Majapahit · 1293-1527

Majapahit: an island empire

Founded in 1293 by a prince who outwitted a Mongol fleet, Majapahit grew from East Java into the greatest power of the islands under its chief minister Gajah Mada. Students explore a sea empire of rice, spices and court poetry.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
45 minutes
Ages
11–14
On the map
3 steps, AD 1350 to AD 1400
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

Founded in 1293 by a prince who outwitted a Mongol fleet, Majapahit grew from East Java into the greatest power of the islands under its chief minister Gajah Mada. Students explore a sea empire of rice, spices and court poetry.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Locate Majapahit and the islands it claimed, and explain how sea power held them together.
  • Describe the roles of Raden Wijaya, Gajah Mada and Hayam Wuruk.
  • Evaluate the court poem Nagarakretagama as a source on the size of Majapahit.
2

Explore the map

12 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1350

A world of islands

Open the map in 1350 and zoom out over the islands between Sumatra and New Guinea. How many large islands can you count? Why would ruling them need ships?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1350

The capital

Zoom in on the Brantas River valley in East Java, where the capital Trowulan stood. Why would a capital sit inland on a river and not on the coast?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1400

The spice road

Turn on Trade Routes. The sea route on the map begins at the Strait of Malacca. Where did cloves and nutmeg come from before they reached it?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

14 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Why did Majapahit need both rice farms and ports?
  2. Raden Wijaya used the Mongols and then drove them out. Was that clever or dishonest?
  3. The court poem Nagarakretagama of 1365 lists many lands under Majapahit. Why might a court poet exaggerate?
  4. How did the spread of Islam and the rise of Malacca weaken Majapahit?
  5. Why do many people in Indonesia today remember Gajah Mada as a hero?
4

Game round

9 min

Rule History has no Javanese ruler, so play Genghis Khan, whose grandson Kublai sent the fleet that Raden Wijaya outwitted in 1293. Let students take turns ruling. Then discuss: why were the Mongols so much weaker at sea than on land?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.