Jayanegara
Encyclopedia
Jayanegara reigned from 1309 to 1328, was a Javanese King and the second monarch
of Majapahit empire
. Jayanegara was the heir, crown prince, the son of Raden Wijaya
, the founder of Majapahit. The story of his life was written in several records, including Pararaton
and Negarakertagama. His reign saw the beginning of Gajah Mada
's rise as an important figure in the empire.
was to ensure his claim of legitimacy, also to prevent the contest for Kertanegara's Singhasari
legacy. Raden Wijaya also took Indreswari (also known as Dara Petak), the princess of Malayu Dharmasraya Kingdom
whom brought to Majapahit court from Sumatra through Kertanegara's Pamalayu expedition
.
Without any doubt Prince Jayanegara was a legitimate son of Raden Wijaya. However there are several versions concerning Jayanegara's mother. Some earlier historian consider him as the son of Queen Tribhuwana (not to be confused with Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi, Jayanegara's half-sister daughter of Gayatri Rajapatni), thus he earn the right to become the crown prince. However according to Pararaton, Jayanegara was Wijaya's son from Dara Petak, princess of Malayu Dharmasraya
. While Queen Tribhuwana is childless, Gayatri Rajapatni has two daughters, Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi
and Rajadewi. To reconcile this facts, some historian suggested that Jayanegara was Dara Petak's son adopted by childless Queen Tribhuwana and raised as her own.
and his Bhayangkara royal guard special unit, Jayanegara barely escaped from the capital and safely hiding in Badander village. While the king was in hiding, Gajah Mada returned to the capital city to learn the situation. After learning that Kuti's rebellion was not supported by the people as well as nobles of Majapahit court, Gajah Mada wage a resistance forces to crush Kuti rebellion.
Finally Kuti forces was crushed and Jayanegara safely returned to his throne. For his loyalty and excellent service, Gajah Mada was promoted to higher office and begin his career in court royal politics.
According to tradition, although strikingly handsome, Jayanegara was notorious for his immorality and bad behavior. Known for his unpopular acts on desiring the wives and daughters of his subordinates. For this, he was entitled Kala Gemet, or "weak villain".
One of his untasteful acts was his desire to taking his own stepsisters, Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi
and Rajadewi, as wives. He put his half-sisters in the custody of a fortified palace and left them unmarried beyond their suitable age for marriage. However his act was likely motivated to ensure his position and legitimacy, to prevent the future contest from the suitors of his half-sisters.
His unpopularity in Javanese literature and traditions was fuelled by his origin as the son of Sumatra
n Malayu
princess, this make him viewed as a foreigner, not a true Javanese, nor the son of Kertanegara's daughters, thus make him weak in his legitimacy on Rajasa dynastic
legacy.
has remained a mystery. Some theory suggested it was caused by the king's immorality on taking Tanca's beautiful wive for his own. While other theory suspected Gajah Mada was the mastermind behind the assassination, as Gajah Mada was the loyal and trusted advisor for Princess Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi. Until his death Jayanegara was remain childless without any heir, and his throne was passed to one of his siblings.
Jayanegara's stepmother, Gayatri Rajapatni, was supposed to secure the throne, because she was the only legitimate Majapahit elder that was still alive. However Rajapatni has retired from worldly affairs to become a bhiksuni (a Buddhist nun) in a monastery. Rajapatni appointed her daughter, Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi, or known in her formal name as Tribhuwannottungadewi Jayawishnuwardhani, as the third monarch of Majapahit under Rajapatni's auspices.
The Bajang Ratu gate in Trowulan
was traditionally linked to Jayanegara. The gate was identified as the part of Çrenggapura (Çri Ranggapura), his pedharmaan, the Kapopongan of Antawulan, a holy compound to appease and honor the soul of the late King Jayanegara.
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
of Majapahit empire
Majapahit Empire
Majapahit was a vast archipelagic empire based on the island of Java from 1293 to around 1500. Majapahit reached its peak of glory during the era of Hayam Wuruk, whose reign from 1350 to 1389 marked by conquest which extended through Southeast Asia. His achievement is also credited to his prime...
. Jayanegara was the heir, crown prince, the son of Raden Wijaya
Raden Wijaya
Raden Wijaya was a Javanese King, the founder and the first monarch of Majapahit empire. The history of his founding of Majapahit was written in several records, including Pararaton and Negarakertagama...
, the founder of Majapahit. The story of his life was written in several records, including Pararaton
Pararaton
The Pararaton, also known as the Book of Kings, is a manuscript in the Kawi language. The comparatively short text of 32 folio-size pages contains the history of the kings of Singhasari and Majapahit in eastern Java...
and Negarakertagama. His reign saw the beginning of Gajah Mada
Gajah Mada
Gajah Mada was, according to Javanese old manuscripts, poems and mythology, a powerful military leader and mahapatih or prime minister of the Majapahit Empire, credited with bringing the empire to its peak of glory...
's rise as an important figure in the empire.
Early life
Raden Wijaya took all of Kertanegara's four daughters in the hand of marriage. The siblings are Tribhuwana the oldest also the queen, Prajnaparamitha, Narendra Duhita, and Gayatri Rajapatni the youngest. The reasons of Raden Wijaya's practice of siblings polygamyPolygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
was to ensure his claim of legitimacy, also to prevent the contest for Kertanegara's Singhasari
Singhasari
Singhasari was a kingdom located in east Java between 1222 and 1292. The kingdom succeeded Kingdom of Kediri as the dominant kingdom in eastern Java.-Foundation:...
legacy. Raden Wijaya also took Indreswari (also known as Dara Petak), the princess of Malayu Dharmasraya Kingdom
Melayu Kingdom
Melayu Kingdom was a classical Southeast Asian kingdom that existed between the 7th and the 13th century of the common era. It was established around present-day Dharmasraya on Sumatera, Indonesia, approximately 300 km north of Palembang...
whom brought to Majapahit court from Sumatra through Kertanegara's Pamalayu expedition
Pamalayu expedition
The Pamalayu expedition was a military expeditionary force sent by King Kertanegara of Singhasari to conquer the Sumatran Melayu Kingdom. It was decreed in 1275, though perhaps not undertaken until later.Little is known about the results of the expedition...
