Introduction

Mongol inavasion of Java was a military invasion by the Mongol troops from China to attack Java.
This invasion, carried out in 1293 was led by the Mongol Empire from Yuan Dynasty. At that time,
Kublai Khan sent about 30 000 troops to Java to punish King Kertanegara of the Singahsari kingdom.
However, this massive attack ended in the defeat of the Mongols. Kublai Khan made efforts to
expand his territory by sending envoys to various countries. The envoy was ordered to ask the
countries he visited to submit to Mongol rule and pay tribute. Men Shi or Meng-qi, who were sent to
Singahsari kingdom were not well received by King Kertanegara. King Kertanegara refuses to submit
and treats Men Shi like a thief, having his ears cut off and being expelled from the kingdom. This
made Kublai Khan angry and sent an expedition to Java to punish King Kertanegara. But apart from
that, Kublai Khan also had other intentions. If Java is successfully conquered, the surrounding
countries will also followed and Yuan Dynasty can control the Asian sea trade routes.

Events

Before the Mongol troops arrived in Java

Between 18 May and 15 June 1292, Jayakatwang the ruler of Singhasari’s fossil kingdom of Kediri
launched a rebellion. He successfully defeated Singhasari and killed its ruler, Kertanegara. The
incident made the throne of the Singahsari kingdom vacant and was taken over by Jayakatwang. In
addition to transferring his power to Kendiri, jayakatwang also exiled the Kertanegara’s family to
Madura including his son-in-law named Raden Wijaya. Raden Wijaya who did not accept
Jayakatwang’s treatment immediately devised a strategy to overthrow him. He sought the help of
Arya Viraraja, the king’s former advisor of Shaman to mediate a peace deal. He promised Arya half of
the kingdom if he helped him regain the throne. Raden was allowed back to Java and was settled in
the forest of Tariq. As Raden gathered more supporters he established a village there and called it
Majapahit inspired by a fruit named maja that taste bitter.

After the Mongol troop arrived in Java

Raden Wijaya invited the Mongol troops who wanted to punish Kertanegara to join him in attacking
Jayakatwang. He promised to submit and reward the Yuan Dynasty with two daughters if their attack
was successful. The request was approved by the Mongols and they united to attack Jayakatwang.
On March 19, 1293, the combined forces of Raden Wijaya and the Mongols met in Daha. They then
attacked the Kendiri troops and quickly managed to burn down Jayakatwang’s place. Jayakatwang
who had retreated to his fort was surrounded and urged to surrender. After defeating Jayakatwang,
Raden Wijaya asked the Mongols for permission to return to Majapahit to bring them the reward he
promised and asked to be escorted by the Mongols. On the way back to Majapahit, Raden
immediately killed the 200 Mongol troops who were escorting him. After that, he attacked the
Mongol troops who were celebrating their victory over Jayakatwang. In the surprise attack, Raden
managed to kill many troops while the rest immediately fled to the ship. At the end, the Mongols
chose to sail away from Java.

Result

Raden gained the victory and established his own kingdom, Majapahit. Arya’s province was given a
special status for the assistance he rendered. The yuan soldiers gunpowder weaponry also left quite
an impression on the Japanese. So eventually the kingdom of Majapahit will grow into a powerful
maritime empire that will control most of the archipelago powered by gunpowder. The Mongols lost
many troops in the battles in Java. It is estimated that about 60 percent of the Mongols were killed
while others were taken prisoner. This defeat made Kublai Khan angry and Ike Mese had to received
punishment due to join the celebration, Shin Bi was demoded due to allowed Ike Mese join the party
and Gaoxing rewarded with gold because he was considered to have protected the troops from total
destruction. After the Mongol invasion of Java in 1293, Kublai Khan actually planned another
invasion. However, the plan was never realized because Kublai Khan died first. So without the
reassure of another mongols attack, Majapahit had free reign to expand.