Kedah Sultanate

Sultanate of Kedah كسلطانن قدح‎(Malay) Kesultanan Kedah
330–1136 (Old Kedah) 1136–1821 1842-1945 1948–present
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem:Allah Selamatkan Sultan Mahkota God Save the Crowned Sultan(since 1937)
Kedah in present-dayMalaysia
Status	Old Kedah (330–1136) Independent Sultanate (1136–1821) State ofSiam(1821–1909) Protectorate of theUnited Kingdom(1909–1941; 1945–1946)
Capital	Alor Setar Anak Bukit
Common languages	Malay Kedah Malay English Chinese Tamil Aslian
Religion	Sunni Islam
Government	Absolute monarchy (1136-1941; 1945-1946; 1948-1957) Parliamentaryconstitutional monarchywithinMalaysia (since 1957)
Sultan
• 1136–1179	Mudzaffar Shah I(first)
• 2017–present	Sallehuddin
Advisor
• 1909–1915; 1918–1919	George Maxwell
Legislature	None (rule by decree) (1136–1905) Kedah State Council (1905–1941; 1945–1946; 1948–1959) Kedah State Legislative Assembly
Historical era	Early modern period
• Conversion toIslam	1136(1136)
•Golden Age	1735
•AnnexedbySiam	November 1821
•Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909	9 July 1909
•Japanese occupation	16 February 1942
•Annexed by Thailand	18 October 1943
•Japanese surrender;returned to United Kingdom	14 August 1945
• Added intoMalayan Union	31 March 1946
Population
• 1931	429,691
Currency	Native gold and silver coins Straits dollar(until 1939) Malayan dollar(until 1953)
Preceded by Succeeded by Kedah Kingdom Srivijaya Syburi Malayan Union Kedah Rattanakosin Kingdom
Today part of	Malaysia
1Remains as capital until today 2Malay using Jawi (Arabic) script

TheKedah Sultanate(Malay:كسلطانن قدح) is aMuslim dynastylocated in theMalay Peninsula.It was originally an independent state, but became aBritish protectoratein 1909. Itsmonarchywas abolished after it was added to theMalayan Unionbut wasrestoredand added to the Malayan Union's successor, theFederation of Malaya.

The information regarding the formation of this sultanate and the history before and after its creation comes from the "Kedah Annals".The annals were written in the 18th century, over a millennium after the formation of the supposed Kedah Kingdom. It describes the first king of Kedah as arriving on the shores of Kedah as a result of an attack by a mythical gigantic beast. It states that the nation was founded by the offspring ofAlexander the Great.However, Thai chronicles mention that Kedah was a Thai city likeNakhon Si Thammaratand was a part of the Siamese kingdom but later was changed into a Malay state after invasion by Muslim kingdoms until today.

The Kedah Annals provides unreliable information on the sultans of Kedah, listing the first sultan of Kedah asSultan Mudzafar Shah Iin 1136, while an Acehnese account gives the conversion of Kedah to Islam in 1474. Although not impossible, the year 1136 is also unlikely since it pre-dates theTerengganu Inscription Stoneby almost three centuries. Claims made by the Kedah Annals also directly contradict the fact that the BuddhistSrivijayakingdom was in direct control of Kedah at the time Sultan Mudzafar Shah I allegedly converted the region to a sultanate. Kedah may have remained Hindu-Buddhist until the 15th century.

History

Main article:History of Kedah

Map of Old Kedah and the early transpeninsular routeway

Stone sculpture sitting in theLotus positionfound in Kedah

By around 788 BCE, a systematic government of a large settlement ofMalay nativeofKedahhad been established around the northern bank of theMerbok River.The state consisted of a large area of theBujang Valley,covering the Merbok andMuda Riverbranches in an approximately 1,000-square mile area. The capital of the settlement was built at the estuary of a branch of the Merbok River, now known asSungai Batu.Around 170 CE, groups ofHindusarrived at Kedah, who were soon joined by peoples from nearby islands and from the northernMon-Khmerregion. At the same time, traders from India, Persia and the Arabian Peninsula arrived at the brink of the Malacca Strait, usingGunung Jerai(the Kedah Peak) as a marking point. Ancient Kedah covered the areas of Kuala Bahang, Kuala Bara, Kuala Pila and Merpah.

The king from Gombroon

According to theAt-Tarikh Salasilah Negeri Kedah,written by Muhammad Hassan bin Dato' Kerani Muhammad Arshad in 1928, in around 630 CE, Maharaja Derbar Raja of Gombroon (now known asBandar Abbas) inPersiawas defeated in battle and escaped toSri Lanka,and was later blown off course by a storm to the remote shores of Kuala Sungai Qilah, Kedah.The inhabitants of Kedah found him to be a valiant and intelligent person and made him the king of Kedah. In 634 CE, a new kingdom was formed in Kedah consisting of Persian royalty and nativeMalaypeople of the Hindu faith; the capital wasLangkasuka.

