Key Facts
- Duration
- 1293–1527
- Tributaries at peak
- 98 tributary states (per Nagarakṛtāgama, 1365)
- Geographic span
- Sumatra to New Guinea, incl. parts of mainland SE Asia
- Founding ruler
- Raden Wijaya, 1293
- State religion
- Hindu-Buddhist
Imperial Zenith Metrics
Historical Trajectory
Phase I: Rise
Majapahit was founded by Raden Wijaya in 1293, capitalizing on the failed Mongol invasion of Java by turning Mongol forces against his rivals and then expelling them. Established in the region of Majakarta on Java, the kingdom consolidated control over the island and began extending influence across the archipelago in the decades following its founding.
Phase II: Zenith
Under Queen Tribhuvana and her son Hayam Wuruk, with the strategic leadership of Prime Minister Gajah Mada, Majapahit reached its greatest extent in the mid-14th century. The Nagarakṛtāgama of 1365 recorded 98 tributaries spanning present-day Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, southern Thailand, Timor-Leste, and the southwestern Philippines, making it the dominant thalassocratic power in Southeast Asia.
Phase III: Decline
Internal civil conflict, known as the Paregreg War, weakened Majapahit's authority over its vassal states from the early 15th century onward. The empire contracted gradually as Islamic coastal sultanates rose to prominence. In 1527, the Sultanate of Demak invaded and overthrew Majapahit, ending Hindu-Buddhist imperial rule in Java and accelerating the spread of Islam across the archipelago.
Notable Imperial Reigns
Selected rulers mapping the empire’s trajectory