The Sultanate of Cirebon (Indonesian: Kesultanan Cirebon, Pegon: كسلطانن چيربون, Sundanese: ᮊᮞᮥᮜ᮪ᮒᮔᮔ᮪ ᮎᮤᮛᮨᮘᮧᮔ᮪) was an Islamic sultanate in West Java founded in the 15th century. It is said to have been founded by Sunan Gunungjati, as marked by his letter proclaiming Cirebon's independence from Pajajaran in 1482, although the settlement and the polity had been established earlier in 1445. Sunan Gunungjati also established the Sultanate of Banten. It was one of the earliest Islamic states established in Java, along with the Sultanate of Demak.
The sultanate's capital lay around the modern-day city of Cirebon on Java's northern coast. Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the sultanate thrived and became a major regional centre of trade and commerce, as well as a prominent centre of Islamic learning. The sultanate split into three royal houses in 1677, and a fourth split off in 1807, each with their own separate lines of descent and kratons; Kraton Kasepuhan, Kraton Kanoman, Kraton Kacirebonan, and Kraton Kaprabonan. They remain today, performing ceremonial duties.
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Etymology
There are several suggestions concerning the origin of the name "Cirebon". According to Sulendraningrat, who based it on the Babad Tanah Sunda script, and Atja who based it on the Carita Purwaka Caruban Nagari script, Cirebon was at first a small hamlet built by Ki Gedeng Tapa, which eventually developed into a bustling port village named Caruban (Sundanese for "mixture"), because the port town was a melting pot settled by immigrants from various ethnic groups, religions, languages, customs, and livelihoods.
Another theory suggests that the town's name is derived from rebon, the Sundanese word for small shrimp that live in the area. Initially, a common livelihood in the settlement was fishing and collecting rebon along the coast, making shrimp paste or petis udang from it. The term for water used in shrimp paste manufacturing (belendrang) is cai rebon (Sundanese for "rebon water"), which later gave its name to the town as Cirebon.
History
Most of the history of the Cirebon Sultanate comes from a Javanese chronicle known as a Babad. Several notable chronicles which focused on the history of Cirebon are Carita Purwaka Caruban Nagari and Babad Cerbon. Foreign sources also mentioned Cirebon, such as Tomé Pires' Suma Oriental, written in 1512–1515. The later period of the sultanate is documented in colonial sources of the Dutch East Indies. Other than recording its own history, one of the royal houses of Cirebon, especially Keraton Keprabonan led by the Wangsakerta princes, also actively recorded and researched the history of Java by collecting old manuscripts.
Formation
The village of Muara Jati was in the coastal area around the port of Cirebon and was part of the Sunda Kingdom, as stated in the travel records of Prince Bujangga Manik, a Hindu Sundanese hermit who visited several Hindu sites in Java and Bali in the late 15th century or early 16th century. The border of the Sunda Kingdom in the west is the Sunda Strait and in the east is the Cipamali River (present-day kali Brebes) and Cisarayu River in Central Java. During this time, Muara Jati was located around 14 kilometres north of modern-day Cirebon. The transformation from a small Hindu coastal fishing village into a thriving Muslim port began with the rule of Ki Ageng Tapa.
Ki Ageng Tapa (also known as Ki Ageng Jumajan Jati) was a wealthy merchant living in the village of Muara Jati. He was appointed as port master of Muara Jati fishing village by the Sunda king in Kawali, Galuh, located further inland south of Muara Jati. The thriving port town attracted Muslim traders. Ki Gedeng Tapa and his daughter, Nyai Subang Larang, are said to have been converted to Islam. His daughter studied at Quro pesantren (Islamic school) in the Karawang area.
The West Java region including Muara Jati belonged to the Sunda Kingdom, with its capital in Pakuan Pajajaran. The Sunda King Prabu Jayadewata or Sri Baduga Maharaja, popularly known as King Siliwangi, was married to Nyai Subang Larang and had three children; Prince Walangsungsang born in 1423, Princess Rara Santang (Syarifah Mudaim) born in 1426, and Prince Kian Santang (Raden Sangara) born in 1428.
Although Prince Walangsungsang was the first-born son of the king, he did not earn the right of a crown prince of Pakuan Pajajaran because his mother, Nyai Subang Larang, was not the prameswari (queen consort). Another reason was probably because of his conversion to Islam, probably influenced by his mother, Subang Larang, who was a Muslim woman. The state's religion was Sunda Wiwitan (Sundanese ancestral religion), Hinduism and Buddhism. It was his half-brother, King Siliwangi's son from his third wife Nyai Cantring Manikmayang, who was chosen as crown prince, and who later ascended to the throne as King Surawisesa.
