Mahmud Ri’ayat Shah Zilu’llah fil’Alam Khalifat ul-Muminin ibni al-Marhum Sultan ‘Abdu’l Jalil Shah (24 March 1756–1811) was the 15th
Sultan of Johor
The Sultan of Johor is a hereditary seat and the sovereign ruler of the Malaysian state of Johor. In the past, the sultan held absolute power over the state and was advised by a ''bendahara''. Currently, the role of ''bendahara'' has been take ...
and Johor's dependencies who reigned from 1770 to 1811.
Early life
Born on 24 March 1756, Mahmud Shah III is the younger son of the 13th Sultan of Johor,
Abdul Jalil Muazzam Shah
Paduka Sri Sultan ‘Abdu’l Jalil V Mu’azzam Shah Zilu’llah fil’Alam Khalifat ul-Muminin ibni al-Marhum Sultan Sulaiman Badr ul-‘Alam Shah (11 March 1738–29 January 1761) was the 13th Sultan and Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Johor and Pahan ...
by his second wife, Tengku Puteh binti Daeng Chelak. To maintain their de facto control of Johor Empire, the Bugis continued to install puppet rulers on the throne, including the infant grandson of
Sulaiman Badrul Alam Shah
Paduka Sri Sultan Sulaiman Badr ul-‘Alam Shah Khalifat ul-Muminim ibni Almarhum Sultan ‘Abdu’l Jalil Ri’ayat Shah (11 November 1699 – 20 August 1760) was the 12th Sultan of Johor, Sultan and Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Johor and Sultan of P ...
, Mahmud Shah III,
who succeeded on the death of his elder brother,
Ahmad Riayat Shah
Ahmad ( ar, أحمد, ʾAḥmad) is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other spellings of the name include Ahmed and Ahmet.
Etymology
The word derives from the root (ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from the ve ...
in 1770.
Treaty with the Dutch
During the early part of his reign, the office of Yamtuan Muda was held by the powerful Bugis chief, Daeng Kemboja. Mahmud Shah III came of age at a time when Bugis-Dutch trade rivalry was intensifying. He exploited the rivalry by concluding a treaty of protection with
VOC
VOC, VoC or voc may refer to:
Science and technology
* Open-circuit voltage (VOC), the voltage between two terminals when there is no external load connected
* Variant of concern, a category used during the assessment of a new variant of a virus
...
on board the ''Utrecht''
'' on 10 November 1784 in which he was accorded the style of 'Most Serene Prince' (''Doorlugtigen Vorst'').
The treaty called for the end of the Bugis monopoly over the office of Yamtuan Muda and prohibited other Bugis from holding office within Johor's administration. It also demanded the expulsion of all Bugis not born or bred in Riau. Additionally, the treaty allowed the Dutch to post a
Resident
Resident may refer to:
People and functions
* Resident minister, a representative of a government in a foreign country
* Resident (medicine), a stage of postgraduate medical training
* Resident (pharmacy), a stage of postgraduate pharmaceuti ...
in Johor. Shortly thereafter. Mahmud Shah III retreated to Pahang. All-out conflict soon erupted between the Dutch and the Bugis. Hostilities between the two powers continued until 1795, when the Dutch finally succeeded in ousting the Bugis chief, Raja Ali from Riau, allowing Mahmud Shah III to return to his capital.
Return of the Bugis dominance
The same year, however, the Netherlands came under French occupation and the Dutch allowed the British to temporarily take over their territories in the
Malay world
The Malay world or Malay realm (Indonesian/Malay: or ; Jawi: ), is a concept or an expression that has been used by different authors and groups over time to denote several different notions, derived from varied interpretations of Malayness ...
. This enabled Raja Ali to make a comeback. After the Bugis ousted Tengku Muda, the Malay Yamtuan Muda of Johor, Mahmud Shah III had no choice but to accept Raja Ali's return in 1803. To appease both the Bugis and Tengku Muda, the Sultan married his son, Tengku Hussein, to Tengku Muda's daughter, while his other son, Tengku Abdul Rahman, was made Raja Ali's ward. To maintain his distance from the Bugis, Mahmud Shah III established his capital at
Daik
Daik ( Jawi: ; ) is the main village (''kelurahan'') on the island of Lingga of Lingga Regency, in the Riau archipelago in Indonesia. It is located at .
History
Daik was the capital of the Lingga Sultanate for almost 100 years, from 1819 to 191 ...
,
Lingga.
Dissolution of Johor
By the early 19th century, the Pahang and Riau-Lingga began to break up from Johor. Based in Lingga, Mahmud Shah III exercised little power over the Johor Sultanate. This enabled the emergence of a number of powerful chiefs from the same family, such as
Temenggong Abdul Rahman
Dato Temenggong Daeng Abdul Rahman bin Tun Daeng Abdul Hamid (1755 – 8 December 1825) was the Temenggong of Johor during the Bendahara dynasty. He was best known of being instrumental in the Treaty of Singapore with the British East India Compa ...
(great great grandson of
Abdul Jalil Shah IV
Paduka Sri Sultan ‘Abdu’l Jalil IV Ri’ayat Shah Zillu’llah fi al-’Alam bin Dato’ Bendahara Sri Maharaja Tun Habib Abdul Majid (or simply as Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah IV) was the Sultan and Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Johor and Pahang and t ...
,
second cousins once removed to Mahmud Shah III) and
Tun Abdul Majid (grandson of
Abdul Jalil Shah IV
Paduka Sri Sultan ‘Abdu’l Jalil IV Ri’ayat Shah Zillu’llah fi al-’Alam bin Dato’ Bendahara Sri Maharaja Tun Habib Abdul Majid (or simply as Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah IV) was the Sultan and Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Johor and Pahang and t ...
and
first cousins once removed
Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, ...
to Mahmud Shah III). Installed in 1806, the Temenggong had de facto control over Johor mainland, Singapore and the islands in the Riau Archipelago.
While in
Pahang
Pahang (;Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a ...
, Bendahara Tun Abdul Majid became increasingly independent and began carrying the title 'Raja Bendahara' ('King Grand Vizier') of the dominion, following the weakening control from the capital.
This development had resulted in the sultanate's constituent parts effectively became principalities, and the cultural unity that had hitherto existed between the Malay Peninsula and the islands of Riau-Lingga was gradually destroyed.
Death
Mahmud Shah III died at Fort Tanna, Bukit Chengah, Lingga on 12 January 1811 and was buried at Masjid Jamie', Daik,
Lingga without having named a successor and having had issue, two sons by commoners, and two daughters.
A succession dispute arose between his sons, later ended when the Bugis seized the throne for his younger son,
Tengku Abdul Rahman and crowned him in Riau as the next sultan.
References
Bibliography
*
{{National Heroes of Indonesia
1756 births
1811 deaths
Sultans of Johor
18th-century monarchs in Asia
19th-century monarchs in Asia
House of Bendahara of Johor
National Heroes of Indonesia