The White Rajahs were a dynastic monarchy of the British
Brooke family
The Brooke family is an English family that ruled the Raj of Sarawak from 1841 until 1946.
Rajahs of Sarawak:
* James Brooke (1841–1868)
* Charles Brooke (1868–1917)
* Charles Vyner Brooke (1917–1946)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooke Family
Sarawa ...
, who founded and ruled the
Raj of Sarawak
(While I breathe, I hope)
, national_anthem = '' Gone Forth Beyond the Sea''
, capital = Kuching
, common_languages = English, Iban, Melanau, Bidayuh, Sarawak Malay, Chinese etc.
, government_type = Absol ...
, located on the north west coast of the island of
Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and e ...
, from 1841 to 1946. The first ruler was Briton
James Brooke
Sir James Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak (29 April 1803 – 11 June 1868), was a British soldier and adventurer who founded the Raj of Sarawak in Borneo. He ruled as the first White Rajah of Sarawak from 1841 until his death in 1868.
Brooke was b ...
. As a reward for helping the
Sultanate of Brunei
This article includes a list of successive Islamic states and Muslim dynasties beginning with the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (570–632 CE) and the early Muslim conquests that spread Islam outside of the Arabian Peninsula, and continu ...
fight piracy and insurgency among the
indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
, he was granted the province of
Kuching
Kuching (), officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak River at the southwest tip of the state of Sar ...
, which was known as Sarawak Asal (Original Sarawak) in 1841 and received independent kingdom status.
Based on
descent through the male line in accordance with the will of Sir James Brooke, the White Rajahs' dynasty continued through Brooke's nephew and grandnephew, the latter of whom ceded his rights to the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
in 1946. His nephew had been the legal heir to the throne and objected to the cession, as did most of the Sarawak members of the
Council Negri.
Rulers
Sarawak was part of the realm of
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by th ...
until 1841 when James Brooke was granted a sizeable area of land in the southwest area of Brunei – around the town of
Sarawak
Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...
(now Kuching) and the nearby mining region of
Bau – from Bruneian Sultan
Omar Ali Saifuddin II
Omar Ali Saifuddin II (; ; 3 February 1799 – 20 November 1852) was the 23rd Sultan of Brunei, then known as the Bruneian Empire. During his reign, Western powers such as Great Britain and the United States visited the country. His reign saw ...
. He was later confirmed with the title of
Rajah
''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested fr ...
of the territory. The Raj of Sarawak developed and expanded during the rule of the first two White Rajahs, growing to occupy much of the north region of the island of Borneo. The Brooke administrations leased or annexed more land from Brunei.
The White Rajahs were all related:
![Brooke rajahs graves at Sheepstor](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Brooke_rajahs_graves_at_Sheepstor.JPG)
James and Charles had short
grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
educations, Vyner, Bertram, and Anthony went to public schools and
Cambridge University
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
(but without taking degrees). All but Anthony died in England and are buried at
Sheepstor parish church, Devon. Anthony Brooke had his ashes interred at Sheepstor as well as at the Brooke Family graveyard in Kuching, as per his last wish.
Vyner Brooke instituted significant political reforms during his tenure. He ended the
absolute rule
Autocracy is a system of government in which absolute power over a state is concentrated in the hands of one person, whose decisions are subject neither to external legal restraints nor to regularized mechanisms of popular control (except perh ...
of the Rajah in 1941, before the
Japanese invasion during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, by granting new powers to the Council Negri (the parliament). Bertram co-ruled with his elder brother, taking turns of 6 – 8 months in charge of the country each year. By 1939 Bertram's son Anthony had taken the reins of government, and it was with a considerable controversy that Vyner attempted to cede Sarawak to Britain secretly in 1946 in what gave rise to the
anti-cession movement of Sarawak
The anti-cession movement of Sarawak ( ms, Gerakan Anti-Penyerahan Sarawak) was a movement in Sarawak to fight against the British attempt to govern Sarawak as a crown colony rather than a protectorate ruled by the White Rajahs. The movement l ...
.
Titles
* Sovereign: His Highness The Rajah of Sarawak
*
Consort of the ruling prince: Her Highness The Ranee of Sarawak
* Heir apparent: His Highness The Rajah Muda of Sarawak
* Wife of the heir apparent: Her Highness The Ranee Muda of Sarawak
* Heir presumptive: His Highness The Tuan Muda of Sarawak
* Wife of the heir presumptive: Her Highness The Dayang Muda of Sarawak
* Daughters of the sovereign and his heirs: Dayang (personal name)
Line of succession
In accordance with the will of the first Rajah, Sir James Brooke, the line of succession to the "sovereignty of Sarawak and all the rights and privileges whatsoever thereto belonging" was to the heirs male lawfully begotten of the Rajah's nephew Charles Anthony Johnson Brooke. Charles inherited under the will in 1868, and confirmed the succession in his own will of 1913. On his accession in 1918, his son Vyner (later Sir Charles Vyner Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak) swore to uphold the Will "as forming the constitution of the state". This unique testamentary trust became known as the Sarawak Sovereignty Trust.
