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Tengku The Malay language has a complex system of styles, titles and honorifics which are used extensively in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the southern Philippines. Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and several provinces in Indonesia regul ...
Alam Shah Temenggong, Tengku Ali Iskandar Shah was a prince of the House of Bendahara (Johor), and was the oldest son of
Sultan Ali Sulṭān ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Bāqir ibn ʿAlī Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn ibn Al-Ḥusayn (Arabic: سلطان علي بن محمد الباقر بن علي زين العابدين بن الحسين) was the son of the fifth imam of Twelver Shi'i Musl ...
, the 19th Sultan of Johor by his second wife, Daing Siti. Following his father's death in 1877,
Tengku The Malay language has a complex system of styles, titles and honorifics which are used extensively in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the southern Philippines. Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and several provinces in Indonesia regul ...
Alam and his supporters made an active pursuit to his claims for the Kesang territory and was publicly proclaimed as the Sultan of Johor and Pahang with the
regnal name A regnal name, or regnant name or reign name, is the name used by monarchs and popes during their reigns and, subsequently, historically. Since ancient times, some monarchs have chosen to use a different name from their original name when they ...
of Alauddin Alam Shah during his marriage ceremony in 1879. The proclamation briefly alarmed Maharaja Abu Bakar, who feared that his political position may be threatened. Within the same year, a brief civil war erupted in Jementah, after repeated attempts to get his claims to the Kesang territory being recognised failed.Winstedt, ''A History of Johore (1365–1941)'', pg 131


Succession dispute

Sultan Ali's third son by Cik Sembuk, Tengku Mahmud was groomed for succession. When the Sultan died in 1877, he nominated Tengku Mahmud to inherit the Kesang territory. The Sultan's decision took Tengku Alam and his supporters in Singapore to anger, who felt that Tengku Alam should inherit his father's properties given that he was the eldest son. Furthermore, Cik Sembuk's commoner backgroundWinstedt, ''A History of Johore (1365–1941)'', pg 129 stood out against Daing Siti's, who was the daughter of a Bugis nobleman. The British on their part, refused to recognise Sultan Ali's will on his son's (Tengku Mahmud) hereditary claims to the Kesang territory. Meanwhile, the chieftains and village headmen in the Kesang territory held their own elections for a new leader, and voted for the Maharaja of Johor, Abu Bakar to take charge of Muar, which the British accepted the outcome of the poll. The Acting Governor of the Straits Settlement,
Edward Anson Major-General Sir Archibald Edward Harbord Anson , , (16 April 1826 – 26 February 1925), was a British military commander from the Anson family. Background and education Anson was born at 32 Devonshire Place, London, the youngest son of Maj ...
, allowed Abu Bakar to take interim control over the Kesang territory.Lee, ''The British as Rulers: Governing Multiracial Singapore, 1867–1914'', pg 12 Tengku Alam and his supporters were extremely unhappy with Maharaja Abu Bakar's intervention over the Kesang territory. A long time of Tengku Alam, W.H. Read helped to lobby in Tengku Alam's cause. Supporters of Tengku Alam had criticised the irregularities in the electoral process, by claiming that the Maharaja had coerced the Muar chiefs into voting for him prior to the election, and called for an election with Tengku Alam's family members as the electors. Tengku Alam's supporters argued that the 1855 secession treaty which Sultan Ali had signed with Temenggong of Johor guaranteed the hereditary rights of Sultan Ali's family members to the Kesang territory. Tengku Alam's claims were fell on deaf ears, and the British government, with the assistance of Engku Mandak, proceeded with the electoral process into 1878. Meanwhile, the British authorities allowed Tengku Alam to inherit the $500 monthly allowance which Sultan Ali had received from the Temenggong's family, and gave him an additional $68 monthly allowance from the
British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...
. An angry Tengku Alam was declined these allowances from the British, and was said to have used abusive language when they were offered to him.Winstedt, ''A History of Johore (1365–1941)'', pg 130 The following January, on 11 January 1879, a few hundred Bugis and Malay supporters proclaimed Tengku Alam with the title of "Sultan Alauddin 'Alam Shah, Sultan of Johor and Pahang" during his marriage ceremony. Tengku Alam's proclamation briefly generated serious concern from Maharaja Abu Bakar and the British government, who feared that Abu Bakar's political position could be a sign of a potential threat to his political position, especially after Tengku Alam had made a public declaration to challenge Abu Bakar for his claims to the Kesang territory. In October, a frustrated Tengku Alam and his supporters launched a civil war in Jementah which was quickly subdued by the British authorities.


Last years and death

Tengku Alam returned to Singapore and lived out his remaining years quietly at
Istana Kampong Glam Istana Kampong Glam ( Malay for "Kampong Glam Palace"; Jawi: ايستان کامڤوڠ ڬلم), also Istana Kampong Gelam, is a former Malay palace in Singapore. It is located near Masjid Sultan in Kampong Glam. The palace and compounds were ...
, where he died in 1891. He was recognised as the head of the royal household by his family members, and occasionally handled administrative affairs pertaining to the royal household.Winstedt, ''A History of Johore (1365–1941)'', pg 132 Five years after his death, members of the royal family disputed over inheritance rights of Istana Kampong Glam in Court. The Istana was recognised as state property, but the British government (and later the Singapore government) quietly allowed members of the royal household to live in it until the 1990s.


Notes


References

* Abdul Wahid, Zainal Abidin bin, ''Glimpses of Malaysian history'', Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 1970 * Adil, Buyong bin, ''Sejarah Johor'', Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 1980 * Ali, Abdullah, ''Malaysian protocol and correct forms of address'', Times Books International, 1986, * Ghazali, Abdullah Zakaria, ''Istana dan politik Johor, 1835–1885'', Yayasan Penataran Ilmu, 1997, * Jayakumar, S., ''Public international law cases from Malaysia and Singapore'', NUS Press, 1974, * Lai, Ah Eng, ''Beyond Rituals and Riots: Ethnic Pluralism and Social Cohesion in Singapore'', Eastern Universities Press, 2004, * Lee, Edwin, ''The British as Rulers: Governing Multiracial Singapore, 1867–1914'', Singapore University Press, National University of Singapore, 1991, * Parkinson, Cyril Northcote, ''British intervention in Malaya, 1867–1877'',
University of Malaya The University of Malaya ( ms, Universiti Malaya, UM; abbreviated as UM or informally the Malayan University) is a public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest and highest ranking Malaysian institution of highe ...
Press, 1960 * Studer, Adolph G., ''American and British Claims Arbitration: William Webster: Appendix to the Memorial of the United States, Vol. III'', 1913 * Thio, Eunice, ''British Policy in the Malay Peninsula, 1880–1910: The Southern and Central States'', University of Malaya Press, 1969 * Winstedt, R. O., ''A History of Johore (1365–1941)'', (M.B.R.A.S. Reprints, 6.) Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1992, {{DEFAULTSORT:Alam Shah, Tenku 1846 births 1891 deaths British rule in Singapore Heirs apparent who never acceded House of Bendahara of Johor Singaporean people of Malay descent Pretenders People of British Singapore