Hamengkubuwono V

Hamengkubuwono V (also spelled Hamengkubuwana V, Yogyakarta, January 24, 1820–Yogyakarta, June 5, 1855) was the fifth Sultan of Yogyakarta, reigning from December 19, 1823, to August 17, 1826, and then from January 17, 1828, to June 5, 1855[1] being interspersed by the rule of Hamengkubuwono II due to the then political instability.

Hamengkubuwono V

Reign

Born as Gusti Raden Mas Gathot Menol, he was the 6th son of Hamengkubuwono IV and his queen consort, Gusti Kangjeng Ratu Kencono. When he was 3 years old, he was crowned as Hamengkubuwono V, and ruled for 2.5 years before being succeeded by his great-grandfather, Hamengkubuwono II. Hamengkubuwono V was recrowned after his great-grandfather's death.

Upon reaching adulthood, he was styled Prince Mangkubumi. He was made lieutenant colonel in 1839 and colonel in 1847 by Dutch East Indies government.

Hamengkubuwono V himself made his realm closer with Dutch colonial government intended as a passive war, where he insisted a bloodless struggle, hoping that there would be a mutual cooperation between Yogyakarta Sultanate and Dutch government, leading to rise of prosperity and security of Yogyakarta people.[2] On the other side, he also focused on art. During his reign, wayang wong performances had been held for 5 times.[3] He also created some royal dances, the most popular was Serimpi dance and its variants, such as Serimpi Kandha, Serimpi Renggawati, Serimpi Ringgit Munggeng, Serimpi Hadi Wulangun Brangta or Serimpi Renggowati, etc.

However, his policy was opposed by some court's servants and his own brother, GRM Mustojo. They saw that Hamengkubuwono V's policy would be ashamed of Yogyakarta Palace as a coward, leading to the decline of support towards himself and the rise of support towards GRM Mustojo. The situation was increasingly beneficial to GRM Mustojo after marrying a Bruneian princess and made a close brotherhood with Sultanate of Brunei. Hamengkubuwono V's rule was increasingly cornered after the emergence of internal conflict involving his own 5th wife, Kanjeng Mas Hemawati. Hamengkubuwono V only gained support from his subjects who felt safe and prosperous during his reign.

Hamengkubuwono V died in a less-known accident, known as wereng saketi tresno (meaning "died by the beloved one"). Hamengkubuwono V died after being stabbed by his 5th wife, Kanjeng Mas Hemawati, whose reason to murder his own husband is still unknown.[4]

GKR. Kedaton, queen consort of Hamengkubuwono V.

When the incident took place, his queen consort, Kanjeng Ratu Sekar Kedaton, was still pregnant, and gave birth a son 13 days later. The son was named Timur Muhammad.

Hamengkubuwono V was succeeded by his brother, GRM Mustojo, styled as Hamengkubuwono VI.

Notes

1. Ricklefs, M. C. (2001) A History of Modern Indonesia Since c. 1200 Basingstoke: Palgrave. 3rd ed. ISBN 0333801008 (pbk.)
2. Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono V
3. Hadi YS. 2007. Pasang Surut Pelembagaan Tari Klasik Gaya Yogyakarta. Yogyakarta: Pustaka Book Publisher.
4. Tragedi pembunuhan Hamengkubuwana V. tirto.id. June 5, 2019. Accessed July 22, 2019.

Literature

• Purwadi. 2007. Sejarah Raja-Raja Jawa. Yogyakarta: Media Ilmu.
• Heryanto F. 2004. Mengenal Keraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat. Yogyakarta: Warna Grafika.