Government
![Brooke Memorial Kuching](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Brooke_Memorial_Kuching.jpeg)
When James Brooke first arrived in Sarawak, it was governed as a
vassal state
A vassal state is any state that has a mutual obligation to a superior state or empire, in a status similar to that of a vassal in the feudal system in medieval Europe. Vassal states were common among the empires of the Near East, dating back to ...
of the
Sultanate of Brunei
This article includes a list of successive Islamic states and Muslim dynasties beginning with the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (570–632 CE) and the early Muslim conquests that spread Islam outside of the Arabian Peninsula, and continu ...
; the system of government was based on the Bruneian model. Brooke reorganised the government according to the British model, eventually creating a
civil service
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
. It recruited
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an, chiefly British, officers to run district outstations. The Sarawak Service was continually reformed by Rajah James and his successors.
Rajah James retained many of the customs and symbols of Malay monarchy, and combined them with his own style of absolute rule. The Rajah had the power to introduce laws and acted as chief judge in Kuching.
The White Rajahs were determined to prevent the indigenous peoples of Sarawak from being exploited by Western business interests. They allowed the
Borneo Company Limited
Borneo Company Limited, formed in 1856, was one of the oldest companies based in East Malaysia (Sarawak and Sabah).
History Brooke era
The Borneo Company Limited (BCL) was registered in London in June 1856 with a capital of £60,000 and off ...
(the Borneo Company) to assist in managing the economy. The core of the early Sarawak economy was
antimony
Antimony is a chemical element with the symbol Sb (from la, stibium) and atomic number 51. A lustrous gray metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite (Sb2S3). Antimony compounds have been known since ancient time ...
, later followed by gold, which was mined in
Bau by Chinese syndicates who imported numerous workers from China.
After the local Chinese uprising in 1857,
the mining operations were gradually taken over by the Borneo Company; it bought out the last Chinese syndicate in 1884.
The Borneo Company provided military support to the White Rajahs during crises such as the Chinese uprising. One of the company steamships, the ''Sir James Brooke'', helped recapture Kuching.
Rajah Charles formed a small
paramilitary
A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...
force, the
Sarawak Rangers
The Sarawak Rangers were a para-military force founded in 1862 by the second White Rajahs, White Rajah of the Raj of Sarawak, Charles Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak, Charles Brooke. They evolved from the fortmen which were raised to defend Kuching in ...
, to police and defend the expanding state. This small army also manned a series of forts around the country, acted as the Rajahs' personal guard, and performed ceremonial duties.
Cession to the United Kingdom
After the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, during which Sarawak and Borneo had been
occupied by Japanese forces, the third rajah, Vyner Brooke, ceded his life interest in Sarawak to the
Colonial Office
The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, first created to deal with the colonial affairs of British North America but required also to oversee the increasing number of col ...
. Unclear as to the legality of cession, the British Government simultaneously passed a Bill of Annexation. Rajah Vyner's nephew and legal heir,
Anthony Brooke, initially opposed annexation by the Crown, as did a majority of the native members of the
Council Negri.
Because of his opposition to the cession, Anthony Brooke was considered a suspect when
Duncan Stewart, the second British governor to Sarawak, was assassinated by two people that were believed to be members of a group dedicated to restoring him as Rajah.
In fact, they were from a political group agitating for union with newly independent
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
.
He was never prosecuted. Documents released in the late 20th century indicate that the British Government knew that Brooke was not involved, but chose not to reveal the truth of the matter so as not to provoke Indonesia. It had recently won its
war of independence
This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence.
List
See also
* Lists of active separatist movements
* List of civil wars
* List of o ...
from the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, and the UK was already dealing with the
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces o ...
to the north-west.
Since those events, there has been no serious movement for the restoration of the monarchy, although under the Will of Sir James Brooke any member of the Brooke family is eligible to be appointed heir.
The period of Brooke rule is generally looked upon favourably in Sarawak, and in recent times the government has accepted the importance of their legacy for its social, cultural, and touristic value .
