kingdom · Maritime Southeast Asia

Surakarta Sunanate

1755 CE – 1946 CE · capital Surakarta

Senior successor of the Javanese Mataram dynasty, whose Susuhunan kept an influential court at Surakarta until the revolution of 1946.

Origins

After the Chinese War sacked the court at Kartasura in 1742, Susuhunan Pakubuwono II moved the Mataram capital to Surakarta in 1745. The Treaty of Giyanti in 1755 divided the realm, leaving Pakubuwono III with the eastern half while the Yogyakarta Sultanate took the west, and in 1757 further lands went to Mangkunegaran.

Rule and society

The Susuhunan presided over the most elaborate court of Java, regarded as the guardian of Javanese tradition, with royal poets such as Ronggowarsito, gamelan ensembles, bedhaya dances and Islamic ritual. Real power rested increasingly with the Dutch resident, while royal lands were leased to European sugar and tobacco planters in the 19th century.

Decline and legacy

Unlike Yogyakarta, the court did not win popular support during the Indonesian revolution. An anti-royalist movement in 1946 led the Republic of Indonesia to end its special status, and Surakarta became an ordinary city. The kraton survives with a ceremonial Susuhunan.

Lineage

Mataram Sultanate 1587 CE – 1755 CESurakarta SunanateIndonesia 1945 CE – present

Connections (3)

Surakarta Sunanate was a vassal of Dutch East India Company territories1755 CE – 1799 CE
Mangkunegaran split from Surakarta Sunanate1757 CE
Surakarta Sunanate was a vassal of Dutch East Indies1800 CE – 1942 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Surakarta Sunanate. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/surakarta-sunanate
MLA: “Surakarta Sunanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/surakarta-sunanate. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Surakarta Sunanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/surakarta-sunanate.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Surakarta Sunanate’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/surakarta-sunanate (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