Gajah 77
Some years later, according to legend, Gajah Mada's loyalty waned when the king took Mada's wife as a concubine. In the tale, Gajah Mada convinced the court physician, a one-time supporter of Kuti, to kill the king when he fell ill; upon the king's death, Gajah Mada promptly had the physician arrested and executed. Whatever the truth in the tale, following the death of Jayanagara, his step-sister Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi ascended the throne with ambitions to expand the reach of her empire. Fortunately for Gajah Mada, his role in this expansion was considered integral by the new queen, and he was named mahapatih, or Prime Minister, in 1329 AD. With sweeping powers and new authority, Gajah Mada set his sights on the far-flung reaches of the archipelago, vowing great things for the empire that entrusted him with its future. His famous oath, known as the Sumpah Palapa - often the subject of varying interpretations - declared in the most basic terms "I will not indulge in the fruits or spice, the earthly pleasures, until all of the known islands are conquered for the Majapahit."
