Regreg War facts for kids

The Regreg War was a big fight that happened inside the Javanese empire of Majapahit between 1404 and 1406. It was a civil war, which means a war between groups of people from the same country.

This war was fought between two parts of the Majapahit empire. One part was called the Western court, led by a ruler named Wikramawardhana. The other part was the Eastern court, which wanted to break away and become independent. It was led by Bhre Wirabhumi. This long and difficult war caused many problems for Majapahit. It used up a lot of money and energy, and many people think it was one of the main reasons why the Majapahit empire started to become weaker in the years that followed.

What's in a Name? The Regreg War

This war is often called the Paregreg, but that name isn't quite right. In an old book called the Pararaton, events are named by adding "pa-" to a main word. For example, a fight in Sumatra was called pamalayu. A rebellion was called paranggalawe.

So, the name parĕgrĕg actually means "the Regreg incident." The word rĕgrĕg can mean "slowly, with stops and starts." It might also come from ragrag, meaning "falling off one by one." This name shows that the war was not a quick fight but a long, drawn-out conflict.

How Majapahit Split into Two Courts

The Majapahit kingdom started in 1293. It was founded by Raden Wijaya with help from a clever leader named Arya Wiraraja. As a thank you, Raden Wijaya gave Wiraraja control over the eastern parts of East Java in 1295. This area included Blambangan, with Lumajang as its main city.

For a while, Arya Wiraraja ruled this eastern area peacefully. He was a vassal of Majapahit, meaning he was loyal to the main kingdom but had a lot of freedom. Later, in 1316, Raden Wijaya's son, Jayanagara, stopped a rebellion in Lumajang. After this, the eastern and western parts of East Java were joined back together.

However, things changed later. An old book says that in 1376, a "new mountain" appeared. This was a hint that a new center of power, or keraton (palace), was forming against the main Majapahit government. Chinese records from 1377 also say there were two separate kingdoms in Java. Both of them sent messengers to the Chinese emperor.

The Western Kingdom was led by a ruler known as Bhra Prabu, who was Hayam Wuruk. The Eastern Kingdom was led by Bhre Wengker, also known as Wijayarajasa. He was married to Rajadewi, who was Hayam Wuruk's aunt. It seems Wijayarajasa wanted to be the main ruler of Majapahit. After some important leaders died, he built a new eastern palace in Pamotan.

The Rivalry Between Bhre Wirabhumi and Wikramawardhana

The Regreg War began because of a conflict started by Bhre Wirabhumi. We don't know his real name. "Bhre Wirabhumi" just means "Duke of Wirabhumi," which was a province in the eastern part of Java, near the Blambangan area.

According to one old story, Bhre Wirabhumi was the son of Hayam Wuruk and was adopted by Bhre Daha (Rajadewi). He later married Bhre Lasem sang Alemu. Another, more reliable, old text says his wife was Nagarawardhani, who was the daughter of Bhre Lasem (Indudewi).

When Hayam Wuruk was alive, the Western and Eastern courts got along, mostly. Wijayarajasa, the leader of the Eastern court, was Hayam Wuruk's father-in-law, so there was some respect.

After Hayam Wuruk died in 1389, his nephew and son-in-law, Wikramawardhana, became the new ruler of the Western court. In the Eastern court, after Wijayarajasa died in 1398, his adopted son, Bhre Wirabhumi, took over. Bhre Wirabhumi ruled the Blambangan kingdom from Lumajang.

A big problem started when the title of "Bhre Lasem" became available. Wikramawardhana gave this important title to his wife, Kusumawardhani. But Bhre Wirabhumi's wife, Nagarawardhani, also held the title of Bhre Lasem. This led to bad feelings between the two courts. The problem continued until both women died in 1400. Wikramawardhana then gave the title to his daughter-in-law.

The Regreg War Begins

After the new Bhre Lasem was appointed, the arguments between the two palaces got worse. In 1402, Bhre Wirabhumi and Wikramawardhana had a very bad fight and refused to speak to each other.

In 1403, Bhre Wirabhumi made a risky move. He asked the Chinese emperor for military help against Majapahit. The Chinese emperor agreed! He said Bhre Wirabhumi's province was independent from Majapahit. In return, Bhre Wirabhumi accepted special gifts and symbols from China, showing that China had some power over his land. This action directly led to the start of the bigger Regreg War in 1404.

The word regreg means "to go slowly, with stops and starts." This shows that there were many battles fought between the eastern and western parts of Majapahit over two years. Sometimes the Western court won, and sometimes the Eastern court won.

Finally, in 1406, the Western army, led by Bhre Tumapel (Wikramawardhana's son), attacked the Eastern palace. Bhre Wirabhumi was defeated and tried to escape by boat at night. But he was chased and killed by Raden Gajah, a leader from the Western court. Raden Gajah brought Bhre Wirabhumi's head back to the Western court in Trowulan.

What Happened After the War

After Bhre Wirabhumi was defeated, the Eastern court was finally joined back with the Western court. However, the long war had made Majapahit very busy and weak. It lost its strong control over many of its lands outside Java. One by one, these places started to become independent and stopped sending money or goods to Majapahit.

For example, in 1405, West Borneo came under Chinese influence. Then, places like Palembang, Malayu, and Malacca rebelled. They grew into busy ports that were independent from Majapahit. The Brunei Kingdom in northern Borneo also broke free from Majapahit's rule.

Wikramawardhana also owed a lot of gold to the Chinese Ming court. This was "blood money" because some Chinese messengers were killed during the Regreg War. These messengers, sent by Chinese Admiral Zheng He, were visiting the Eastern court when they got caught in the fighting. About 170 Chinese messengers died. The Chinese Emperor was very angry and fined Wikramawardhana a huge amount of gold. Wikramawardhana could only pay a small part of it. In the end, the Chinese emperor Yong Le felt sorry for the Javanese king and forgave the rest of the fine. This event was written down by Ma Huan, who was Zheng He's secretary.

After the war, Wikramawardhana married Bhre Daha, who was Bhre Wirabhumi's daughter. Their daughter, Suhita, later became queen of Majapahit in 1427. During her rule, in 1433, Raden Gajah, the person who killed Bhre Wirabhumi, was punished and put to death.

The Regreg War in Javanese Stories

The Regreg War is still remembered in Javanese stories and traditions. After Islam came to Java, the story of the Regreg War appeared in books like Serat Kanda, Serat Damarwulan, and Serat Blambangan.

In these tales, there was a war between Queen Kencanawungu, the ruler of Majapahit in the west, and Menak Jingga, the ruler of Blambangan in the east. Menak Jingga was eventually killed by Damarwulan, a brave knight sent by Queen Kencanawungu. As a reward, Damarwulan married Queen Kencanawungu and became the king of Majapahit. From their marriage, King Brawijaya, the last king of Majapahit, was born.

See also

• Nagarakretagama
• Pararaton
• Battle of Bubat
• Blambangan