Majapahit (Javanese: ꦩꦗꦥꦲꦶꦠ꧀, romanized: Måjåpahit; Javanese pronunciation: [mɔd͡ʒɔpaɪt] (eastern and central dialect) or [mad͡ʒapaɪt] (western dialect)), also known as Wilwatikta (Javanese: ꦮꦶꦭ꧀ꦮꦠꦶꦏ꧀ꦠ; Javanese pronunciation: [wɪlwatɪkta], Sanskrit: विल्वतिक्त, romanized: vilvatikta), was a Javanese Hindu-Buddhist thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia based on the island of Java (in modern-day Indonesia). At its greatest extent, following significant military expansions, the territory of the empire and its tributary states covered almost the entire Nusantara archipelago, spanning both Asia and Oceania. After a civil war that weakened control over the vassal states, the empire slowly declined before collapsing in 1527 due to an invasion by the Sultanate of Demak. The fall of Majapahit saw the rise of Islamic kingdoms in Java.
Established by Raden Wijaya in 1292, Majapahit rose to power after the Mongol invasion of Java and reached its peak during the era of the queen Tribhuvana and her son Hayam Wuruk, whose reigns in the mid-14th century were marked by conquests that extended throughout Southeast Asia. This achievement is also credited to the famous prime minister Patih Gajah Mada. According to the Nagarakṛtāgama written in 1365, Majapahit was an empire of 98 tributaries, stretching from Sumatra to New Guinea; including territories in present-day Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, southern Thailand, Timor Leste, and southwestern Philippines (in particular the Sulu Archipelago), although the scope of Majapahit sphere of influence is still the subject of debate among historians. The nature of Majapahit's relations and influence upon its overseas vassals and also its status as an empire still provokes discussion.
Majapahit was one of the last major Hindu-Buddhist empires of the region and is considered to be one of the greatest and most powerful empires in the history of Indonesia and Southeast Asia. It is sometimes seen as the precedent for Indonesia's modern boundaries. Its influence extended beyond the modern territory of Indonesia and has been the subject of many studies.
Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
01History
After the Pamalayu campaign to conquer the Melayu Kingdom in Sumatra from 1275–1292, the kingdom of Singhasari became the most powerful polity in the region. Shortly after, Singhasari was directly challenged by Emperor Kublai Khan, the Khagan of the Mongol Empire and emperor of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China, who sent emissaries demanding tribute. The king of Singhasari, King Kertanagara, refused to pay the tribute and mutilated a Yuan minister's face before sending him back to China. Enraged, Emperor Kublai Khan sent a massive expedition of 30,000 soldiers and 1,000 ships to Java as a punitive expedition in 1293. By the time that the Yuan army returned to Java to exact their revenge, however, King Kertanagara was already dead; he had been killed by Jayakatwang, the Adipati (Duke) of the Kingdom of Kediri, a vassal state of Singhasari. Meanwhile, King Kertanegara's son-in-law, Raden Wijaya, had been pardoned by the usurper King Jayakatwang with the aid of Aria Wiraraja, the Regent of Madura, and was given timberland in Trowulan as consolation.
Article sections from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Excerpted for readability.