Mangkunegara VIII

Mangkunegara VIII, 8th Duke of Mangkunegaran (Kartasura, 7 April 1925 – Surakarta, 2 August 1987) was an Indonesian politician, and the eighth and last sovereign Duke of Mangkunegaran, who reigned from 1944 until his death in 1987. He experienced the Dutch colonial period and the beginning of Indonesia's independence. Mangkunegara VIII was the son of Mangkunegara VII, by Gusti Raden Ayu Retnaningrum, one of his secondary wives. The queen consort Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Timur had only one child, a daughter named Gusti Raden Ayu Siti Nurul Kusumawardhani.

Mangkunagara VIII faced extreme difficulty in maintaining the sovereignty of his state. As a result, the state of Surakarta (including Mangkunagaran) were incorporated into the province of Central Java in 1950. Mangkunagara VIII died in 1987 and was succeeded by his third child and second son as Mangkunegara IX.^[2][3]

The couple of His Majesty Prince Mangkunegara VII and BRAy Retnaningrum (Garwo Ampil) gave birth to their first son, B.R.M Natasoeparto. He was born on Friday Pahing, January 1, 1920. In terms of lineage, he is the son of Garwo Ampil's wife, not Garwo Padmi. His father, Gusti Mangkunegoro VII, had 7 children, both from Garwo Padmi (Empress) and from Garwo Ampil (Concubine).^[4]

During his childhood, B.R.M. Saroso received both formal and informal education. His informal education was provided privately, with teachers from Dutch families. This was done so that each son and daughter of Mangkunegara VII would be able to master Dutch language skills to communicate and interact with their Dutch families.