Sultanate of Johor
From Freepedia
The Sultanate of Johor (or sometimes Johor-Riau) was founded by Malaccan Sultan Mahmud Shah's son, Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah in 1528. Johor was part of the Malaccan Sultanate before the Portuguese conquered Malacca's capital in 1511. At its height controlled modern-day Johor, Riau and some part of southeastern Sumatra. In 1946, it became part of the Malayan Union. Two years later, it joined the Federation of Malaya and subsequently, the Federation of Malaysia in 1963.
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Fall of Malacca and Sultan Mahmud Shah
In 1511, Malacca fell to the Portuguese and Sultan Mahmud Shah was forced to flee Malacca. The sultan made several attempts to retake the capital but his efforts were fruitless. Portuguese then retaliated and forced the sultan to flee to Pahang. Later, the sultan sailed to Bintan and established a new capital there. With a base established, the sultan rallied the disarrayed Malay forces and organized several attacks and blockades against the Portuguese position.
Frequent raids on Malacca caused the Portuguese severe hardship and it helped convinced the Portuguese to silent the exiled sultan's forces. A number of attempts were made to suppress the Malay but it wasn't until 1526 that the Portuguese finally razed Bintan to the ground. The sultan then retreated to Kampar in Sumatra and died two years later. He left behind two sons named Muzaffar Shah and Alauddin Riayat Shah.
Muzaffar Shah continued on to establish Perak while Alauddin Riayat Shah became the first sultan of Johor.
Triangular war
The new sultan established a new capital by the Johor River and from there, continued to harass the Portuguese in the north. He consistently worked together with his brother in Perak and the sultan of Pahang to retake Malacca, which by this time was protected by Fort A Famosa.
On the northern part of Sumatra around the same period, Aceh was beginning to gain substantial influence over the Straits of Malacca. With the fall of Malacca to Christian's hands, Muslim traders often skipped Malacca in favor of Aceh. Ergo, Malacca and Aceh became direct competitors.
With the Portuguese and Johor frequently locking horns, Aceh launched multiple raids against both sides in hope to further tighten its grip on the straits. The rise of Aceh encouraged the Portuguese and Johor to sign truce and divert their attention to Aceh. The truce however was short lived and with Aceh severely weakened, Johor and the Portuguese had each other in sight again.
Dutch Malacca
| Sultan of Johor | Reign |
|---|---|
| Alauddin Riayat Shah II | 1528 - 1564 |
| Muzaffar Shah II | 1564 - 1570 |
| Abdul Jalil Shah I | 1570 - 1571 |
| Ali Jalla Abdul Jalil Shah II | 1571 - 1597 |
| Alauddin Riayat Shah III | 1597 - 1615 |
| Abdullah Ma'ayat Shah | 1615 - 1623 |
| Abdul Jalil Shah III | 1623 - 1677 |
| Ibrahim Shah | 1677 - 1685 |
| Mahmud Shah II | 1685 - 1699 |
| Abdul Jalil IV (Bendahara Abdul Jalil) | 1699 - 1720 |
| Abdul Jalil Rahmat Shah (Raja Kecil) | 1718 - 1722 |
| Sulaiman Badrul Alam Shah | 1722 - 1760 |
| Abdul Jalil Muazzam Shah | 1760 - 1761 |
| Ahmad Riayat Shah | 1761 - 1761 |
| Mahmud Shah III | 1761 - 1812 |
| Abdul Rahman Muazzam Shah | 1812 - 1819 |
| Hussein Shah (Tengku Long) | 1819 - 1835 |
| Ali | 1835 - 1877 |
| Raja Temenggung Tun Ibrahim | 1855 - 1862 |
| Abu Bakar | 1862 - 1895 |
| Ibrahim | 1895 - 1959 |
| Ismail | 1959 - 1981 |
| Mahmud Iskandar Al-Haj | 1981 - current |
In the 17th century, the Dutch reached Southeast Asia. The Dutch was no friend of the Portuguese and allied themselves with Johor. Finally in 1641, the Dutch and Johor defeated with the Portuguese. Malacca hence became a Dutch territory and remained so until the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 was signed.
Johor-Jambi war
During the triangular war, within the Johor empire, Jambi emerged as a regional economic and political power. Soon in 1666, it tried to break free from Johor and between 1666 and 1673, a civil war erupted between Johor and Sumatran state. The war was disastrous for Johor as Johor's capital, Batu Sawar was sacked by Jambi. With the sack, Johor capital was frequently moved to avoid threat from Jambi.
Throughout the decade, Jambi continued to exert extraordinary influence on Johor. In 1679 however, Laksamana Tun Abdul Jalil paid Bugis mercenaries to fight along side Johor against Jambi. Soon afterward, Jambi was brought to its knees.
Bugis infiltration
Sultan Mahmud II of Johor died in 1699 without an heir. The power vacuum was quickly vanquished by the then leading advisor Bendahara Abdul Jalil. The advisor declared himself as the new sultan and fashioned himself as Sultan Abdul Jalil Riayat Shah III. Many however felt that such declaration was illegal.
