Decline
By 1625, Mataram was the undisputed ruler of Java. However, its military strength did not deter Mataram’s former overlords from rebellion. Pajang rebelled in 1617, and Pati rebelled in 1627. Following the capture of Surabaya in 1625, expansion halted as the empire was beset by rebellions. In 1630, Mataram crushed a rebellion in Tembayat (southeast of Klaten) and in 1631-36, Mataram had to suppress the rebellion of Sumedang and Ukur in West Java. M. C. Ricklefs and H. J. De Graaf argued that these rebellions in the later part of Sultan Agung’s reign were mainly due to his inability to capture Batavia in 1628-29, which shattered his reputation of invincibility and inspired Mataram’s vassals to rebel. This argument seems untenable for two reasons. Rebellions against Sultan Agung began as far back as 1617 and occurred in Pati even during his peak of perceived invincibility, after his conquest of Surabaya in 1625. Secondly, his military failure to capture Batavia was not seen as political failure from the Javanese point of view.
Read more about this topic: Sultan Agung Of Mataram
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