Prehistory East Java has been inhabited by humans since prehistoric times. This was proven by the discovery of fossils remains of the
Pithecanthropus mojokertensis in Kepuhlagen,
Mojokerto;
Pithecanthropus erectus on
Trinil,
Ngawi; and
Homo wajakensis in Wajak,
Tulungagung.
Hindu-Buddhist era is a warlord and (Prime Minister) who was very influential during the
Majapahit Empire. The Dinoyo inscriptions found near the city of
Malang are the oldest written sources in East Java, dating from 760 CE. It tells of many political and cultural events in the Kingdom of Kanjuruhan. The name Malang is thought to come from the name of a sacred building called Malangkuseswara. This name is contained in the
Mantyasih inscription written in 907 CE. In 1222,
Ken Arok founded the
Kingdom of Singhasari, which he ruled until 1292. Before coming to power, Ken Arok seized power in Tumapel (
Kediri) from Tungul Ametung. Ken Arok's descendants became kings of
Singhasari and
Majapahit from the 13th until the 15th century. In 1227,
Anusapati killed Ken Arok, and later became king of Singhasari. Anusapati's power only lasted 20 years, before he was killed by Tohjaya. Three years later, Tohjaya was killed in an uprising led by Jaya Wisnuwardhana, son of Anusapati. In 1268, Wisnuwardhana died, and he was succeeded by
Kertanegara (1268–1292). In 1292 Kertanegara was defeated by a rebel named Jayakatwang, ending the Singhasari. In 1293,
Kublai Khan, founder of the
Yuan dynasty, sent a large invasion fleet to Java with 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers, beginning the
Mongol invasion of Java. This was a
punitive expedition against King Kertanegara of Singhasari, who had refused to pay tribute to the Yuan and maimed one of its ministers. However, it ended with failure for the
Mongols. In 1294, the
Kingdom of Majapahit was founded by
Raden Wijaya. The Majapahit reached its peak during the reign of
Hayam Wuruk. He was accompanied by the
Mahapatih Gajah Mada. Together they managed to unite the archipelago under the name Dwipantara. Majapahit developed to become one of the strongest empires in Southeast Asia. In 1357, the
Battle of Bubat occurred, starting a war between the
Sunda Kingdom and the Majapahit. The event stemmed from the desire of king Hayam Wuruk to take a
Sundanese princess. Dyah Pitaloka as queen. However, because of a misunderstanding about the procedure of marriage, leading to a battle in Bubat. Majapahit troops, under the command of Gajah Mada, captured and killed the present Members of the Royal Family of
Pajajaran. In 1389, Hayam Wuruk died, and was succeeded by
Wikramawardhana. This resulted in the beginning of the decline of the Majapahit Empire. As the Majapahit Empire went into decline in the late 1300s, Islam moved to fill the vacuum.
Islamic era in
Surabaya, the
oldest surviving mosque in
Java and second oldest in
Indonesia, was built in 1421 The precise date when Islam entered Java remains unclear. This is due to the absence of a definite source regarding the arrival of Islam in Java. However, according to some experts, it is estimated that Islam entered Java around the 11th century, with the tomb of Fatimah Binti Maimun in the village of Leran in
Gresik Regency which dates from 475 AH (1085 AD). The tomb also shows that by the 11th century, the North coast of Java had been frequented by
Arab traders from the Middle East. In addition, several Islamic tombs were discovered in
Trowulan, located in what is now part of the
Mojokerto Regency, near the site of the former Majapahit palace. In the 15th century, a Chinese
Hui voyager named
Ma Huan visited East Java. He then wrote the book
Yingya Shenglan, which tells the story of the countries he visited over the course of the
Ming treasure voyages. He mentioned that at that time, there were three different peoples inhabiting Eastern Java: Arabs from the Middle East, the ancestor of the modern
Arab Indonesians; Chinese Muslims originating from modern-day
Guangdong province, and the native
Javanese people. By the 16th century, the Majapahit Empire was defeated by Islamic kingdoms in Java, resulting in the exile of many Majapahit aristocrats to the neighbouring island of
Bali. Those who remained in Java were forced to convert to Islam, while a small pocket of isolated people living in the
Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park spread around
Pasuruan,
Probolinggo,
Malang, and
Lumajang Regencies remains adhered to
Hinduism to this day. They are known as the
Tenggerese people. Their population of roughly 100,000 is centered in 30 villages in the isolated Tengger mountains. When Islamic sultanates started ruling Java, cities in the northern coast started developing, becoming thriving ports. One of them was the town of
Tuban, which was a wealthy and important port with many Chinese settlers. Being a port of the Majapahit and the point of departure for the
Moluccas, it exported an abundant supply of foodstuffs and imported a rich variety of products from the Moluccas. At the end of the 16th century, Islam had surpassed Hinduism and Buddhism as the dominant religion in Java. At first, the spread of Islam was very rapid and was accepted by ordinary people, until the
da'wah entered and it was carried out by the rulers of the island.
