Kingdom of Klungkung

Origins

After a revolt destroyed the court of Gelgel, the Dewa Agung Jambe re-established the main Balinese dynasty at Klungkung (Semarapura) in 1686. Though other kingdoms such as Karangasem, Buleleng and Badung became stronger, they still acknowledged the Dewa Agung as first among the rajas of Bali, the heir of the Majapahit-descended kings.

Rule and society

Klungkung was small, but its ruler held ritual primacy and presided over Balinese law and ceremonial. The court built the Kertha Gosa hall of justice, whose painted ceilings in the Kamasan style survive. In 1849 the Dewa Agung Istri Kanya, a woman ruler, led resistance at Kusamba, where the Dutch commander Andreas Michiels was killed.

Decline and legacy

When the Dutch invaded in April 1908, the Dewa Agung Jambe II led his family and followers into a puputan, a ritual suicidal march into rifle fire. Klungkung was annexed into the Dutch East Indies, and later restored as a regency under the descendants of the royal house.