Hayam Wuruk

Hayam Wuruk (1334-1389), also known as Rajasanagara, Pa-ta-na-pa-na-wu, or Bhatara Prabhu after 1350, was a Javanese Hindu emperor from the Rajasa Dynasty and the 4th emperor of the Majapahit Empire. Together with his prime minister Gajah Mada, he ruled the empire at its pinnacle. During his reign, the Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, became ingrained in Javanese culture and worldview via wayang kulit (leather puppets). He is considered one of the most important historical figures in Indonesia. Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi preceded him, and his son-in-law Wikramawardhana succeeded him.

Gayatri Rajapatni died in her retirement at a Buddhist monastery in 1350. She was the consort of Raden Wijaya, Majapahit's first king, and the grandmother of Hayam Wuruk. Queen Tribhuwana was forced to abdicate because she ruled Majapahit under Rajapatni's authority and was forced to hand over the throne to her son.

Hayam Wuruk ascended to the throne at the age of 16 in 1350, when the mahapatih (prime minister) Gajah Mada was at the pinnacle of his career. Majapahit expanded its power throughout the Indonesian archipelago of Nusantara under his rule.

According to the Pararaton and Kidung Sunda, King Hayam Wuruk was supposed to marry Dyah Pitaloka Citraresmi, the Sunda Kingdom's princess, in 1357. The purpose of this royal engagement was most likely political, in order to strengthen the alliance between the Majapahit and Sundanese Kingdoms. The Sunda royal family and their guards, on the other hand, were involved in a skirmish with Majapahit troops in the Bubat incident. The planned royal wedding ended in disaster, with the princess and the entire Sunda royal party dying. The court officials blamed Gajah Mada because his intention to demand submission from the Sunda Kingdom resulted in bloodshed. Hayam Wuruk married his half-sister, Paduka Sori, daughter of Dyah Wiyat, several years later. Hayam Wuruk and Paduka Sori were born to the same father but had different mothers.

Mpu Prapanca wrote the kakawin of Nagarakretagama, an old Javanese eulogy for King Hayam Wuruk, in 1365 (1287 Saka year). Hayam Wuruk's royal excursion around the Majapahit realm to visit villages, holy shrines, vassal kingdoms, and territory in East Java was described in the manuscript. From 1370 to 1381, he dispatched ambassadors to China.

Hayam Wuruk and Queen Sori had a daughter, Crown Princess Kusumawardhani. Kusumawardhani married Prince Wikramawardhana, a relative. Hayam Wuruk, on the other hand, had a son, Prince Wirabhumi, from a consort concubine. Following Hayam Wuruk's death in 1389, the empire descended into chaos and decline as Wikramawardhana and Wirabhumi fought for succession. The conflict resulted in Wirabhumi's defeat in the Regreg war. Wikramawardhana took over as King of Majapahit after Hayam Wuruk died.

Birthdate: 1334
Died: 1389