In 1442 Prince Walangsungsang married Nyai Endang Geulis, daughter of Ki Gedheng Danu Warsih from the Gunung Mara Api hermitage. Walangsungsang, with his sister Rara Santang, wandered around several hermitages to study spiritualism. At Gunung Amparan Jati they met an ulama, Sheikh Datuk Kahfi from Persia. Walangsungsang, Rara Santang, and Endang Geulis, learned Islam from him. The Sheikh asked the Prince to open a new settlement in the area southeast of Gunung Jati (today the Lemahwungkuk area). Walangsungsang was assisted by Ki Gedheng Danusela, Ki Gedheng Danu Warsih's younger brother. The new settlement was called Dukuh Alang-alang. By clearing the forests, he established a new settlement on 8 April 1445.
Growth
After his resignation in 1479, Cakrabuana was succeeded by his nephew, Sharif Hidayatullah (1448–1568), the son of Nyai Rara Santang and Sharif Abdullah of Egypt. He married his cousin, Nyi Mas Pakungwati daughter of Cakrabuana and Nyai Mas Endang Geulis. He is popularly known with his posthumous name, Sunan Gunung Jati; he ascended the throne as Sultan Carbon I and resided in Keraton Pakungwati.
In 1482 Sharif Hidayatullah sent a letter to his grandfather King Siliwangi, stating that Cirebon refused to pay tribute to Pajajaran. Cakrabuana had always paid Pajajaran tribute to acknowledge Sunda overlordship over Cirebon. By doing this Cirebon proclaimed itself as a sovereign independent state. The Cirebon independence proclamation was marked with Chandrasengkala (chronogram) Dwa Dasi Sukla Pakca Cetra Masa Sahasra Patangatus Papat Ikang Sakakala, which corresponds to 2 April 1482. Today, the day is marked by the anniversary of Cirebon Regency.
By 1515, Cirebon was established as an Islamic state. In the Suma Oriental, written in 1512–1515, Tomé Pires, a Portuguese explorer reported:
First the king of Çumda (Sunda) with his great city of Dayo, the town and lands and port of Bantam, the port of Pomdam (Pontang), the port of Cheguide (Cigede), the port of Tamgaram (Tangerang), the port of Calapa (Kelapa), and the port of Chemano (Chi Manuk or Cimanuk), this is Sunda, because the river of Chi Manuk is the limit of both kingdoms.
Now comes Java and we must speak of the kings within the hinterland. The land of Cheroboam (Cherimon), the land of Japura, the land of Locarj (Losari), the land of Tateguall (Tegal), the land of Camaram (Semarang), the land of Demaa (Demak), Tidumar (Tidunan), the land of Japara (Jepara), the land of Ramee (Rembang), the land of Tobam (Tuban), the land of Cedayo (Sedayu), the land of Agasij (Grisee or Gresik), the land of Curubaya (Surabaya), the land of Gamda, the land of Blambangan, the land of Pajarucam (Pajarakan), the land of Camtã, the land of Panarunca (Panarukan), the land of Chamdy, and when its ended we will speak of the great island of Madura.
According to the report, Cirebon was identified as Cheroboam or Cherimon. In 1515 Cirebon was no longer under the authority of the Hindu Sunda Kingdom, but rather identified as Java's north coast port. It referred to Cirebon as an established Muslim state, just like those of Demak and Gresik.
Decline
After the death of Panembahan Ratu in 1649, the throne was succeeded by his grandson, Prince Karim or Prince Rasmi, since the latter's father, Prince Seda ing Gayam (Panembahan Adiningkusuma) died first. Prince Rasmi then assumed the name of his deceased father, Panembahan Adiningkusuma, also known as Panembahan Ratu II. He is posthumously referred to as Panembahan Girilaya.
During the reign of Panembahan Adiningkusuma, the Sultanate of Cirebon was sandwiched between two great powers, the Sultanate of Banten in the west, and Mataram Sultanate in the east. Banten suspected Cirebon had grown closer to Mataram, since Amangkurat I of Mataram was Panembahan Adiningkusuma's father in-law. Mataram, on the other hand, suspected that Cirebon was not sincerely cementing the alliance with their Central Javanese counterpart since Panembahan Adiningkusuma and Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa of Banten belonged to the same Sundanese Pajajaran lineage.
