Abdul Jalilul Akbar was the tenth

Sultan 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 ...

. He succeeded his father, Muhammad Hassan, in 1598 and ruled until his death in 1659. When he ascended to the throne, his uncle Pengiran Di-Gadong Sahibul Mal Besar Omar acted as his

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

Life

His Highness was the son of

Sultan Muhammad Hassan Muhammad Hasan ibni Saiful Rijal Nurul Alam ( Jawi: محمد حسن; died 1598), also known as Marhum di Tanjung, was the tenth Sultan of Brunei from 1582 to 1598. Under him, the Bruneian Empire had apparently full control of the island ...

, the ninth ruler of Brunei. Before he ascended to the throne, he was known as Raja Tua Abdul Jalil. He married to a princess from

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

, Radin Mas Ayu Siti Aishah, the daughter of Kiyai Temenggong Manchu Negoro from Gersik. From their marriage, they bore Sultan Abdul Jalilul Jabbar, Sultan Muhyiddin, Raja Omar, Pengiran Derma Wangsa Pengiran Muda Bongsu, Pengiran Di-Gadong Sahibul Mal Raja Damit Shahbudin and four unknown daughters. His Highness had other children from his other wives including Pengiran Muda Besar Abdullah (father of Sultan Nasruddin), Raja Tengah and Raja Besar.

European contacts

During his reign, he made numerous contacts with the European powers. He stabilized diplomatic relations with the Spaniards who were based in

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 populated ...

in 1599. In December 1600 and January 1601, a Dutchman named

Olivier van Noort Olivier van Noort (1558 – 22 February 1627) was a Dutch merchant captain and pirate and the first Dutchman to circumnavigate the world.Quanchi, ''Historical Dictionary of the Discovery and Exploration of the Pacific Islands'', page 246 Olivier ...

visited

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 ...

who left vivid accounts about

. Although he did not mention the name of the ruling sultan at that time, Van Noort managed to describe that the Brunei king was under the guardianship of his uncle who acted as his

. In 1612, a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

sailor, Sir Henry Middleton visited

as part of his voyage to the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around ...

Death

His Highness died in 1659. He ruled the sultanate for sixty-one years. After his demise, he was known as ''Marhum Tua''. He was succeeded by his son,

Abdul Jalilul Jabbar Abdul Jalilul Jabbar was the eleventh Sultan of Brunei. He ruled only for a year from 1659 to 1660. Later on, he was succeeded by his uncle Muhammad Ali. See also * List of Sultans of Brunei The sultan of Brunei is the monarchical head o ...

References

16th-century Sultans of Brunei Year of birth missing Year of death missing 17th-century Sultans of Brunei {{Asia-royal-stub