Hamengkubuwono VII
Sultan of Yogyakarta
Hamengkubuwono VII (also: Hamengkoeboewono VII) was born on 4 February 1839 in the Yogyakarta Hadiningrat craton as Raden Mas Murtejo, a bastard of Hamengkubuwono VI and Radin Ayu Sepuh, Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Sultan, Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Agung. He was a Javanese monarch from the dynasty of sultans of Yogyakarta. The monarch ruled from 20 July 1877 until his abdication on 29 January 1921 as a "self-governor" in his kingdom subject to the Netherlands. He was assisted, in fact controlled, by a Dutch governor. The bastard was adopted in 1872 by Hamengkubuwono VI and his wife Ratu Kinchana, who thus became his stepmother and mother. The full title of the monarch, who since 8 February 1878 also held the high rank of honorary major-general in the Royal Dutch East Indies Army, was His Highness Sampeyan Dalam ingkang Sinuhun Kanjeng Sri sultan Hamangkubuwono VII Senapati ing Alaga Ngah 'Abdu'l-Rahman Saiyid ud-din Panatagama Khalifatu'llah ingkang Yumeneng Kaping, sultan of Yogyakarta. Like the other Javanese self-rulers, Hamengkubuwono's power was limited by treaties and administrative agreements with the Netherlands. The governor-general of the Dutch East Indies was, in the flowery terms of colonial protocol, "His Grandfather" and he was his "grandson". The Dutch East Indies
government had appointed a Dutch governor in Yogyakarta who walked as the "Older Brother" arm in arm with the sultan, the "Younger Brother", and also sat next to him. There was much awe among the Javanese people for the sultan of Yogyakarta and for his magic-lined craton. In 1872, the later Hamengkubuwono VII was installed as crown prince with the title Kanjeng Gusti Pangeran Adipati Anum Amangku Negara Sudibya Rajaputra Nalendra ing Mataram. After his father's death on 20 July 1877, Hamengkubuwono VII was installed on the throne in Jogjakarta on 22 December. He ruled under Dutch control from 1877 to 1921. Like the other Muslim Javanese monarchs, Hamengkubuwono VII was also polygamous. He married Bandara Radin Ajeng Sukina/Bandara Radin Ajeng Mangkubumi a daughter of Hamengkubuwono V in 1856, but that marriage was dissolved in 1859. Another 17 marriages followed. The monarch fathered 48 children. During his reign, agricultural reforms were implemented in the kingdom of Yogyakarta. In this, Dutch governor Johannes Bijleveld assisted him. The seventeen sugar mills established on his land during Hamengkubuwono VII's reign brought him huge revenues as all the land in the sultanate was his property. He was therefore called "Sultan Sugih", or "Rich King". The monarch modernised Yogyakarta and had a European primary school founded there. Some of his 31 sons were also sent there. He also sent sons to the Netherlands for a European education. The 28 daughters remained in the East Indies.
The Yogyakarta Kraton Guards are the contingents of soldiers guarding the Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat, the official residence of the Sultans of Yogyakarta. They serve ceremonial and security functions. By tradition, the reigning Sultan of Yogyakarta serves as Colonel-in-chief of the Guards. The Yogyakarta Kraton Guards were formed during the reign of Hamengkubuwono I around the seventeenth century. The soldiers of the infantry and cavalry troops used firearms, in the form of rifles and cannons. For about half a century, the Kraton Guards were strong, as was proven when Hamengkubuwono II led an armed resistance against the invasion of British troops under General Gillespie in June 1812. Following the reign of Hamengkubuwono III, the British company was able to dissolve the army of the Yogyakarta Sultanate. In an agreement on October 2, 1813, signed by Sultan Hamengkubuwono III and Stamford Raffles, it was written that the Sultanate of Yogyakarta was not justified in maintaining strong armed forces. Under the supervision of the British Government of the Company, the palace could have only limited armed entities. It was no longer possible for them to perform military functions. Since then, the function of armed units has been limited to guarding the sultan, the palace, and its traditions. When the Dutch East India Company returned to power, the armed forces that had been weakened were increasingly reduced until they had no military relevance. According to existing records, from the reign of Hamengkubuwono VII to the reign of Hamengkubuwono VIII between 1877 and 1939 13 companies of the Kraton Guard Regiment existed.
The Mataram dynasty is a reference to a dynasty or family that occupies the throne of the Mataram Sultanate. After the Javanese Revolutionary War in the 18th century to the present, the Mataram dynasty ruled the fragmented monarchs of the Mataram Sultanate (Catur Sagatra). The Giyanti Treaty divides the Mataram Sultanate into two; Surakarta Sunanate and Yogyakarta Sultanate. According to the Babad Tanah Jawi, the House of Mataram is descended from Ki Ageng Sela through his grandson, Ki Ageng Pemanahan. The latter figure is the father of Panembahan Senopati, the first king of Mataram. Ki Ageng Sela himself is said to have descended from Brawijaya V, the last king of Majapahit. After the Third Javanese War of Succession was over, three kingdoms were formed, two of which became full heirs of the Mataram Dynasty (Sultanate of Yogyakarta and Surakarta Sunanate). The third was known as the Duchy of Mangkunegaran. During the split of Mataram, Sultan Hamengkubuwono I, Susuhunan Pakubuwana III, and Duke Mangkunegara I were all siblings. When the British came to power in Java, Raffles installed Prince Natakusuma, son of Sultan Hamengkubuwana I, as an
independent prince who ruled a new imperial monarchy, the Pakualaman Duchy, as a repayment for his assistance in helping the resistance of the Sultanate of Yogyakarta against British rule.
Awards: Insignia and star of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand, Sash and star of the Order of the Netherlands Lion, Star of the Order of Orange-Nassau.
