Southeast Asia has extremely rich heritage and history that shouldn’t be forgotten, but instead remembered and celebrated. Among so many exceptional historical figures, there are several who stand out due to their legendary status and that hundreds of years after their demise, still being referred and respected.
Gajah Mada, Indonesia
The Indonesian territory right now was highly influenced by the Majapahit Empire territory when it reached its peak from 1350 to 1389. Majapahit Kingdom began as a quite small kingdom in the jungles of East Java founded by Raden Wijaya after he successfully tricked the Mongol soldiers to fight his war and kill Jayakatwang who killed his father-in-law, Kertanegara who was the king of Singhasari. Since there were Maja trees around his hiding place during the war, he declared the new kingdom as Majapahit.
While the leadership of Hayam Wuruk as the greatest Majapahit Emperor was important, but without a doubt, it was his Prime Minister Gajah Mada who was responsible for the success of Majapahit during its peak period. Gajah Mada once took a famous oath called Sumpah Palapa, where he swore that he wouldn’t indulge himself in pleasure until he could bring the whole Indonesian Archipelago under Majapahit rule.
Gajah Mada proved that he really meant the oath he took. Under his leadership as the Prime Minister or Mahapatih, Majapahit were able to take control most of the archipelago. His importance was proven to be unmatched, because shortly after his death in 1364, Majapahit started to decline. The death of Hayam Wuruk in 1389 further weakened the empire and then marked the end of Majapahit.
King Naresuan, Thailand
While Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia that was never colonized by any European power, during its period as Ayutthaya Kingdom, Thailand territory was under various threats especially by the Burmese. King Naresuan’s key accomplishment was when he successfully repelled the Burmese invasions in 1584, maintaining the sovereignty of Ayutthaya Kingdom and changed history forever.
Ever wonder why the image of elephants are so important in Thailand? It came from the most famous battle of King Naresuan where he and the Burmese crown prince, Minchit Sra faced each other while riding elephants in 1593. The famous ‘Elephant Duel’ ended with King Naresuan’s triumph. Ever since, the victory moment has been mythologized and still celebrated as the symbol of Thai’s strength and courage.
Tun Perak, Malaysia
In Malaysia, almost everyone knows the name of Tun Perak, which is a historical figure that died in 1498. His name is still being celebrated all these years because Tun Perak was such admirable historical figure that is known for his military expertise and astonishing leadership. He was responsible in helping the Malacca Sultanate becoming not only a prosperous empire, but also powerful.
Under his leadership, Malacca was able to repel various foreign threats such as the Portuguese and Majapahit forces. Tun Perak’s amazing strategic mind was able to help the Malacca Sultanate maintain its powerful influence as a key trading hub in the region with both diplomacy and military campaigns. His influence was so crucial, that several years after his death, Malacca finally fell to Portuguese conquest in 1511.
Lapu-Lapu, the Phillipines
The Philippines Archipelago was under the rule of Spanish colonizers for over 300 years, but the indigenous people of the archipelago didn’t just give that power to the Spaniards. The first significant act of defiance against colonization that was also ended in a victory, was happened in the Battle of Mactan lead by a local ruler named Lapu-Lapu, in 27 April, 1521.
One of the famous sailor, explorer and conqueror in the world, Ferdinand Magellan, arrived in the archipelago and intended to convert the local populations to Christianity and then place them under the Spanish rule. But Lapu-Lapu as the ruler of Mactan, didn’t submit to Magellan and a confrontation began where Lapu-Lapu and his forces successfully killed Magellan and his soldiers were forced to retreat.
The triumph in the Battle of Mactan has been glorified, romanticized and mythologized in the Philippines where it’s celebrated every year on Araw ng Kagitingan or Day of Valor. The victory has been crucial to the Filipinos' pride and identity and flaming the courage to defend the archipelago, even when they have to face overwhelming odds. Lapu-Lapu is honored by being the first Filipino national hero ever, and has an entire city named after himself in Cebu, which is also a popular tourist destination.
