A Javanese Muslim prince, Diponogoro was born in 1785. He was the eldest son of Sultan Hamengkubuwono III of Yogyakarta, in south central Java.

After his father died in 1814, Diponogoro's younger half brother was elevated to the throne by the Dutch, due to Diponogoro's public resistance to the colonial rule. Diponogoro was again denied his rightful succession when his brother died leaving only an infant son.

Diponogoro was able to gather enough support among the nobles and farmers to mount an insurrection against the Dutch, known as the Java War (1825-1830). Despite early victories, the rebellion ultimately failed, resulting in Diponogoro's exile to Makassar, a town on the southern tip of Sulawesi Island, northeast of Java.

Today, Diponogoro is honored as a national hero in Indonesia.


Sources:
wikipedia-Diponogoro
The Java War

~Contributed by Feiyan Zhou
~Family plaque by Night~Owl Nyentsen