Diponegoro Diponegoro ( Mustahar ; Antawirya ; 11 November 1785 – 8 January 1855 ) , also known as Dipanegara , was a Javanese prince who opposed the Dutch colonial rule . He played an important role in the Java War ( 1825 – 1830 ) . In 1830 , the Dutch exiled him to Makassar . Early life . Diponegoro was born on 11 November 1785 in Yogyakarta , and was the eldest son of Sultan Hamengkubuwono III of Yogyakarta . When the sultan died in 1814 , Diponegoro was passed over for the succession to the throne in favor of his younger half brother , Hamengkubuwono IV who was supported by the Dutch . Being a devout Muslim , Diponegoro was alarmed by the relaxing of religious observance at his half brother ' s court , as well as by the court ' s pro - Dutch policy . In 1821 , famine and plague spread in Java . His half brother Hamengkubuwono IV ( r . 1814 - 1821 ) who had succeeded their father died . He left only an infant son as heir , Hamengkubuwono V . When the year - old was appointed as new sultan , there was a dispute over his guardianship . Diponegoro was again passed over , though he believed he had been promised the right to succeed his half brother . This series of natural disaster and political upheaval finally erupted into full scale rebellion . Rebellion against the Dutch . Dutch colonial rule was becoming unpopular by the local farmers because of tax rises , crop failures and by Javanese nobles because the Dutch colonial authorities deprived them of their right to lease land . Because the local farmers and many nobles were ready to support Diponegoro and because he believed that he had been chosen by divine powers to lead a rebellion against the Christian colonials , he started a holy war against the Dutch . Dipenogoro was widely believed to be the Ratu Adil , the Just Ruler predicted in the Pralembang Joyoboyo . The beginning of the war saw large losses on the side of the Dutch , due to their lack of coherent strategy and commitment in fighting Diponegoro ' s guerrilla warfare . Ambushes were set up , and food supplies were denied to the Dutch troops . The Dutch finally committed themselves to controlling the spreading rebellion by increasing the number of troops and sending General De Kock to stop the insurgencies . De Kock developed a strategy of fortified camps ( benteng ) and mobile forces . Heavily - fortified and well - defended soldiers occupied key landmarks to limit the movement of Diponegoro ' s troops while mobile forces tried to find and fight the rebels . From 1829 , Diponegoro definitely lost the initiative and he was put in a defensive position . Many troops and leaders were defeated or deserted . Defeat and exile . In 1830 Diponegoro ' s military was as good as beaten and negotiations were started . Diponegoro demanded to have a free state under a sultan and he wanted to become the Muslim leader ( caliph ) for the whole of Java . In March 1830 he was invited to negotiate under a flag of truce . He accepted but was taken prisoner on 28 March despite the flag of truce . De Kock claims that he had warned several Javanese nobles to tell Diponegoro he had to lessen his previous demands or that he would be forced to take other measures . The Dutch exiled him to Makassar . Legacy . Today Diponegoro is a National Hero of Indonesia , and Kodam IV / Diponegoro , the Central Java Military Region , is named after him . Indonesian Navy had named two ships after him , the most recent is KRI Diponegoro - 365 , also lead ship Diponegoro ( SIGMA - Class ) Corvette bought from the Netherlands . 1 . http : / / encarta . msn . com / encyclopedia _ 761584175 / diponegoro . html External links . 2 . http : / / iclweb01 . fsw . leidenuniv . nl / walhain / eindexamen / Level _ 4 / cse / Indonesie / schoolboeken / Diponegoro / diponego . htm # oorzaken 3 . http : / / www . raden - saleh . org The web site of the Prince Raden Saleh Foundation . See the page " Capture of Prince Diponegoro "