Java

In the Central Javanese period (8th to 10th century) there was a Hindu-Buddhist empire that must have had its center in the interior of Central Java (witness the remains of the Borobudur, among others).

The empire was based on the classic rice culture. Around 1000 the center shifts to East Java (the catchment area of ​​the Brantas River). From here a more direct contact with the sea was possible.

The kingdom of Majapahit (1294 to 1527) was the culmination of the East Javanese period in Javanese history. It was a mixture of a classic rice state and a maritime state. Mojopahit had an overseas expansion with the result that in theory, Majapahit controlled almost the entire area of ​​present-day Indonesia.

With the intensification of maritime trade in the 16th century and the arrival of Islam, the center of gravity shifted to the north coast of Java, where a chain of port cities arose with Islamic rulers who separated themselves from the authority of Majapahit, whichever stands under went.

At the end of the 16th century a new power emerged in the heart of Central Java (around the current Solo (Surakarta) and Yogyakarta), the empire Mataram. The strength of this new center was in the control of the rice culture of the island.

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