IJOBSOR, 8(4) (2021) pp. 104-113 Journal homepage: www.ijobsor.pelnus.ac.id Published by:TRIGIN Publisher International Journal of Politics and Sociology Research Journal homepage:www.ijobsor.pelnus.ac.id Javanese Power: A Comparative Study of the Power Systems of the Majapahit and Demak Kingdoms Yusep Munawar Sofyan Political Science Study Program, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, Jakarta ARTICLEINFO ABSTRACT Article history: Received Jan 09, 2021 Revised Feb 22, 2021 Accepted Mar 21, 2021 Majapahit and Demak were the two most influential Javanese kingdoms of their time. The two kingdoms are located in the same area, namely Java, but have many differences, including the problem of the concept of the legitimacy of power and the authority of the power possessed by the kings. As a Javanese kingdom that still holds the ancestral traditions of the two kingdoms, it is strengthened by religious teachings that are quite influential. Majapahit which adheres to Hindu-Buddhist religion and Demak adheres to Islamic teachings. The legitimacy that was later obtained by the Javanese rulers was the legitimacy of descent where the next royal ruler was the crown prince or a close relative of the kingdom, although the succession of leadership in order to gain legitimacy of power was not only obtained in a smooth way, namely there were several power struggles that ended in civil war, one example is the struggle for power for the sake of legitimacy, there was a war called Paregreg during the Majapahit era. Demak, which is different from Majapahit, still relies on genealogy as a reinforcement of the legitimacy of its power in the eyes of the people. Raden Fatah is the son of Brawijaya V, the last ruler of Majapahit. This certainly indicates that the legitimacy of descent became very dominant in the state administration of the ancient Javanese kingdoms. After a leader gains legitimacy, it will turn into a power authority that will be owned. Given the concept of centralized Majapahit power, so that the authority of power then lies in the hands of the king directly, Keywords: Java Power, Majapahit Kingdom, Kingdom Of Demak This is an open access article under theCC BY-NClicense. Corresponding Author: Yusep Munawar Sofyan, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, Jakarta Jl. Ir H. Juanda No. 95, Cemp. White, District. Ciputat Team, South Tangerang City, Banten 15412 ,Jakarta, Indonesia Email: munawar.sofyan@gmail.com 1. INTRODUCTION Java is one of the islands in Indonesia which stretches from the western tip of Banten Province to the easternmost (East Java), is an area that has attracted the most attention of researchers, both from Indonesia and researchers from outside Indonesia. The focus of their research attention is one of the islands called Java (Java). Geographically, the island of Java is seen as a unit. The concept of unity is reinforced by the historical process, which places the island of Java as the center of a maritime transportation traffic network since prehistoric times (Lombard, 1996) (Sunarya, n.d.).