Roughly around the 4th century, the ancient kingdoms of Kutai in Kalimantan, Tarumanagara in western Java, and Kalingga in central Java were established.
The Sriwijaya Empire established itself in Sumatra in the 7th century, thriving through trade and expanding into the Malay peninsula and the western part of Java.
In the 8th century, the empire of Shailendra established itself in central Java, thriving and building the Buddhist temple of Borobudur.
The empire of Mataram appeared in the 9th century and brought down the Shailendra Dynasty. This is when the famous Hindu temple of Prambanan was constructed.
11th – 14th Century
Many Hindu empires such as Kediri and Singhasari rose and fell on the island of Java during this period.
Roughly around the 13th century, the spread of Islam began. The Majapahit Empire of central Java began to expand its influence to the rest of Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and even Australia.
15th – 16th Century
The Majapahit Empire began its fall in the late 15th century.
The first Muslim empire of Indonesia, the Sultanate of Demak, came into power in central Java in the 16th century, and the spread of Islam began in earnest.
European powers began their economic expansion in the region in this period.
17th – 19th Century
In the early 17th century, the Netherlands established a central base for the Dutch East India Company in the Jakarta region and occupied most of Indonesia’s territory.
After that, Dutch colonial rule continued.
20th Century
Indonesia was invaded by Japanese forces during World War II. In 1945, a group led by Sukarno declared Indonesian independence.
After the Indonesian National Revolution against the Netherlands, Indonesia gained its independence and established the Republic of Indonesia.