Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta (also Jogjakarta or Jogja) is a city and province on the island of Java, Indonesia. It is the only province in Indonesia that is still formally governed by a precolonial Sultanate, the Sultanate of Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat. The city is known as a center of classical Javanese fine art and culture such as batik, ballet, drama, music, poetry and puppet shows. It is also famous as a center for Indonesian higher education.

History

The sultanate of Yogyakarta, formally the Sultanate of Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat, was formed in 1755 when the existing Sultanate of Mataram was divided by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in two under the Treaty of Giyanti. This treaty states that the Sultanate of Mataram was divided into the Sultanate of Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat with Yogyakarta as the capital and Mangkubumi who became Sultan Hamengkubuwono I the sultan and the Sultanate of Surakarta Hadiningrat with Surakarta as the capital and Pakubuwono III who was the ruler of the Sultanate of Mataram as the sultan. The Sultan Hamengkubuwono I spent the next 37 years building the new capital, with the Kraton as the centrepiece and the court at Surakarta as the blueprint. By the time he died in 1792, his territory exceeded Surakarta's.

Related Topics:
Sultan - 1755 - Mataram - Dutch East India Company - Treaty of Giyanti - Hamengkubuwono I - Surakarta - Pakubuwono III

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The ruler Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX (April 12, 1912 - 1988) held a degree from the Dutch Leiden University, and held for a time the largely ceremonial position of Vice-President of Indonesia, a mark of his status, as well as Minister of Finance and Minister of Defense.

Related Topics:
Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX - Leiden University

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In response to Indonesian indepence, at September 5, 1945, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX of Yogya and Sri Paku Alam VIII in Yogya declare their palaces to be part of the Republic of Indonesia. In return for to this declaration, by a law passed in 1950, Yogyakarta was granted the status of province Daerah Istimewa (Special Region Province), with special status in Indonesia that recognizes the power of the Sultan in contemporary affairs.

Related Topics:
Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX - Sri Paku Alam VIII - Province

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Hence Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX was appointed as the governor for life. During the Indonesian war of independence against the Dutch after World War II (1945-1950), the capital of the newly-declared Indonesian republic was temporarily moved to Yogyakarta when the Dutch reoccupied Jakarta from January 1946 until August 1950.

Related Topics:
Indonesian war of independence - World War II - 1945 - 1950 - Indonesia - Jakarta

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The current ruler of Yogyakarta is his son, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, who holds a law degree from Universitas Gadjah Mada. On the elder sultan's death, the position of governor, according to the agreement with Indonesia, was to pass to his heir. However, Jakarta insisted on an election. In 1998, Sultan Hamengkubuwono X was elected governor by the people of Yogyakarta directly, defying the will of the central government. He remains the only governor in Java without a military background: "I may be a sultan," he has been quoted in Asia Week as saying, "but is it not possible for me to also be a democrat?" http://www.asiaweek.com/asiaweek/99/0319/nat4.html

Related Topics:
Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X - Universitas Gadjah Mada - Asia Week

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See also List of Governors of Yogyakarta

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