Background During the Majapahit period c. 13th century, the
eastern realm was regarded as a peripheral area of the Javanese kingdom, which centered in
Trowulan, Majapahit, and surrounding
Brantas River basin, whereas the eastern salient areas such as
Lumajang were regarded as outlying provinces. The Majapahit kingdom was established in 1293 by
Raden Wijaya with the help of the cunning and able
Arya Wiraraja, the Regent of
Madura. As a reward of Wiraraja's support, in 1295, Raden Wijaya agreed to give the eastern salient of Java, which includes Blambangan areas with
Lumajang as its capital. The
Nagarakretagama, composed in 1365, mentioned that the central part of the eastern corner of Java was visited by King
Hayam Wuruk in his royal tour in 1359. The poem contains interesting information about the region.
Formation and growth The eastern realm becomes a vassal or
mancanagara (provinces) of Majapahit. Over time the Eastern realm steadily becomes more autonomous and where an Eastern court is situated, rivalling the Majapahit central authority. The rivalry erupted in the
Regreg war (1404–1406), which was fought as a contest of succession between the
Western court led by
Wikramawardhana, against the Eastern court (which would become the Blambangan Kingdom) led by
Bhre Wirabhumi. In 1406 the Western troops led by Bhre Tumapel, the son of Wikramawardhana, penetrated the eastern palace and defeated Bhre Wirabhumi. After the collapse of Majapahit in the late 15th century, Blambangan stood alone as the sole Javanese Hindu polity in Java. The kingdom subsequently was contested and harassed by successive expansive Javanese Islamic states to the west, from
Demak to
Pajang and
Mataram. Other accounts asserted that the conquest of Blambangan by the forces of
Sultan Agung of Mataram took place in 1639, which was also the end of Panarukan's independence. In the early 18th century, the
Dutch and
British contested each other’s political and economic power in the region. Internal disputes about the succession at the court of Blambangan impaired the kingdom, making it vulnerable to foreign intervention. ==See also==