkubumi declared himself as "Sultan Hamengkubuwono", and RM Said was promoted to become the warlord. His wife, Raden Ayu Inten, changed her name to “Kanjeng Ratu Bandara”. But of course, the reign of Mangkubumi wasn’t approved by the

. So many events happened after fighting against the Dutch Company, Prince Mangkubumi and Prince Mangkunegara had a conflict about politics. RM Said had to fight the

alone. And finally, Mataram was divided into two by the

Treaty of Giyanti The Treaty of Giyanti (also known as the Treaty of Gianti Java, the Gianti Agreement, or the Giyanti Treaty) was signed and ratified on February 13, 1755, between Prince Mangkubumi, the Dutch East India Company, and Sunan Pakubuwono III along ...

on February 13, 1755. This treaty was rejected by RM Said because it could ruin the unity of the Mataram people. Over the 16 years, RM Said fought 250 marvelous battles against the Dutch Company. From that, the Dutches called RM Said “The Soul Reaper” because he is the nightmare of his enemies. RM Said greatness in war strategy was not just praised by his followers but also feared by his enemies. Even the Dutch governor of East Java, Baron van Hohendorff, admitted RM Said’s brilliance in war.

References

Sources

* Soekanto, Dr., "About Djogjakarta" ''1755-1825'', Djakarta: Mahabharata, Amsterdam, 1952 * Anderson, BRO’G. The Idea of Power in Javanese Culture dalam Anderson, BRO’G. Language and Power: Exploring Political Cultures in Indonesia. Cornell University Press. 1990. * * Miksic, John N. (general ed.), et al. (2006) Karaton Surakarta. A look into the court of Surakarta Hadiningrat, central Java (First published: 'By the will of His Serene Highness Paku Buwono XII'. Surakarta: Yayasan Pawiyatan Kabudayan Karaton Surakarta, 2004) Marshall Cavendish Editions Singapore * Princes of Mangkunegaran 1725 births 1796 deaths 18th-century Indonesian people {{SEAsia-royal-stub