By. Sulistiyo, Nanda

When the Portuguese first came to Java, a few Hindu states in the interior still held out against the Islamic kingdom of the north coast. Portuguese attempts to again political and military power were not successful in Java. Ironically, the Portuguese anti Moslem attitude strengthened the progress of Islamization on Java. 

When the Dutch arrived in 1600, both inland and coastal states were Islamized. The Dutch established a military post at Batavia, but the Javanese princes of Mataram and Bantam remained autonomous in the area that they controlled. The Dutch were primarily interested in the trade rather than military and political control. They paid tribute to the Javanese princes to secure trading rights. In the beginning, then the Javanese princes were in the superior position. The Dutch role was not really colonial yet.

Sultan Agung of Mataram attempted to gain complete dominion over Java. His military campaigns were successful until he reached Batavia. The difference in technical levels between East and West was not very great at the time, but the Dutch possessed maritime supremacy. Because of this, they were able to defeat Sultan Agung’s huge army in 1629.

Although, Sultan Agung retained political control over the interior of Java, the kingdom of Mataram became economically dependent on the Dutch. By the end of the 17th century the Dutch controlled most of the ports on the North coast of Java. They leased the land from the Sultan of Mataram. Since the Javanese needed the money, they agreed to this arrangement.