Then, the Treaty of Giyanti, signed in 1755, divided Mataram into two, namely Surakarta and Yogyakarta with their respective territories and the Great State (Negara Agung) which was governed jointly.

However, they did not have jurisdiction over Europeans or 'non-indigenous Orientals', and most native law courts were eventually replaced by Dutch colonial ones.

The colonial government also assumed authority in other areas; the princely territories did not have their own postal services, for instance.

Like the particuliere landerijen [private domains], the princely states were not directly controlled by the colonial government, and so were not subjected to the Cultivation System, introduced by Governor-General Johannes van den Bosch in 1830.

[3][4] Although the Sultanate of Surakarta and Duchy or Principality of Mangkunegaran were merged into the province of Central Java after independence in 1946, the traditional monarchies were not abolished, and still exist to this day.