Surapati

From slave to ruler of East Java, he resisted the Dutch for twenty years.

Life

Born a slave

Surapati was originally Balinese. Sold into slavery as a child, he worked as a servant in the household of a Dutch official in Batavia, later escaped, and gathered a following to resist the Dutch.

Kartasura

In 1686 the Dutch officer Tack led troops to the Mataram capital, Kartasura, to hunt him down; Surapati ambushed them in the city, killing Tack and several hundred Dutch soldiers. He then set up a regime at Pasuruan in East Java and styled himself a prince.

East Java

In 1706 he was wounded and died during an attack by a coalition of Dutch and Mataram forces; his sons and grandsons continued the resistance for years.

Legacy

Surapati is honored as a national hero of Indonesia, and his deeds became a subject of traditional Javanese literature.

Did you know? He rose from a slave who had been sold into bondage to become a ruler in his own right, and he is one of the most legendary figures in Javanese tradition.

Key dates

• 1686Killed the Dutch officer Tack at Kartasura
• 1690Established a realm in East Java (approx.)
• 1706Died of his wounds