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Indonesia

island country in Southeast Asia and Oceania

85 dated entries naming Indonesia, drawn from 67 separate years between 78 CE and 2025 CE. Nothing here is written by us: each line is the sentence a Wikipedia year article used, and the link beside it opens the exact revision.

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1st century

  • 78Indian Prince Aji Caka introduces the Sanskrit language and Pallawa script, used to inscribe Javanese words and phrases, to the Indonesian islands.source

7th century

  • 670Tarumanagara (modern Indonesia) is divided into two kingdoms (Sunda Kingdom and Galuh Kingdom), with the Citarum River as the boundary (approximate date).source
  • 671Yijing, Chinese Buddhist monk, travels by boat from Guangzhou, and visits the capital of the partly Buddhist kingdom of Srivijaya in Palembang (Indonesia). He stays for 6 months to study Sanskrit grammar and the Malay language.source

8th century

  • 780Borobudur, a Buddhist temple complex in Magelang (modern Indonesia), is begun (approximate date).source

9th century

  • 825Borobudur, a Mahayana Buddhist Temple, is completed in Central Java (modern Indonesia).source

10th century

  • 929Mpu Sindok, ruler of the Mataram kingdom, moves his court from Central to East Java (modern Indonesia), probably after the eruption of Mount Merapi and/or invasion from Srivijaya.source
  • 961Mahendradatta, queen of Bali (Indonesia) (d. 1011)source

11th century

  • 1002Airlangga, ruler (rajah) of Kahuripan (Indonesia) (d. 1049)source

13th century

  • 1257Samalas eruption: Mount Samalas volcano erupts on Lombok Island, Indonesia. One of the largest volcanic eruptions in the past 10,000 years, it creates severe climatic changes across the globe, leading to severe famine and death, and to one of the biggest geopolitical changes across the globe over the next few centuries.source
  • 1258The consequences of the volcanic 1257 Samalas eruption in Indonesia include the following anecdotal accounts: very dry fog in France; lunar eclipses in England; severe winter in Europe; a harsh spring in Iceland; famine in England, Germany, France and Italy; and pestilence in London, parts of France, Austria, Iraq, Syria, and southeast Turkey.source
  • 1267Malik ul Salih establishes Samudra Pasai, the first Muslim state in Indonesia.source

14th century

  • 1390The Candi Surawana Temple is built in the Majapahit Kingdom (now Indonesia).source

15th century

  • 1404A civil war, lasting two years, breaks out in the Majapahit Empire in modern-day Indonesia.source
  • 1432March 7 – The seventh Ming Chinese overseas expedition fleet, led by Admiral Zheng He, arrives at the port of Surabaya on the island of Java (now in Indonesia). The Chinese do trading until leaving on July 13source
  • 1445April 8 – At West Java in what is now Indonesia, the Sultanate of Cirebon establishes its capital at Dukuh Alang-alang and Ki Gedeng Alang-Alang is designated as the Sultan.source

16th century

  • 1518March 22 – King Charles of Spain gives his approval for the Magellan expedition, initially for the purpose of finding a westward route from Spain to the "Spice Islands" (now the Maluku Islands in Indonesia), to avoid the more frequently-used eastward route around Africa. Veteran seaman Ferdinand Magellan and navigator Rui Faleiro, both of Portugal, had turned to Spain to fund the expedition after being refused by King Manuel of Portugal. The voyage proves to be further than expected and becomes the first to sail around the world.source
  • 1523February 15 – Construction of Fort Kastela by Portuguese invaders, on what is now the island of Ternate in Indonesia, is completed as Portugal claims the Spice Islands (now the Maluku Islands).source
  • 1527June 22 – Jakarta, modern-day capital of Indonesia, is founded as Jayakarta.source
  • 1547December 6 – The Battle of Perlis River is fought between the Portuguese Navy and the navy of the Aceh Sultanate (now a province of Indonesia) at the Perlis River in Malaysia. With nine light warships and 230 soldiers, the Portuguese sink or capture 45 of the 60 ships of Aceh vessel leave 4,000 of their 5,380 soldiers dead or missing.source
  • 1579October 5 – At Banda Aceh, on the island of Sumatra in what is now Indonesia, Alauddin Mansur Syah becomes the new Sultan of Aceh upon the death of Sultan Zainul Abidin.source
  • 1599July 17 – Second Dutch Expedition to East Indies: A Dutch fleet returns to Amsterdam from what is now Indonesia, carrying 600,000 pounds of pepper and 250,000 pounds of cloves and nutmeg.source

