Different than many early rulers, which resigned from public live, or worked hard with industry and trade, the ruling Yogya family Hamengku Buwono has demanded a prominent place in the Indonesian society. It's serving thought to the people and interest in national welfare gave them - on more than only historical grounds - national respect. This is mostly because of the energic sultan, deceased Hamengku Buwono IX (ruling from 1930 until 1989).
Hamengku Buwono I (leading from 1755 until 1792) was a dynamic military leader, who's battle against the Dutch and his own family ended in a cease-fire after nine years. Negotiations helped him get 50 per cent of the Mataram kingdom; a price which the Dutch paid for peace. As a renewing citicen he gave the kingdom a splendid palace and a unique pleasure garden in an artificial lake;
Taman Sari.
After the death of Hamengku Buwono I the throne fell in hands of one of his sons, an arrogant, cunningly rules which government was branded with intrigues. Hamengku Buwono II got unique faith to be set-off three times, once by the Dutch and two times by the English, and to be banned twice, to Penang and to Ambon. He was put back on duty time after time. Above all he was a very potent husband; his two wives and 31 extra wives gave him 80 children.
Hamengku Buwono III didn't neither heir the strong power of his dad, or the arrogance of him. An unbeneficial agreement with the English under Raffles lead to great unrest in the royal huse. When his 13-year-old son Hamengku Buwono IV was throned in 1814, new intrigues came up. His early death in 1822 would have been the result of poisoning.
The fifth son of the dynasty was aged three at that time, and became an orphan because of a commission which was appointed by the Dutch. A member of that was also prince Diponegoro, uncle of the young sultan. Arguments over fundamental laws started the Jawa War (1825-1830), in which Diponegoro had a leading role; the unrest was either organised against the Dutch as well as his own family. After that Yogya got four generations of peacefull sultans. The sultans became protectors of the traditional arts. Just like with other Asian rulers they looked at the foreign rulers, and gave themselves big houses.
Under Hamengku Buwono VIII, dance and theathre had a 'Golden Century' in the 1920's and 1930's. A big part of the royal income was spend at big entertainment shows, which took days and featured hundreds of people.
Another point of big investment was western education of children of the sultan. Prince Dorodjatun was put in Dutch families ever since he was four. He visited Dutch schools in Yogya, Semarang and Bandung, and was send to the Netherlands where he graduated after nine years at the Leiden University.
Because of the uncertain situation in Europe, and the worsening health of his father, Dorodjatun was called back to Yogya in 1939. At his arrival in Batavia his father told him he would be his successor. At his way home, the health of the sultan worsened dramatically. It is said that lightning striked at clear sky, a very bad sign for the Jawanese. The next day Hamenku Buwono VIII died.
The sultan-to-be, which spoke Dutch fluently and was well educated in western politics and economics, negotiated for six months with the government about the conditions on he was to accept the throne. In his speech, in Dutch, he said: "However I was educated in a western way, I will always be a Jawanese".
Practical and quick he took daily power in very difficult conditons. During the Japanese occupation (1942-1945), he refused to send Yogya labourers abroad, he said he needed them himself, to build an irrigation canal between the rivers Progo and Opak. At the same time he brought a visit to the rural population, which was suffering more and more because of the worsening living conditions.
His support to the young Indonesian republic seemed an very important decission during the four years of revolution. After that, during tens of years of civil unrest and economical malaise, he supported the nation with his power and ease. He became minister several times and even was vice-president under Suharto once, which didn't lead to harm of the status of sultan in any way.
On the 7th of March 1989, five months after his death, his son became sultan Hamengku Buwono X with pomp and circumstances. The young sultan didn't heir his fathers throne alone, but also much of his power and healthy mind. He is manager of the local Chamber of Commerce and member of the national law enforcing power. In his role as pioneer of Yogya, and guard of the local traditional culture, the sultan enjoys an high popularity.
