WI: Mataram Sultanate unifies Java, no Dutch East Indies

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The Mataram Sultanate was one of the notable islamic sultanates of pre-colonial Indonesia. In the early 17th century, it i volved itself in a siege against the dutch-founded port of Batavia, which was unsuccessful. Eventually, Batavia would grow, enough to overshadow Mataram and then absorb it.
But what if the Mataram sultan had been more cautious and prepared for such a siege, or instead chose to leave the siege for later, when the area around Batavia had clearer supply routes? Thus, what if the dutch had been expelled from Java?
Without the growing wealth of the DEI, how would the Dutch Republic fare? Would it seek another colony elsewhere?
And, with an effectively independent Java, what are the effects?
 
Having taken Batavia, Sultan Agung would immediately move to his archenemy, the sultanate of Banten, and conquer it. This effectively unites Islamic Java. His next goal would be Blambangan (which he did conquer OTL in the mid-1630s), the last Hindu part of the island.

By 1635 all Java is united under Mataram.

But all this isn't very far from OTL. Mataram really failed because of Sultan Agung's son and heir, Amangkurat I. Amangkurat is widely considered by the Javanese to be the epitome of a tyrant, and for good reason:
  • He murdered basically all his father's ministers and replaced them with sycophants, causing the Dutch to remark on "this strange manner of government in which the old are killed to make place for the young."
  • He executed 2,000 Muslim clerics and their wives and children. Their bodies were left rotting for months afterward, a serious offense to Muslim funeral rules.
  • He banned all ships, even fishing boats. Note that Java is, you know, an island. All private trade was also banned.
  • His arrogance ruined any hope of Mataram participating in a wide anti-Dutch alliance, while Mataram's overseas vassals saw no point to swearing fealty and gradually just stopped sending tribute.
  • By the 1660s he was refusing to let his dead wife be buried, spending months besides her rotting body. As you can see, by this time he was, well, totally insane.
This wouldn't change even if Mataram kicked out the Dutch.

The real divergence would start in the 1670s. In the 1670s, Trunajaya, a prince from Madura (the big island right next to northeast Java), revolted, totally crushed Amangkurat's tottering regime, and very nearly founded a new dynasty until the Dutch and their Sulawesi allies came in. Without the Dutch, Trunajaya definitely wins.

Now, the demands Trunajaya made during his rebellion were twofold. First, a Javanese king should not have anything to do with Christians like the Dutch because the Javanese are a Muslim people. Second, a true Javanese king should have his capital at Majapahit, the capital of the greatest empire in Javanese history. If Trunajaya became king, he would surely have moved his capital to Majapahit and founded a new and strongly anti-European sultanate there. And considering Majaoahit's proximity to the coast and Madura's coastal maritime traditions, this new Majapahit could become a vast maritime empire just like the original Hindu Majapahit.

Oh, and another divergence to think about; if Mataram conquers Banten, the English will have to buy most of their black pepper somewhere else--most likely Aceh. This could strengthen Aceh and help it not decline into feudalism as it historically did.

ETA: And a Dutch East Indies would still exist without Java, it would simply focus more on Maluku (perhaps with Melaka as a more central holding when it's eventually taken).
 
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To kill the Dutch East Indies in its cradle, you need to have the Spaniards triumph completely over the VOC. Governor Juan de Silva's campaign to subjugate the Dutch with Portuguese help would be a good POD. Of course, such a thing happening would not stop the British or French from doing their thing.

As for Mataram... IDK much about the region so eh. :p
 
To kill the Dutch East Indies in its cradle, you need to have the Spaniards triumph completely over the VOC. Governor Juan de Silva's campaign to subjugate the Dutch with Portuguese help would be a good POD. Of course, such a thing happening would not stop the British or French from doing their thing.
Why, though?
Java is populous, rich, and self-sustaining if needed. I assume conquering it was quite a challenge for the dutch, especially under periods of unity such as the Mataram zenith.
 
Why, though?
Java is populous, rich, and self-sustaining if needed. I assume conquering it was quite a challenge for the dutch, especially under periods of unity such as the Mataram zenith.

The VOC is ruthless. Do not underestimate the collective wills of a bunch of people who want nothing but profit. :p
 
Also, look at that British guy who conquered Bengal. He was little more than an employee of the BEIC.
 
The VOC is ruthless. Do not underestimate the collective wills of a bunch of people who want nothing but profit. :p
Just because it's an european state, doesn't mean it's unbeatable in its asian conquests. Why wasn't Japan conquered, so?
The BEIC took about a century to subjugate India, and, even then, was really lucky to do so, considering all the powerful states (Mughals, Marathas, Mysoreans, nawabs of Bengal, Sikhs, the burmese) that only fell for stupid reasons, at just the right timing. And even then, the british had to make concessions to the remaining small indian kingdoms under their thumb, the only way to control their territories at least semi-directly.
A similar policy was taken in the dutch east indies. Cue, the surprisingly bloody dutch-acehnese war at the end of the 19th century.
 
