Editing Central Java (section)

=== Dutch colonial rule ===
[[File:Mataram 1830-en.png|thumb|200px|right|The shattered kingdom, Mataram in 1830, after the [[Java War]].]]
By the late 16th century, European traders began to frequent central Javanese ports. The Dutch established a presence in the region through the [[Dutch East India Company|East India Company]]. Following the fall of Demak to Mataram under the reign of [[Sultan Agung]], Mataram was able to conquer almost all of Java by the 17th century, but internal disputes and Dutch intervention forced it to cede more land to the Dutch. These cessions led to several partitions of Mataram. The first was after the 1755 [[Treaty of Giyanti]], which divided the kingdom in two, the Sultanates of Surakarta and Yogyakarta. Surakarta was divided again with the establishment of the [[Mangkunegaran]] following the 1757 Treaty of Salatiga.

During the [[Napoleonic Wars]], Central Java as a Dutch colony was [[Invasion of Java (1811)|taken over by the British]]. In 1813, the Sultanate of Yogyakarta was divided with the establishment of the Pakualaman. Following the departure of the British, the Dutch returned as stipulated in the [[Congress of Vienna]]. The [[Java War]] between 1825 and 1830 ravaged Central Java, which resulted in a consolidation of the Dutch power. The power and the territories of the already divided Mataram were greatly reduced. After the war, the [[Netherlands]] enforced the [[Cultivation System]] which was linked to famines and epidemics in the 1840s, first in Cirebon and then Central Java, as cash crops such as indigo and sugar had to be grown instead of rice.

In the 1900s, the predecessor of the modern Central Java was created, named ''Gouvernement van Midden-Java''. Before 1905, central Java consisted of 5 ''gewesten'' (regions) namely [[Semarang]], [[Rembang Regency|Rembang]], [[Kedu Residency|Kedu]], [[Banyumas Regency|Banyumas]], and [[Pekalongan]]. [[Surakarta]] was still an independent ''vorstenland'' (autonomous region) which stood alone and consisted of two regions, Surakarta and Mangkunegaran, as well as Yogyakarta. Each ''gewest'' consisted of districts. At that time, the ''Rembang Gewest'' also included ''Regentschap [[Tuban]]''and ''Regentschap [[Bojonegoro Regency|Bojonegoro]]''. After the enactment of the 1905 ''Decentralisatie Besluit'' (Decentralisation Decision), the governor was given autonomy and a regional Council was formed. In addition, autonomous ''gemeente'' (municipal) was formed, [[Pekalongan]], [[Tegal (city)|Tegal]], [[Semarang]], [[Salatiga]], and [[Magelang]]. In 1930, the province was designated as an autonomous region with a ''provinciale raad'' (provincial council). The province consists of several ''residenties'' (residencies), covering several ''regentschap'' (districts), divided into several ''kawedanan'' (districts). Central Java consisted of 5 residences: Pekalongan, Jepara-[[Rembang Regency|Rembang]], Semarang, [[Banyumas Regency|Banyumas]], and [[Kedu Residency|Kedu]].