The Bugis, which played an important role in defeating Jambi two decades earlier, had a huge influence in Johor. Apart from the Malay, another influential fraction in Johor at that time was the Minangkabau. Both the Bugis and the Minangkabau realized how the death of Sultan Mahmud II could provide them the chance to exert power in Johor. The Minangkabau hence brought forth a Minangkabau prince, Raja Kecil from Siak and claimed the prince was the son of the late sultan. The prince came into contact with the Bugis and promised the Bugis wealth and political power if the Bugis helped the prince in claiming the throne. However, Raja Kecil broke his promise and went to installed himself as the new sultan of Johor while ignoring the Bugis.
Dissatisfied with Raja Kecil's accession, the former advisor Bendahara Abdul Jalil later asked Daeng Parani of the Bugis to aid him in his quest to reclaim the throne. In 1722, Raja Kecil was dethroned by the advisor's supporters with Bugis's assistance. A member of the advisor house was elected as the new ruler and was styled as Sultan Sulaiman. However, Sultan Sulaiman was merely a puppet since by this moment, it was the Bugis - led by Daeng Parani's brother, Daeng Merewah as a Yam Tuan Muda - that controlled Johor.
Singapore and the British
In 1818, Sir Stamford Raffles was appointed as the governor of Bencoolen on western Sumatra. However, he was convinced that the British needed to establish a new base in Southeast Asia in order to compete with the Dutch. Though many in the British East India Company opposed such idea, Raffles managed to convince Lord Hastings of Company, then Governor General of British India, to side with him. With the governor general's consent, he and his expedition was set to search for a new base.
Raffles' expedition arrived in Singapore on January 29, 1819. He discovered a small Malay settlement at the mouth of Singapore River headed by a Temenggung (governor) of Johor. Though the island was nominally ruled by the sultanate, the political situation there was extremely murky. The current sultan, Tengku Abdul Rahman, was under the influence of the Dutch and the Bugis. Hence, he would never agree to a British base in Singapore.
However, Tengku Abdul Rahman was ruler only because his older brother, Tengku Hussein or Tengku Long, had been away in Penang getting married when their father died in 1812. According to Malay culture, a person has to be by the dying sultan's in order to be considered as the new ruler. The older brother wasn't happy with the development. Furthermore, the Temenggung preferred Tengku Hussien to the younger brother.
Upon learning Johor political scenario, Raffles made a deal with Tengku Hussein. The agreement states that the British would acknowledge Tengku Hussien as the legitimate ruler of Johor. Tengku Hussein and the Temenggung would receive yearly stipend from the British. In return, Tengku Hussein would allow Raffles to establish a trading post in Singapore. The treaty was ratified on February 6, 1819.
With the Temenggung's help, Raffles managed to smuggle Hussein, then living in exile on one of the Riau Islands, back into Singapore.
The Dutch was extremely displeased with Raffles' action. However, with the signing of Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824, the Dutch receded its opposition to British's presence in Singapore. The treaty also divided the Sultanate of Johor into modern Johor and the new Sultanate of Riau.
In the new Johor, though Tengku Hussein was the sultan, the Temenggung was the one that run Johor. The Bugis on the other hand controlled Riau.
Modernization
In 1855, under a treaty between the British in Singapore and Sultan Ali of Johor, the control over the state was formally ceded to Temenggung Ibrahim, with the exception of the Muar. Muar was later handed over to the Temenggung's control in 1877. Temenggung Ibrahim opened up Bandar Tanjung Puteri in southern Johor as a major city. Bandar Tanjung Puteri would later be known as Johor Bahru.
Temenggung Ibrahim was succeeded by his son, Temenggung Abu Bakar, who later took the title Seri Maharaja Johor. In 1866, he was formally crowned the Sultan of Johor. Sultan Abu Bakar introduced a constitution and developed an efficient administration system. He also ordered the constrution of Istana Besar, the official residence of the sultan. Due to these achievements, Sultan Abu Bakar is known by the title "Father of Modern Johor".
Johor also enjoyed economic prosperity. An increased demand for black pepper and gambier in the nineteenth century lead to the opening up of farmlands to the influx of Chinese immigrants, creating Johor's initial economic base. The Kangchu system was put in place.
In 1914, Sultan Ibrahim, Sultan Abu Bakar's successor, was forced to accept a British Resident and effectively became a crown colony of the Britain. D.G. Campbell was dispatched as the first British advisor to Johor.
World War II and Malaysia
The Second World War broke out in 1939 and invaded British Malaya in December 1941. The British, who were responsible for Johor's defense, were swiftly defeated by the Japanese and retreated to Singapore to make a stand. Japan occupied Johor from 1942 to 1945. Singapore fell February 15 1942.
With the end of the war, the British came back and in 1946, Johor became part of Malayan Union. Malay nationalism led by Dato' Onn Jaafar however forced the desolution of Union and in 1948, the state joined a new federation called Malaya. It achieved achieved independence in 1957 and later in 1963, it was one of the fourteen states that formed Malaysia.
