Rise of Majapahit's glittering court

1300

In east Java, the young kingdom of Majapahit consolidated paddy kingdoms into a maritime power stretching from Sumatra to the Moluccas. Its poets would compose Sanskrit-laced kakawin; its fleets would demand tribute from Borneo. Court artisans forged bronze and gold into ceremonial regalia of astonishing intricacy. For a generation, Southeast Asia's center of gravity lay at Trowulan.