17th century

  • 1601December 27 – The Battle of Bantam is fought within what is now Indonesia off of the coast of the island of Java, as Walter Harmensz leads five Dutch Republic galleons in a successful attack against a Portuguese fleet led by André Furtado de Mendonça.source
  • 1603April 27 – The first permanent Dutch trading post in Indonesia is established in Banten by Vice Admiral Wybrand van Warwijck, who sets up a factory to store and package the trading commodity black pepper.source
  • 1607December 22 – A fleet of 13 Dutch warships under the command of Admiral Pieter Verhoeff departs the Netherlands on an expedition to the Indian Ocean to open trade with Asian nations and to fight hostile resistance. Verhoeff never returns, and he and many of his crew will be ambushed and killed on May 22 at the Banda Islands in Indonesia.source
  • 1669December 8 – The Sultanate of Bima, located on the now-Indonesian island of Sumbawa and ruled by Abu'l-Khair Sirajuddin, surrenders its authority to the Dutch East Indies Company, the VOC.source
  • 1681November 25 – Cornelis Speelman of the Netherlands becomes the new Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) and concludes an alliance with the Sultan Amangkurat II of the Mataram Sultanate on the island of Java, then uses the Dutch Army to suppress the rebellion started by the Sultan's half-brother, Prince Puger. Puger surrenders on November 28 to the ranking Dutch officer, Jacob Couper.source

18th century

  • 1705September 17 – First Javanese War of Succession: On the island of Java in the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia), Pakubuwono I becomes the new Sultan of Martaram, capturing Kartosuro and deposing Sultan Amangkurat III.source
  • 1711August 1 – The Dutch East India Company trading ship Zuytdorp leaves the Netherlands on an ill-fated voyage to Indonesia bearing a load of freshly minted silver coins. The wreck site remains unknown until the mid-20th century, on a remote part of the Western Australian coast between Kalbarri and Shark Bay.source
  • 1728April 30 – The 82 survivors of the wreckage of the Dutch East India Company frigate Zeewijk arrive in the new ship that they had built, Sloepie, at their original destination of Batavia in the Dutch East Indies (now Jakarta in Indonesia).source
  • 1732May 28 – Dirck van Cloon becomes the new Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia).source

19th century

  • 1833November 25 – An 8.7 magnitude earthquake strikes Sumatra in what is now Indonesia.source
  • 1859Nillmij, a predecessor of Aegon, Dutch-based worldwide insurance company, is founded in the Dutch East Indies (modern Indonesia).source
  • 1883May 20 – 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, Indonesiasource

20th century

  • 1927June – The volcanic island of Anak Krakatau begins to form in the Sunda Strait of Indonesia.source
  • 1928October 28 – The Second Youth Congress is held in Batavia, Dutch East Indies by young Indonesian nationalists, resulting in the Youth Pledge. The Indonesian national anthem, "Indonesia Raya", is introduced at the congress.source
  • 1930December 19 – Mount Merapi volcano in central Java, Indonesia, erupts, destroying numerous villages and killing 1,300 people.source
  • 1943The accident of two steam locomotives in the south of Elo river bridge Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. They came from Mertoyudan train station and Yogyakarta.source
  • 1945August 17 – Proclamation of Indonesian Independence: Indonesian nationalists Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta declare the independence of the Republic of Indonesia, with Sukarno as president and Mohammad Hatta as vice-president, igniting the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch Empire.source
  • 1945October 19 – Members of the Indonesian People's Army attack Anglo-Dutch forces in Indonesia.source
  • 1945October 27–November 20 – Indonesian National Revolution: Battle of Surabaya – Pro-independence Indonesian soldiers and militia fight British and British Indian troops in Surabaya.source
  • 1946April 2 – Hamengkubuwono X, Sultan of the historic Yogyakarta Sultanate in Indonesia, Governor of Yogyakarta Special Regionsource
  • 1946June 8 – In Indonesia, Sukarno incites his supporters to fight Dutch colonial occupation.source
  • 1947August 5 – The Netherlands ends Operation Product, the first of its major military Police Actions in Indonesia.source
  • 1949March 1 – Indonesia seizes Yogyakarta from the Dutch.source
  • 1952October 17 – 17 October affair: Indonesian troops led by General Nasution surround the presidential palace, seeking the dismissal of the People's Representative Council; Sukarno avoids confrontation.source
  • 1956May 8 – The constitutional union between Indonesia and the Netherlands is dissolved.source
  • 1957December 1 – In Indonesia, Sukarno announces the nationalization of 246 Dutch businesses.source
  • 1957December 5 – All 326,000 Dutch nationals are expelled from Indonesia.source
  • 1957March 14 – President Sukarno declares martial law in Indonesia.source
  • 1957November 30 – Indonesian president Sukarno survives a grenade attack at the Cikini School in Jakarta, but several children are killed.source
  • 1958April 28 – A bomber flown by a U.S. Central Intelligence Agency operative in support of Indonesian Permesta rebels bombs the harbor at Balikpapan, Borneo, Indonesia, hitting an Indonesian naval corvette and two British oil tankers. In June, the Indonesian and British governments both claim that Indonesian rebels are responsible for such attacks, concealing the C.I.A.'s involvement.source
  • 1961December 19 – Indonesian president Sukarno announces that he will take West Irian by force, if necessary.source
  • 1965August 9 – Indonesian president Sukarno collapses in public.source
  • 1965September 30 – The Indonesian army, led by General Suharto, crushes an alleged communist coup attempt (see Transition to the New Order and 30 September Movement).source
  • 1966April 18 – China declares that it will stop economic aid to Indonesia.source
  • 1966March 11 – Transition to the New Order in Indonesia: President Sukarno gives all executive powers to General Suharto by signing the Supersemar order.source
  • 1966May 28 – The Indonesian and Malaysian governments declare that the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation is over (a treaty is signed on August 11).source
  • 1967February 22 – Suharto takes power from Sukarno in Indonesia (see Transition to the New Order and Supersemar).source
  • 1967March 12 – The Indonesian State Assembly takes all presidential powers from Sukarno and names Suharto as acting president (Suharto resigned in 1998).source
  • 1969July 14 – The Act of Free Choice for West Irian commences in Merauke, Indonesia.source
  • 1975December 7 – Indonesian invasion of East Timor: Indonesia invades East Timor; the occupation continues until 1999 when U.N. peacekeepers take control, which they did until 2002.source
  • 1976July 17 – East Timor is declared the 27th province of Indonesia.source
  • 1981January 27 – The Indonesian passenger ship Tampomas II catches fire and capsizes in the Java Sea, killing 580 people.source
  • 1987October 19 – Two commuter trains collide head-on on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia; 102 are killed.source
  • 1992December 12 – The 7.8 Flores earthquake affects the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe) leaving at least 2,500 dead. A destructive tsunami with wave heights of 25 m follows.source
  • 1996August 1 – A pro-democracy demonstration supporting Megawati Sukarnoputri in Indonesia is broken up by riot police.source
  • 1996February 17 – The 8.2 Biak earthquake strikes the Papua province of eastern Indonesia with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). A large tsunami followed, leaving 166 people dead or missing and 423 injured.source
  • 1997May 23 – A riot in Banjarmasin, Indonesia breaks out, causing at least 137 deaths.source
  • 1999August 30 – East Timor votes for independence from Indonesia (which had invaded and occupied it since 1975) in a referendum.source