The Brooke family still maintains strong ties to the state and its people and are represented by the Brooke Trust, and by Anthony Brooke's grandson
Jason Desmond Anthony Brooke, at many state functions and supporting heritage projects.
Legacy
![Fort Margherita Kuching](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Fort_Margherita_Kuching.JPG)
The
coaling station
Fuelling stations, also known as coaling stations, are repositories of fuel (initially coal and later oil) that have been located to service commercial and naval vessels. Today, the term "coaling station" can also refer to coal storage and feedin ...
of
Brooketon in
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by th ...
was named after the Brooke family.
The architectural legacy of the dynasty can be seen in many of the country's 19th-century and colonial heritage buildings. In
Kuching
Kuching (), officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak River at the southwest tip of the state of Sar ...
these include the
Astana
Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan.
The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmo ...
, or governor's residence; the
Sarawak Museum
The Sarawak State Museum ( ms, Muzium Negeri Sarawak) is the oldest museum in Borneo. It was founded in 1888 and opened in 1891 in a purpose-built building in Kuching, Sarawak. It has been said that naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace encouraged C ...
, the
Old Courthouse,
Fort Margherita
Fort Margherita is an old fort constructed in 1879 by Charles Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak situated in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. The fort is an important landmark and monument in Sarawak's history which goes back to the Brooke Dynasty. The fo ...
, the Square Fort, and Brooke Memorial. The Brooke Dockyard, which was founded in the period of Rajah Charles, is still in operation, as is the original
Sarawak Museum
The Sarawak State Museum ( ms, Muzium Negeri Sarawak) is the oldest museum in Borneo. It was founded in 1888 and opened in 1891 in a purpose-built building in Kuching, Sarawak. It has been said that naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace encouraged C ...
. Several key buildings from the Brooke period, such as the offices and warehouses of Borneo Company, have been demolished for more recent developments.
Modern Kuching has many businesses and attractions that refer to the era of the White Rajahs:
*The James Brooke Café and the
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...
, a
pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
named after James Brooke's schooner, refer to the history of the Brookes.
*The Brooke Gallery which showcases belongings from the Brooke family and artifacts during their time as the White Rajah. The gallery is located in
Fort Margherita
Fort Margherita is an old fort constructed in 1879 by Charles Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak situated in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. The fort is an important landmark and monument in Sarawak's history which goes back to the Brooke Dynasty. The fo ...
.
Sarawak has a diverse population with a large proportion of indigenous tribal peoples, such as the Dayaks (Kayan, Kelabit, Kenyah, Melanau (Kayan Lalo), Kenowit, Sebop Bukitan, Kedayan, Tanjong, Sipeng, Kajang, Sekapan, Kejaman, Lahanan, Punan, Lugat, Lisum, Penan, Sian, Tagal (Murut), Tring, Adang, Livong, Miriek, Tabun, Ukit, Bakong, Kiput, Berawan, Narum, Dali, Penan & other Dayaks), Malay, Bidayuh (Land Dayaks) and Iban (Sea Dayaks). In addition, it received numerous
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
and
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
immigrants, whose businesses and labour were encouraged at various times by the White Rajahs.
Heraldry and emblems
![Flag of the Kingdom of Sarawak (1870)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Flag_of_the_Raj_of_Sarawak_%281870%29.svg)
The heraldic arms of the Brooke dynasty were based on the emblem used by James Brooke. It consisted of a red and black cross on a yellow shield, crested by a
badger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united b ...
, known in
heraldic
Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...
parlance as a "brock" and hence
alluding to the dynastic surname. A crown was added in 1848, and the shield design was used as the basis of the Sarawak flag until 1973. In 1988 the state flag reverted to these original colours.
See also
*
Raj of Sarawak
(While I breathe, I hope)
, national_anthem = '' Gone Forth Beyond the Sea''
, capital = Kuching
, common_languages = English, Iban, Melanau, Bidayuh, Sarawak Malay, Chinese etc.
, government_type = Absol ...
*
List of Sarawakian consorts
A consort of the Sarawak is a person married to a Sarawakian rajah during his reign. All spouses of the rajahs of Sarawak have been titled " Ranee of Sarawak" with the style ''Highness''.
Consorts of Sarawak
See also
*Kingdom of Sarawak
* ...
*
List of heads of government of the Raj of Sarawak
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
* (Literature regarding Broek-De Wind)
External links
brooketrust.orgOld Rajah Brooke website (snapshot from 9 June 2009)bbc.co.ukrajahofsarawakfund
{{Raj of Sarawak
History of Borneo
History of Sarawak
Raj of Sarawak
*
Heads of state of former countries