sultanate · Maritime Southeast Asia

Pajang Sultanate

1568 CE – 1586 CE (approx.) · capital Pajang

A short-lived inland Javanese sultanate under Hadiwijaya that moved power from the coast to the interior between Demak and Mataram.

Origins

Hadiwijaya, also known as Jaka Tingkir, was a son-in-law of Sultan Trenggana of Demak and ruler of Pajang, near modern Surakarta. In the succession war after Trenggana's death he defeated Arya Penangsang with the help of Ki Ageng Pemanahan and his son Sutawijaya, and took the title sultan, the register dating his rule from 1568.

Rule and society

Pajang moved the centre of Javanese power from the north coast to the rice lands of the interior. Hadiwijaya received the homage of the East Javanese lords at Giri Kedaton and rewarded Ki Ageng Pemanahan with the land of Mataram.

Decline and legacy

Sutawijaya grew powerful at Mataram and defied Pajang. After Hadiwijaya died in 1582, Arya Pangiri of Demak seized the throne, but in 1586 Sutawijaya, allied with Hadiwijaya's son Pangeran Benawa, deposed him. Pajang became a dependency of the Mataram Sultanate.

Lineage

Demak Sultanate 1475 CE – 1554 CEKalinyamat 1549 CE – 1579 CEPajang SultanateMataram Sultanate 1587 CE – 1755 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Pajang Sultanate. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pajang-sultanate
MLA
“Pajang Sultanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pajang-sultanate. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Pajang Sultanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pajang-sultanate.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Pajang Sultanate’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pajang-sultanate (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