21st century

  • 2009July 17 – Two bombs exploded separately at the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia, killing 9 people (including 2 suicide bombers) and injuring 53.source
  • 2010October 25 – An earthquake and consequent tsunami off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, kills over 400 people and leaves hundreds missing.source
  • 2010October 26 – Repeated eruptions of Mount Merapi volcano in Central Java, Indonesia, and accompanying pyroclastic flows of scalding gas, pumice, and volcanic ash descending the erupting volcano kill 353 people and force hundreds of thousands of residents to evacuate.source
  • 2017November 2 – A new species of orangutan is identified in Indonesia, becoming the third known species of orangutan as well as the first great ape to be described for almost a century.source
  • 2019June 9 – A large explosive eruption of Mount Sinabung in Indonesia sends a 7,000-meter ash column into the air, generating a pyroclastic flow 3–3.5 kilometers long towards the south and southeast of the mountain.source
  • 2020January 1 – Flash floods struck Jakarta, Indonesia, killing 66 people in the worst flooding in over a decade.source
  • 2021April 24 – Following an international search and rescue effort, the Indonesian navy reports the sinking of KRI Nanggala with 53 crew members, the largest loss of life aboard a submarine since 2003.source
  • 2021April 4 – More than 270 people are killed in Indonesia and East Timor after Cyclone Seroja strikes East Nusa Tenggara and the island of Timor.source
  • 2022January 1 – The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the largest free trade area in the world, comes into effect for Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.source
  • 2022November 15 – The 2022 G20 Bali summit in Bali, Indonesia takes place.source
  • 2022November 21 – A 5.6 earthquake strikes near Cianjur in West Java, Indonesia, killing 635 people and injuring 7,700 more.source
  • 2022October 1 – A fatal human crush occurs during an association football match at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang Regency, East Java, Indonesia, killing 135 people and injuring more than 500.source
  • 2024October 20 – Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka are inaugurated as the president and vice president of Indonesia.source
  • 2025January 6 – Indonesia becomes the tenth member to join BRICS.source
  • 2025November 25 – A report published by the United Nations shows that Indonesian capital Jakarta has surpassed Japanese capital Tokyo as the world's largest city, with a population of 42 million people.source
  • 2025November 26 – Cyclone Senyar causes at least 1,390 deaths and leaves 186 missing in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.source

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