Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim

Raja Temenggong Tun Daeng Ibrahim bin Temenggong Daeng Abdul Rahman (8 December 1810 – 31 January 1862) was the Temenggong of Johor and later the ''de facto'' Maharaja of Johor from 1855 to 1862.

Biography

Early life

Daeng Ibrahim was born in Pulau Bulang, Kepulauan Riau on 8 December 1810 as the second son to Temenggong Abdul Rahman and Inche Yah Moffar. He was also known as Daeng Ronggek, Tengku Chik and Daeng Kechil. A year later in 1811, his family moved to Singapore Island and established a governance there, where they settled near the river (present day Singapore River).

In 1823, his father moved the family and their followers to the 200 acres of land (part of Teluk Belanga area) that was assigned by Stamford Raffles, the palace was known as Istana Lama and was later completed in 1824. His father died in the palace on 8 December 1825 and was informally succeeded by his elder brother Tun Haji Abdullah as the ''de facto'' Temenggong of Johor.

Reign

In 1833, Daeng Ibrahim took over his brother Tun Haji Abdullah as the ''de facto'' Temenggong of Johor. He later introduced the ''kangchu system'' to develop black pepper and gambir.

However his appointment as Temenggong of Johor was only officially made known on 19 August 1841, and was witnessed by the 4th Governor of the Straits Settlements George Bonham and the Treasurer of Pahang Bendahara Tun Ali at the New Harbour (present day Keppel Harbour).

On 10 March 1855, Ali Iskandar and Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim signed a treaty with the British Government in Singapore as officiated by the 5th Governor of the Straits Settlements William John Butterworth. In this treaty agreement, Ali Iskandar would be crowned as the Sultan of Johor and receive 5,000 Spanish dollars with an allowance of 500 per month, in return, he agreed to transfer all of his powers of the Johor territory to Daeng Ibrahim, save for Kesang, Muar which would be the only territory under his control. Although the treaty recognised Ali Iskandar as the Sultan of Johor, the title cannot be passed on to his offspring. Thus, Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim became the de facto Maharajah of Johor, he renamed this territory as Iskandar Puteri and administered it from his residence in Teluk Belanga.

As the Sultan of Riau-Lingga Mahmud Muzaffar Shah was ousted by the Dutch on 7 October 1857 and Sulaiman Badrul Alam Shah II was installed as his successor. Raja Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim, aware of the situation and later in 1861, signed a treaty with Bendahara Tun Mutahir of Pahang. The treaty recognized the territories of Johor, and the Temenggong and his descendant's right to rule it, as well as mutual protection and mutual recognition of Johor and Pahang. With the signing of this treaty, the remnants of the empire became two independent states, Johor and Pahang.

Death

Daeng Ibrahim died of high fever in his house Istana Lama at Teluk Belanga on 31 January 1862 and was buried at the nearby Makam Diraja Teluk Blangah with his father. He was succeeded by his eldest son Abu Bakar.

Legacy

There are some places named after him in Singapore:
* Masjid Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim
* Temenggong Road, off Telok Blangah Road

References

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1810 births
1862 deaths
People of British Singapore
House of Temenggong of Johor