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Just because it's an european state, doesn't mean it's unbeatable in its asian conquests. Why wasn't Japan conquered, so?
The BEIC took about a century to subjugate India, and, even then, was really lucky to do so, considering all the powerful states (Mughals, Marathas, Mysoreans, nawabs of Bengal, Sikhs, the burmese) that only fell for stupid reasons, at just the right timing. And even then, the british had to make concessions to the remaining small indian kingdoms under their thumb, the only way to control their territories at least semi-directly.
A similar policy was taken in the dutch east indies. Cue, the surprisingly bloody dutch-acehnese war at the end of the 19th century.
Its wrong to compare typical india/indonesian kingdoms to what Japan was. Japan as a whole after being unified under Tokugawa had EXTREME control over trade with foreigners an extremely large population, and very impressive urban centers (Kyoto may have been the largest city at one point). Japan had a very good reason for not being conquered.
 
Its wrong to compare typical india/indonesian kingdoms to what Japan was. Japan as a whole after being unified under Tokugawa had EXTREME control over trade with foreigners an extremely large population, and very impressive urban centers (Kyoto may have been the largest city at one point). Japan had a very good reason for not being conquered.
I know it was an inaccurate comparison, but i just had to bring it up since nearly all created ATL scenarios i see have India and Indonesia being inevitably colonized by europeans while Japan ends up okay.
IMO, both protectionist and free-trade native asian states had a chance at survival.
 
The fundamental challenge the Javanese states had was their intractable instability. Even if Mataram was able to throw the VOC out of Java, and even if Agung was followed by another ruler of equal or even greater ability, there is no reason to think that there would be no more civil wars/state collapse which is what created an opening for the VOC in the first place. In terms of economic and military strength the Javanese in aggregate exceeded the local European forces until at leas the mid 18th century, if not for far longer. They could not capitalise on this strength due to their disunity. Defeating the VOC in the early 17th century would have massive effects on Java and the rest of the region, but later European domination remains quite likely so long as the political structure of Java/Indonesia remains the same.

Now, the demands Trunajaya made during his rebellion were twofold. First, a Javanese king should not have anything to do with Christians like the Dutch because the Javanese are a Muslim people. Second, a true Javanese king should have his capital at Majapahit, the capital of the greatest empire in Javanese history. If Trunajaya became king, he would surely have moved his capital to Majapahit and founded a new and strongly anti-European sultanate there. And considering Majaoahit's proximity to the coast and Madura's coastal maritime traditions, this new Majapahit could become a vast maritime empire just like the original Hindu Majapahit.

All quite possible, but simply being a maritime power would not solve the issue. Banten was quite a powerful maritime state but was undone by internal politicking which allowed the Dutch to gain dominion with very little expenditure in resources. Under Trunajaya this would not happen to alt-Mataram/Majapahit redux, but his successor? Or his successor's successor? IMO a large maritime empire would be even more vulnerable than OTL Mataram which managed to survive for centuries thanks to its relatively efficient centralised location, while a maritime empire would simply have more internal actors looking to undermine it for their personal gain. What Java/Mataram needs is some sort of genuine political reform that reduces the capacity of internal actors to undermine the state, though how this can be achieved I do not know.
 
They are also a possible thorn to the Spanish, one of the people who are against the Spanish in Luzon have ties with them the Pagan/Javanese principalia/nobles in Luzon..
 
The fundamental challenge the Javanese states had was their intractable instability. Even if Mataram was able to throw the VOC out of Java, and even if Agung was followed by another ruler of equal or even greater ability, there is no reason to think that there would be no more civil wars/state collapse which is what created an opening for the VOC in the first place. In terms of economic and military strength the Javanese in aggregate exceeded the local European forces until at leas the mid 18th century, if not for far longer. They could not capitalise on this strength due to their disunity. Defeating the VOC in the early 17th century would have massive effects on Java and the rest of the region, but later European domination remains quite likely so long as the political structure of Java/Indonesia remains the same.

The 17th/18th saw state building across Eurasia as governments centralized power. Was Java an exception to this trend?
 
The 17th/18th saw state building across Eurasia as governments centralized power. Was Java an exception to this trend?
Did it? Doubtless many parts of Eurasia saw that, but it's a pretty big place and I have no doubt there were many exceptions. Java certainly did not experience that, though to be fair by the 18th century Java was very pre-occupied with the Dutch interference. I don't doubt that it would have been possible under some circumstances for a Javanese state to undergo the sort of transformation necessary to properly resist European incursion, but this is something that would have to happen in the TL.
 
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