European colonization The relationship between the Javanese and European colonial powers began in 1522, with the signing of a treaty between the Sunda Kingdom and the
Portuguese Empire in
Malacca. After the failure of the treaty, the Portuguese presence was then limited to Malacca in the
Malay Peninsula and the
Maluku Islands. An expedition under the leadership of the Dutch explorer
Cornelis de Houtman consisting of four ships in 1596 became the beginning of Dutch presence in the island. At the end of the 18th century, the
Dutch had succeeded in expanding their influence on the Islamic sultanates in the interior of the island of Java. At the onset of the
Napoleonic Wars, the
British conquered Java in 1811. Java briefly became part of the
British Empire, with Sir
Stamford Raffles as its Governor-General. In 1814, Britain returned Java to the Netherlands as stipulated in the
Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814.
Japanese occupation and revolution , destroyed
Tanjung Perak in 1944 During the
Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, there was persistent resistance against the Japanese rule. In
Blitar, an uprising by
Pembela Tanah Air (PETA) led by
Supriyadi, Moeradi, Halir Mangkudijoyo, and Soemarto occurred in early 1945, but it was crushed by the Japanese. Two weeks after the
proclamation of independence,
Surabaya established its own government under,
Raden Sudirman. The formation of government in Surabaya caused disputes between the republican forces and Japanese troops, resulting in various skirmishes across the city. This was because when the Japanese surrendered, they were obliged to remain in power until the allied forces arrived. The arrival of allied forces in Surabaya created tensions with the newly established government of Indonesia, reaching peak on 10 November 1945 where a major
battle between the Surabayan residents led by
Sutomo and allied forces. The battle forced the governor, Suryo, on the advice of People's Security Army (TKR), to move the seat of the government to
Mojokerto. A week later, the government retreated again to a more secure location in Kediri. However, security situation Kediri worsen until finally, in February 1947, the East Java provincial government fled to Malang. While the administration was based in Malang, Governor
Soerjo was replaced by R.P. Suroso, who was in turn replaced again by Dr. Moerdjani. On 21 July 1947, although still bound by the
Linggadjati Agreement, a ceasefire agreement in effect since 14 October 1946, the Dutch commenced a military action,
Operation Product, which led to deteriorating security conditions in Malang. The East Java provincial government moved again to Blitar. This military action ended after the
Renville Agreement. However, this agreement reduced the territory controlled by the East Java provincial government. The Netherlands then turned the areas under its control into new federal states, the
State of Madura and the
State of East Java. Amid the difficulties faced by the government of Indonesia, a left-wing opposition group,
Front Demokrasi Rakyat (FDR, People's Democratic Front) launched
rebellion in Madiun on 18 September 1948. However, eventually this revolt was defeated by the
Indonesian Army. On 19 December 1948, the Dutch launched
Operation Kraai. Blitar, the seat of the East Java provincial government was attacked by the Dutch. Governor Moerdjani and his staff were forced to flee and joined the guerrillas on the slopes of
Mount Wilis. Operation Kraai ended after the
Roem–Van Roijen Agreement on 7 May 1949. Following the
Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference, at which the Netherlands agreed to transfer sovereignty to the
United States of Indonesia, the Dutch withdrew its troops from East Java. East Java changed its status from a province into a state. However, on 25 February 1950, this was dissolved and became part of the territory of the
Republic of Indonesia. The
State of Madura also decided to join Indonesia.
Contemporary era Along with rapid growth of urbanization in East Java, the governments could not satisfy the population's needs for affordable housing, which led to the building of
shanty towns along the rivers and rail tracks. Today, the shanty towns still exist; although some have been transformed into "better" housing. East Java has twice hosted the
Indonesian National Games () (PON), the 7th (1969) and 15th PONs (2000), and became the overall champions in 2000 and 2008. == Geography ==