Sultan of Pahang facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sultan of Pahang |
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| سلطان ڤهڠ | |
Arms of His Royal Highness the Sultan of Pahang
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| Incumbent | |
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Abdullah in October 2019
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| Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah since 11 January 2019 |
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| Details | |
| Style | His Royal Highness |
| Heir apparent | Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah |
| First monarch | Muhammad Shah |
| Formation | 1470 |
| Residence | Istana Abu Bakar, Pekan |
The Sultan of Pahang (سلطان ڤهڠ) is the traditional leader of the state of Pahang, Malaysia. This important title is passed down through families. The current Sultan is Al-Sultan Abdullah ibni Sultan Ahmad Shah.
The Sultan is also the main religious leader for Islam in Pahang. He grants all special titles, honors, and important positions in the state. Long ago, this title was also used by rulers of the older Old Pahang Sultanate.
History of the Pahang Sultanate
The Old Pahang Kingdom was first mentioned in old records as early as the 5th century. At its strongest, it covered much of what is now Pahang. It also included the southern part of the Malay Peninsula.
Pahang was often connected to larger Malay kingdoms like Srivijaya. Around the mid-1400s, it became part of the Melaka Sultanate. In 1470, it was set up as a Muslim Sultanate. This happened when the grandson of the former ruler became the first Sultan of Pahang.
Pahang's Rise and Challenges
Over time, Pahang became more independent from Melaka. It even became a rival to Melaka for a while. This was before Melaka was taken over in 1511.
At its peak, the Pahang Sultanate was a powerful state in Southeast Asia. It controlled the entire Pahang area. It bordered the Pattani Sultanate to the north. It was next to the Johor Sultanate in the south. It also had control over parts of modern-day Selangor and Negeri Sembilan to the west.
During this period, Pahang fought against foreign powers. These included Portugal, Holland, and the Aceh Sultanate. After some attacks from Aceh in the early 1600s, Pahang joined with Johor. Its 14th Sultan, Abdul Jalil Shah III, also became the 7th Sultan of Johor.
The Bendahara Dynasty Takes Over
After being united with Johor for a time, Pahang became a separate kingdom again. This happened in the late 18th century. The Bendahara dynasty slowly gained power as the Johor Empire began to break apart.
In the late 1700s, Tun Abdul Majid was declared the first Raja Bendahara. He ruled Pahang as an independent area. The Johor Sultanate became weaker. This allowed powerful families like the Bendahara family in Pahang to become more independent.
In 1853, the fourth Raja Bendahara, Tun Ali, declared Pahang fully independent from Johor. He kept peace during his rule. But after he died in 1857, a civil war started. His sons, Tun Mutahir and Wan Ahmad, fought for control.
Wan Ahmad won the war in 1863. He was supported by the Terengganu Sultanate and the Siamese. He became the last Raja Bendahara. In 1881, his chiefs declared him the Sultan of Pahang. This marked the start of the modern Pahang Sultanate.
List of Rulers
House of Melaka
Sultan of Pahang
- 1470–1475: Muhammad Shah
- 1475–1495: Ahmad Shah
- 1495–1512: Abdul Jamil Shah (ruled with Mansur Shah I)
- 1495–1519: Mansur Shah I (ruled with Abdul Jamil Shah)
- 1519–1530: Mahmud Shah
- 1530–1540: Muzaffar Shah
- 1540–1555: Zainal Abidin Shah
- 1555–1560: Mansur Shah II
- 1560–1575: Abdul Jamal Shah (ruled with Abdul Kadir Alauddin Shah)
- 1560–1590: Abdul Kadir Alauddin Shah (ruled with Abdul Jamal Shah)
- 1590–1592: Ahmad Shah II
- 1592–1614: Abdul Ghafur Muhiuddin Shah
- 1614–1615: Alauddin Riayat Shah
- 1615–1617: Abdul Jalil Shah III (first time)
- 1617–1623: No ruler
Sultan of Johor-Pahang-Riau-Lingga (Johor Empire)
From 1623, Pahang became part of Johor. This happened when Johor's Sultan Abdullah Ma'ayat Shah died. Raja Bujang then became the new ruler of Johor-Pahang. He was known as Abdul Jalil Riayat Shah III. He ruled until 1677. As Aceh's power faded, Johor-Pahang slowly gained control over the Riau-Lingga islands.
- 1623–1677: Abdul Jalil Shah III
- 1641–1676: Yamtuan Muda Raja Bajau – He was the heir to the Johor throne. He ruled Pahang as a separate area until he died in 1676.
- 1677–1685: Ibrahim Shah
- 1685–1699: Mahmud Shah II
House of Bendahara
Sultan of Johor-Pahang-Riau-Lingga (Johor Empire)
When Mahmud Shah II died in 1699, the Bendahara, Tun Abdul Jalil, became Sultan. He took the title Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah IV. The Johor chiefs agreed to this. They understood that the Bendahara would become Sultan if the previous Sultan had no children to inherit the throne.
- 1699–1720: Abdul Jalil Shah IV (Bendahara Tun Abdul Jalil)
- 1722–1760: Sulaiman Badrul Alam Shah
- 1760–1761: Abdul Jalil Muazzam Shah
- 1761-1761: Ahmad Riayat Shah
- 1761–1770: Mahmud Shah III
Raja Bendahara of Pahang
By the early 1800s, the Johor-Pahang-Riau-Lingga empire started to break up. After 1806, its different parts became like separate states. The Anglo-Dutch Treaty in 1824 further divided the empire. This led to Pahang and Johor becoming independent states. The treaty said that islands south of Singapore would belong to the Dutch. The Malay Peninsula would be under British influence. The Malay Rulers were not asked about this treaty.
The empire split completely when two different rulers claimed the throne. One was in Riau-Lingga (under Abdul Rahman Muazzam Shah). The other was in Johor (under Hussein Shah).
From this point, the Raja Bendahara of Pahang became more and more independent. Bendahara Tun Ali had accepted Abdul Rahman as his overlord. But the Anglo-Dutch Treaty limited the Sultan to Riau-Lingga. He was seen as a Dutch ruler there. This stopped him from controlling the Malay Peninsula, which was now under the British. So, Bendahara Tun Ali declared Pahang independent by 1853. He kept peace during his rule. But after he died in 1858, a civil war started between his sons, Tun Mutahir and Tun Ahmad. This war led to the creation of the modern Pahang Sultanate.
- 1770–1802: Tun Abdul Majid
- 1802–1803: Tun Muhammad
- 1803–1806: Tun Koris
- 1806–1858: Tun Ali
- 1858–1863: Tun Mutahir
- 1863–1881: Tun Ahmad (later became Sultan)
Sultan of Modern Pahang
- 1881–1914: Ahmad al-Mu’azzam Shah
- 1914–1917: Mahmud Shah
- 1917–1932: Abdullah al-Mu’tassim Billah Shah
- 1932–1974: Abu Bakar Ri’ayatuddin al-Mu’azzam Shah
- 1974–2019: Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah. Sultan Ahmad stepped down due to poor health. This happened after Muhammad V of Kelantan stepped down as King of Malaysia on January 6, 2019. This allowed his son to become Sultan of Pahang and then King of Malaysia.
- 2019–present: Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah. Sultan Abdullah became King of Malaysia on January 31, 2019. This was shortly after he replaced his father as Sultan of Pahang on January 15.
Family Tree
See Also
- Pahang
- Family tree of Malaysian monarchs
