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How Was Sultan Trenggono Dead?

The story that I will share about how the death of Sultan Trenggono this time may surprise you.  How not?  Because the story of the death of Trenggana who is the greatest king of the Demak kingdom does not seem to make sense.

Source of the Death of Sultan Trenggono

The only source that I know of (and is also commonly known by those who know) about how this second sultan of Demak died is based on records from Portuguese people who had been in Java.  That person's name is Fernandez Mendez Pinto.  Other literature does not exist.  If there are several books written by historians discussing this, the ones adapted are indeed from Pinto's notes.  There are only a few different versions of this history.  It's only clear who the characters are.  However, in general, the storyline remains the same.

Chronology of the Death of the Sultan of Trenggana

This incident occurred in 1546. The location is in Panarukan, East Java.  At that time Demak was on an expedition to conquer Blambangan and was led directly by Sultan Trenggono.  The Siege of Panarukan itself has been going on for a long time, about three months.  But there are no signs of success.  The exact location is in the Demak troop camp where the Sultan is planning a strategy to break into the Panarukan fort.  He had received very important information from the captured Panurakan soldiers.

On the sidelines of the meeting he asked for betel nut and betel nut.  Apparently he did have a habit of "ginang" which is chewing betel and areca nut.  The servant who was ordered was still a child.  He is about 10 years old.  The boy - being too absorbed in listening to the conversation about war strategy - did not pay much attention to the king's orders.  Until he was told many times he still didn't move.

Finally a soldier approached him and informed him that he was ordered to take betel and areca nut for the Sultan.  The boy then carried out the order.  When he handed over the betel, the Sultan hit him on the head very slowly.  The point is to remind him not to repeat the actions that underestimate the king's orders.

What happened next was completely unexpected.  The boy turned out to be very embarrassed and hurt.  He then took out a machete (some call it a dagger) and stabbed the Sultan in the chest.  The Sultan collapsed with a lot of blood.  This is what caused the death of Sultan Trenggana.

Who is that 10 year old boy?  Some say that he is the son of the regent of Surabaya.  Pramoedya called him a friend of Degree.  Title is Wiranggaleng's son.  Degree wants to avenge his father on the Sultan.  Then Degree ordered the child.  Which one is true?  Wallahu a'lam.

The age of Sultan Trenggana is believed to be between 63 to 66 years.  He held the government in Demak for about 42 years.  Sultan Trenggono is a figure whose role is very important in the journey of the Demak kingdom.

You may not trust Mendez Pinto.  You may also not believe the following story.  During the attack on Panarukan, Sunan Gunung Jati helped Demak by sending seven thousand joint troops from Jayakarta, Cirebon and Banten.  The leader of the squad is Fatahillah.  Mendez Pinto and 40 of his friends joined the Banten army.  So based on this information, it means that Pinto was directly involved in the Panarukan raid.

So little I can share about the death of Sultan Trenggono, a leader who was able to bring Demak to its peak of glory.  If you have other information, don't hesitate to share it in the comments column.

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