Majapahit

Majapahit was a Hindu-Buddhist maritime empire centered on Java in what is now Indonesia, lasting roughly from 1293 to 1527. Its heartland was the area around Trowulan in East Java, with a capital at various times. The empire is often regarded as the last major Hindu-Buddhist kingdom of the Indonesian archipelago and was influential across a large portion of Maritime Southeast Asia under its concept of Nusantara.

Founding and rise: According to sources like the Nagarakretagama, Majapahit was founded by Raden Wijaya in 1293 after the withdrawal of Mongol forces and the defeat of the last Kediri ruler. The early state expanded through conquest and a network of tributary rulers led by a centralized monarch.

Hayam Wuruk and Gajah Mada presided over a period of peak power in the mid-14th century, with the oath of Palapa and extensive territorial alliances. The empire controlled or influenced large swaths of Java and other islands and exercised sway over vassal states as far as the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, and the Lesser Sunda Islands. The Nagarakretagama preserves details of its administration and empire-wide tribute relations.

Culture and legacy: Majapahit contributed to art, literature, and temple architecture and helped spread Hindu-Buddhist culture through the archipelago. Its language, political ideology, and court culture influenced later Javanese kingdoms. The term Nusantara—used to describe the wider archipelago—was associated with Majapahit's imperial model.

Decline: In the 15th century the empire faced internal strife and pressures from rising Islamic sultanates, notably in Java and the eastern archipelago. By the early 16th century centralized authority collapsed, and Majapahit's influence diminished, though its cultural and historical legacy persisted in Indonesian memory and in regional histories.