.
Without any doubt Prince Jayanegara was a legitimate son of Raden Wijaya. However there are several versions concerning Jayanegara's mother. Some earlier historian consider him as the son of Queen Tribhuwana (not to be confused with Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi, Jayanegara's half-sister daughter of Gayatri Rajapatni), thus he earn the right to become the crown prince. However according to Pararaton, Jayanegara was Wijaya's son from Dara Petak, princess of Malayu Dharmasraya
Melayu Kingdom
Melayu Kingdom was a classical Southeast Asian kingdom that existed between the 7th and the 13th century of the common era. It was established around present-day Dharmasraya on Sumatera, Indonesia, approximately 300 km north of Palembang...
. While Queen Tribhuwana is childless, Gayatri Rajapatni has two daughters, Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi
Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi
Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi or known in her regnal name Tribhuwannottunggadewi Jayawishnuwardhani, was a Javanese queen regnant and the third monarch of Majapahit empire, reigning from 1328 to 1350...
and Rajadewi. To reconcile this facts, some historian suggested that Jayanegara was Dara Petak's son adopted by childless Queen Tribhuwana and raised as her own.
Reign
The reign of Jayanegara was a difficult and chaotic one, marked with several rebellions by unsatisfied Wijaya's former generals and princes. Among others are Nambi rebellion in 1316 and Kuti rebellion in 1319. Kuti rebellion is the most dangerous and a significant one, as Kuti managed to take control of palace and the capital city. With the help of Gajah MadaGajah Mada
Gajah Mada was, according to Javanese old manuscripts, poems and mythology, a powerful military leader and mahapatih or prime minister of the Majapahit Empire, credited with bringing the empire to its peak of glory...
and his Bhayangkara royal guard special unit, Jayanegara barely escaped from the capital and safely hiding in Badander village. While the king was in hiding, Gajah Mada returned to the capital city to learn the situation. After learning that Kuti's rebellion was not supported by the people as well as nobles of Majapahit court, Gajah Mada wage a resistance forces to crush Kuti rebellion.
Finally Kuti forces was crushed and Jayanegara safely returned to his throne. For his loyalty and excellent service, Gajah Mada was promoted to higher office and begin his career in court royal politics.
According to tradition, although strikingly handsome, Jayanegara was notorious for his immorality and bad behavior. Known for his unpopular acts on desiring the wives and daughters of his subordinates. For this, he was entitled Kala Gemet, or "weak villain".
One of his untasteful acts was his desire to taking his own stepsisters, Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi
Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi
Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi or known in her regnal name Tribhuwannottunggadewi Jayawishnuwardhani, was a Javanese queen regnant and the third monarch of Majapahit empire, reigning from 1328 to 1350...
and Rajadewi, as wives. He put his half-sisters in the custody of a fortified palace and left them unmarried beyond their suitable age for marriage. However his act was likely motivated to ensure his position and legitimacy, to prevent the future contest from the suitors of his half-sisters.
His unpopularity in Javanese literature and traditions was fuelled by his origin as the son of Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
n Malayu
Malay people
Malays are an ethnic group of Austronesian people predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, including the southernmost parts of Thailand, the east coast of Sumatra, the coast of Borneo, and the smaller islands which lie between these locations...
princess, this make him viewed as a foreigner, not a true Javanese, nor the son of Kertanegara's daughters, thus make him weak in his legitimacy on Rajasa dynastic
Rajasa Dynasty
House of Rajasa was the ruling family of Singhasari kingdom and later Majapahit empire in 13th to 15th century eastern Java. The rulers of Singhasari and Majapahit trace their origins back to the mysterious figure of Ken Arok or Sri Ranggah Rajasa, who founded the Rajasa dynasty early in the 13th...
legacy.
Assassination
In 1328, Jayanegara was murdered by his doctor, Tanca, during a minor operation. Gajah Mada punished and killed Tanca right away before the thorough investigation commenced. The true nature of Jayanegara assassinationAssassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
has remained a mystery. Some theory suggested it was caused by the king's immorality on taking Tanca's beautiful wive for his own. While other theory suspected Gajah Mada was the mastermind behind the assassination, as Gajah Mada was the loyal and trusted advisor for Princess Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi. Until his death Jayanegara was remain childless without any heir, and his throne was passed to one of his siblings.
Jayanegara's stepmother, Gayatri Rajapatni, was supposed to secure the throne, because she was the only legitimate Majapahit elder that was still alive. However Rajapatni has retired from worldly affairs to become a bhiksuni (a Buddhist nun) in a monastery. Rajapatni appointed her daughter, Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi, or known in her formal name as Tribhuwannottungadewi Jayawishnuwardhani, as the third monarch of Majapahit under Rajapatni's auspices.
The Bajang Ratu gate in Trowulan
Trowulan
Trowulan is a village in Mojokerto, in the Indonesian province of East Java. It is surrounded by an archaeological site covering approximately 100 square kilometres. It has been suggested it was the site of the eponymous capital city of the Majapahit Empire, which is described by Mpu Prapanca in...
was traditionally linked to Jayanegara. The gate was identified as the part of Çrenggapura (Çri Ranggapura), his pedharmaan, the Kapopongan of Antawulan, a holy compound to appease and honor the soul of the late King Jayanegara.