Bolkiah, also known as Nakhoda Ragam, was the 5th
Sultan of Brunei. He ascended the throne upon the abdication of his father, Sultan
Sulaiman, and ruled Brunei from 1485 to 1524. His reign marked the Golden Age of Brunei
and saw the Sultanate become a prominent power of the Malay archipelago. Bolkiah frequently traveled abroad to gain new ideas for the development of the country, as well as seeking suggestions from his various chiefs. It is said that his name was kept by his father after the Ba'Alawi Sayyed clan Ba-Awalqhiyyah who had gained control over much of the Yemeni kingdom of
Hadhramaut
Hadhramaut ( ar, حَضْرَمَوْتُ \ حَضْرَمُوتُ, Ḥaḍramawt / Ḥaḍramūt; Hadramautic: 𐩢𐩳𐩧𐩣𐩩, ''Ḥḍrmt'') is a region in South Arabia, comprising eastern Yemen, parts of western Oman and southern Saud ...
.
Historicity
Bolkiah was mentioned in , a 19th century Bruneian stone tablet which describes a genealogy of the
Sultans of Brunei
The sultan of Brunei is the monarchical head of state of Brunei and head of government in his capacity as prime minister of Brunei. Since independence from the British in 1984, only one sultan has reigned, though the royal institution dates bac ...
. He was also mentioned in
Silsilah Raja-Raja Berunai, a 19th century manuscript which also describes the same genealogy.
The Bruneian Sultan Salan in
Boxer Codex
The ''Boxer Codex'' is a late sixteenth century Spanish manuscript that was produced in the Philippines. The document contains seventy-five colored illustrations of the peoples of China, the Philippines, Java, the Moluccas, the Ladrones, and Sia ...
, a 16th century Spanish manuscript, was identified as Bolkiah.
Title
Bolkiah was known in
Bornean
Borean (also Boreal or Boralean)http://ehl.santafe.edu/EhlforWeb.pdf is a hypothetical linguistic macrofamily that encompasses almost all language families worldwide except those native to the Americas, Africa, Oceania, and the Andaman Islands. ...
and
Malay traditions by the title (
Malay, meaning "Singing Captain"). However, it is argued that the title is also given to another Sultan of Brunei and other figures in the
Malay archipelago.
Reign
The reign of Sultan Bolkiah is said to be the golden age of Brunei. His dominion is said to have included present-day
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, ...
and
Sabah
Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory o ...
in
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 ea ...
, as well as
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
and
Sulu Archipelago in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. There is also the possibility that his sovereignty also extended to
Kalimantan, including
Sambas,
Kotaringin,
Pontianak
Pontianak or Khuntien is the capital of the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan, founded first as a trading port on the island of Borneo, occupying an area of 118.31 km2 in the delta of the Kapuas River at a point where it is joined ...
,
Banjar,
Barau and
Bolongan.
Sultan Bolkiah was mentioned in as the Bruneian Sultan who "defeated the states of Suluk and Seludong".
Hugh Low, a British colonial administrator in the 19th century, identified Seludong as Manila. However, it was argued that Seludong was not Manila but
Serudong River in Sabah, which was said to be controlled by the
Sulu Sultanate
The Sultanate of Sulu ( Tausūg: ''Kasultanan sin Sūg'', كاسولتانن سين سوڬ; Malay: ''Kesultanan Sulu''; fil, Sultanato ng Sulu; Chavacano: ''Sultanato de Sulu/Joló''; ar, سلطنة سولك) was a Muslim state that ruled ...
at that time.
The visit by
Antonio Pigafetta
Antonio Pigafetta (; – c. 1531) was an Venetian scholar and explorer. He joined the expedition to the Spice Islands led by explorer Ferdinand Magellan under the flag of the emperor Charles V and after Magellan's death in the Philippine Islands, ...
to Brunei in 1521 is said to have occurred during his reign.
Sultan Bolkiah's victory over
Seludong (modern-day
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
) by defeating
Rajah Suko of
Tundun in
Luzon
Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
and as well as his marriage to Laila Menchanai, the daughter of
Sulu Sultan Amir Ul-Ombra, widened Brunei's influence in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
This increased Brunei's wealth as well as extending Islamic teachings in the region, resulting in the influence and power of Brunei reaching its peak during this period. Bolkiah's rule reached essentially all of coastal
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 ea ...
,
as far south as
Banjarmasin
)
, translit_lang1 = Other
, translit_lang1_type1 = Jawi
, translit_lang1_info1 = بنجر ماسين
, settlement_type = City
, motto = ''Kayuh Baimbai'' ( Banjare ...
,
and as far north as the island of
Luzon
Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
, including Seludong (present-day
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
) in the Philippines.
Marriage
One tradition states that Bolkiah married a
Javanese princess. It is also said that her followers intermarried with the Bruneian people, which became the ancestors for the
Kedayan
The Kedayan (also known as Kadayan, Kadaian or Kadyan) are an ethnic group residing in Brunei, Federal Territory of Labuan, southwest of Sabah, and north of Sarawak on the island of Borneo. According to the Language and Literature Bureau of B ...
ethnic group.
Another tradition states that Bolkiah was married to Laila Menchanai, the daughter of
Sulu Sultan Amir Ul-Ombra and Datu Kemin.
Death and succession
![Mausoleum of Sultan Bolkiah in Kota Batu](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Mausoleum_of_Sultan_Bolkiah_in_Kota_Batu.jpg)
After his death, he was succeeded by his son,
Abdul Kahar
Abdul Kahar was the sixth Sultan of Brunei. He ruled from 1524 until stepping down from the throne in 1530 to allow his nephew and adopted-son Saiful Rijal to become Sultan .. When his son ascended to the throne, Abdul Kahar acted as Regent wi ...
.
He was buried in
Kota Batu with his wife, Princess Leila Mechanai.
See also
*
List of Sultans of Brunei
The sultan of Brunei is the monarchical head of state of Brunei and head of government in his capacity as prime minister of Brunei. Since independence from the British in 1984, only one sultan has reigned, though the royal institution dates ba ...
Notes
Citations
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolkiah
Bruneian people of Saudi Arabian descent
15th-century Sultans of Brunei
16th-century Sultans of Brunei