Dalem Segeningwas a king ofBaliwho reigned in the first half of the 17th century, his exact dating being still uncertain. He belonged to a dynasty which originated fromMajapahitonJava,and ruled from the palace (puri) ofGelgel.
Accession to the throne
editDalem Segening is briefly mentioned as king in the religious textsUsana BaliandRajapurana Besakih.However, most of the surviving details of his reign come from theBabad Dalem,a chronicle from the 18th century.[1]He was the younger son of the Gelgel rulerDalem Baturenggongand the daughter of Dukuh Seganing. He loyally supported his elder brother, kingDalem Bekung,whose reign was beset by rebellions and abortive warfare.
According to some versions he took royal powers even before the death of his incapable brother.[2]He might have been theBalineseking who met the firstDutchvisitors to the island in 1597. Dalem Seganing was assisted in his reign by two chief ministers, the brothers Kiyayi Agung and Kiyayi Ler (Lor). The latter is possibly identical with 'Kijloer', the supreme Balinese minister at the time of the 1597 visit. According to a Dutch text, "This Kijloer is, besides the king, the uppermost of the entire Island of Bali, and no-one may come to the king in the palace as he wishes, except this Kijloer".[3]
Reign
editThe reign of Dalem Segening was briefly troubled by a rebellion by the nobleman Pinatih, an event dated in 1605 by a Balinese text. However, the minister Kiyayi Agung was able to persuade Pinatih to lay down arms. For the rest, the chronicles praise the age of Dalem Seganing as peaceful and successful.[4]His death is dated 1623 in a text, but it has also been suggested that he died in 1651. He had 14 sons of whomDalem Di Madesucceeded to the throne.[5]
In the late historical textBabad Buleleng(1920), the founder of theBulelengkingdom in North Bali,Gusti Panji Sakti,is claimed to be a son of Dalem Seganing.[6]The same paternity is claimed for Dewa Manggis I, the ancestor of the kings ofGianyar.[7]
External threats and trade relations
editFrom external, in particular Dutch sources, it can be seen that the Gelgel kingdom on Bali was relatively stable and powerful in the first half of the 17th century. The rulers claimed a loose suzerainty overBlambanganin EastJava,Lombok,andSumbawa.However, the warlike activities of theMakassarkingdom ofSouth Sulawesideprived the Gelgel ruler of his interests in Sumbawa in c. 1618-19, and jeopardized his hold on Lombok.[8]
TheDutch East Indies Company(Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC) was interested in Bali for economic and strategical reasons, as being aHindurealm that was opposed to theMuslimMataramkingdom onJava.Among the items coveted by the VOC wererice,cattleandslavewomen, and a trading post was briefly established in c. 1620. It was quickly withdrawn, though, and Balinese trade with the outside world was henceforth carried out byDutchprivate traders,Chinese,and variousIndonesiangroups.[9]
Family
editDalem Segening was married to a daughter of Kiyayi di Ler, minister in Gelgel; and with Gusti Luh Made, a daughter of Gusti Ketut Bebengan. He also had a number of co-wives and mistresses. The king sired 14 sons and a daughter:
- Dalem Di Made,who succeeded as King of Bali
- Dewa Kaleran (Dewa Anom)
- Dewa Karangasem
- Dewa Cawu
- Dewa Blayu
- Dewa Sumerta
- Dewa Pamregan
- Dewa Lebah
- Dewa Sidan
- Dewa Kabetan
- Dewa Pasawahan
- Dewa Kulit
- Dewa Bedahulu
- Gusti Mambal, adopted as son by the minister Kiyayi di Ler Pranawa
- Dewa Randa Guwang, daughter.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^I Wayan Warna,Babad Dalem; Teks dan Terjemahan.Denpasar: Dinas Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Daerah Tingkat I Bali.
- ^I B. Rai Putra,Babad Dalem.Denpasar: Upada Sastra 1991, p. 59.
- ^V.E. Korn,Het adatrecht van Bali.'s-Gravenhage: Naeff 1932, p. 34.
- ^C.C. Berg,De middeljavaansche historische traditië.Santpoort: Mees 1927, pp. 156-7.
- ^H. Creese, 'Balinese Babad as Historical Sources',Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde147 1991.
- ^P. Worsley,Babad Buleleng; A Balinese Dynastic Genealogy.The Hague: M. Nijhoff.
- ^Ide Anak Agung Gde Agung,Kenangan Masa Lampau.Jakarta: Yayasan Obor Indonesia 1993, p. 5-6.
- ^H.J. de Graaf, 'Lombok in de 17e eeuw',Djåwå21 1941.
- ^W.A. Hanna,Bali Chronicles.Singapore: Periplus 2004, p. 39.
Further reading
edit- Adrian Vickers,Bali, A Paradise Created.Singapore: Periplus 1989.