Although Cirebon had never been attacked by Mataram since 1619, Cirebon has been practically held under Mataram's influence and acts as a vassal. In 1650 Mataram asked Cirebon to urge Banten to submit under Mataram domination. Banten refused, and in response, Mataram urged Cirebon to attack Banten. In 1650 Cirebon sent 60 ships to attack Banten's port of Tanahara. However, this naval campaign ended in the disastrous defeat of Cirebon. Around the time, Cirebon's relations with Mataram had been strained. The tension culminated with the execution of Panembahan Adiningkusuma in Plered, while Prince Mertawijaya and Prince Kertawijaya were taken as hostages in Mataram.
Panembahan Adiningkusuma was summoned to Plered in Mataram by his father in-law, Susuhunan Amangkurat I of Mataram. However, he was executed instead. From his marriage with the daughter of Sunan Amangkurat I, Panembahan Adiningkusuma had three children: Prince Martawijaya, Prince Kertawijaya, and Prince Wangsakerta. He was entombed on Giriloyo hill near Yogyakarta, near the royal tomb of the Mataram kings in Imogiri, Bantul Regency.
With the death of Panembahan Girilaya, Cirebon was left without a monarch. Prince Wangsakerta assumed the everyday administration, but was worried about the fate of his elder brothers being held as hostages in the Mataram court. Because of this incident, the Cirebon succession was also held hostage by Mataram, and by their own grandfather Amangkurat I. Wangsakerta went to Banten to seek Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa's help to free his brothers. The sultan was the son of Prince Abu Maali that had died in the 1650 war with Cirebon. Tirtayasa agreed to assist Cirebon and saw it as an opportunity to improve diplomatic relations between Banten and Cirebon. Taking advantage of the outbreak of the Trunojoya rebellion against Mataram, Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa secretly supported the revolt and managed to save the two Cirebon princes.
Culture
During its early formation years, the sultanate actively propagated Islam. Cirebon sent their ulamas to proselytise Islam into inland West Java. Together with Banten, they are credited for the Islamization of the Sundanese people in West Java as well as coastal Java. Because the Sultanate is located on the border of the Javanese and Sundanese cultural realms, the Sultanate of Cirebon demonstrates both aspects, reflected in its art, architecture, and language. The Sultanate of Pakungwati Palace shows the influence of Majapahit red brick masonry architecture. The styles and titles of its officials are also influenced by Javanese Mataram courtly culture.
As a port city, Cirebon attracts settlers from around and overseas alike. Cirebon culture was described as Java Pasisiran (coastal) culture, similar to those of Banten, Batavia, Pekalongan, and Semarang, with notable influences and mixtures of Chinese, Arabic-Islamic, and European. The Cirebon batik has vivid colours with motifs and patterns that demonstrate Chinese and local influences. Chinese influences can be seen in Cirebon's culture, most notably the Cirebon batik Megamendung pattern that resembles Chinese cloud imagery.
Some of the royal symbols of the Cirebon Sultanate describe their legacy and influences. The banner of Cirebon Sultanate is called "Macan Ali" (Ali's panther) with Arabic calligraphy arranged to resemble a panther or tiger, describing both Islamic influence and also the influence from the Hindu Pajajaran Sundanese King Siliwangi's tiger banner. The royal carriage of Kasepuhan's Singa Barong and Kanoman's Paksi Naga Liman resembles the mixture of three animals; eagle, elephant, and dragon, to symbolize Indian Hinduism, Arabic Islam, and Chinese influences. The images of Macan Ali, Singa Barong, and Paksi Naga Liman are also often featured as patterns in Cirebon batik.
The remnants of the Cirebon Sultanate; Kasepuhan, Kanoman, Kaprabonan, and Kacirebonan keratons are now run as cultural institutions to preserve Cirebon culture. Each still hold their traditional ceremonies and are patrons of Cirebon art. Topeng Cirebon mask dance, inspired by Javanese Panji cycles is one of the notable Cirebon traditional dances and is known as an Indonesian dance. Although it does not hold real political power anymore, the royal lineage of Cirebon is still well respected and held in high prestige among the people of Cirebon.
List of sultans
Prince Cakrabuana: 1447–1479, is considered the founder of the Cirebon Sultanate.
Sunan Gunungjati (Sultan Cirebon I): 1479–1568
Fatahillah: 1568–1570, the crown prince died the position of head of government was carried out by Fatahillah.
Panembahan Ratu I (Sultan Cirebon II): 1570–1649
Panembahan Ratu II (Sultan Cirebon III): 1649–1677
In 1679 the Sultanate of Cirebon was divided into two kingdoms, namely Kasepuhan and Kanoman, due to the struggle for power between the brothers.