Conversion to Islam

Based on the account given inHikayat Merong Mahawangsa(also known as theKedah Annals), theSultanate of Kedahwas formed when KingPhra Ong Mahawangsaconverted to Islam and adopted the name Sultan Mudzafar Shah.At-Tarikh Salasilah Negeri Kedahdescribed the conversion to Islam as starting in 1136 AD. However, historian Richard Winstedt, quoting anAcehneseaccount, gave 1474 as the year of conversion to Islam by the ruler of Kedah. This later date lines up with an account in theMalay Annals,which describes a raja of Kedah visiting Malacca during the reign of itslast sultanseeking the honour of the royal band that marks the sovereignty of a Malay Muslim ruler. The request by Kedah was in response to be Malacca's vassal, probably due to fears ofAyutthayanaggression.

British colonisation of Penang and Seberang Perai

The first British vessel arrived in Kedah in 1592.In 1770,Francis Lightwas instructed by the BritishEast India Company(EIC) to takePenangfrom Kedah. He achieved this by assuring SultanMuhammad Jiwa Zainal Adilin IIthat his army would protect Kedah from any Siamese invasion. In return, the Sultan agreed to hand over Penang to the British.However, Light made the agreement without the consent of his superiors in India. The EIC did not provide military support, as promised by Light, when Siam attacked Kedah. The Sultan demanded that Light return Penang, but Light was reluctant to hand it back. He offered compensation for the damage but was refused by the Sultan. In 1790, Abdullah planned to launch an amphibious invasion of the island of Penang to recapture it. The EIC, with the help of the British military made apreemptive strikeand attacked Kedah's navy and fort inSeberang Perai,damaging them. The Sultan signed a ceasefire agreement with Light in 1791.

On 7 July 1800, whileGeorge Alexander William LeithwasLieutenant-Governor of Penang,a treaty came into effect that gave the British sovereignty over Seberang Perai, subsequently namedProvince Wellesley.The treaty, negotiated by Penang's First AssistantGeorge Caunterand Sultan of KedahDziaddin Mukarram Shah II,increased the annual payment to the sultan from 6,000 to 10,000Spanish dollars.While the acquisition improved Penang Island's military and food security, for Kedah it provided a protective strip against enemy attack from the sea.The treaty also provided for the free flow of food and commodities from Kedah to Penang Island and Province Wellesley.To this day, theMalaysian federal governmentstill pays Kedah, on behalf of Penang, RM 10,000 annually as a symbolic gesture.

Partition of Kedah and Siamese vassalage

Flag of Kedah (1821–1912)

After the death of SultanAbdullah Mukarram Shahin 1797, the throne was given to his half brother SultanDziaddin Mukarram Shah II.However Sultan Dziaddin was forced toabdicatein 1803 by the King of Siam and was replaced by his nephew Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin II. This sparked a succession crisis as crown prince, Tunku Bisnu claimed to be the rightful heir to the throne. Fearing civil war, Siam reconciled the two parties by appointing Tunku Bisnu as ruler of Setul, thus establishing theKingdom of Setul Mambang Segarain 1808.

From 1821, aSiamese invasion of Kedahfragmented Kedah's territory. This period marked the exile of SultanAhmad Tajuddin Halim Shah IIand the imposition of direct Siamese rule on Kedah for a time. Tengku Kudin, a nephew of Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin, captured Alor Setar from the Siamese in 1831but the town was retaken soon after. After 20 years of living in exile, Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin was restored to the throne of Kedah in 1842.

In 1892, the kingdom was reunified with the Kedah Sultanate. However, the assimilation of the Siamese people and their culture in Setul had weakened Kedah rule over it. TheAnglo-Siamese Treatyin 1909 finally ended Kedahan rule over Setul, as the Siamese and British agreed to exclude Setul from Kedah's jurisdiction.

List of rulers

The list of rulers of Kedah as given here is based to some extent on theKedah Annalsbeginning with the Hindu ruler Durbar Raja I. According to theKedah Annals,the 9th Kedah maharaja, Derbar Raja, converted to Islam and changed his name to Sultan Muzaffar Shah, thereby starting the Kedah sultanate.A genealogy was compiled in the 1920s,Al-Tarikh Salasilah Negeri Kedah Darul AmanorKedah Genealogy.The historicity and the dating of the list of rulers however is questionable as Kedah may have remained Hindu-Buddhist until the 15th century when its king converted to Islam.

Hindu era

The following is a list of kings of Kedah Kingdom. Each used the Hindu title ofSriPadukaMaharaja.The exact dates of each king's reign are not known, and the dates given are speculative.

1. Durbar Raja I (330–390)
2. Diraja Putra (390–440)
3. Maha Dewa I (440–465)
4. Karna Diraja (465–512)
5. Karma (512–580)
6. Maha Dewa II (580–620)
7. Maha Dewa III (620–660)
8. Diraja Putra II (660–712)
9. Darma Raja (712–788)
10. Maha Jiwa (788–832)
11. Karma II (832–880)
12. Darma Raja II (880–956)
13. Durbar Raja II (956–1136; succeeded asSultan of Kedah,see below)

Source for the list of sultans is the Muzium Negeri Kedah,Alor Setar,Malaysia. "The sultans of Kedah".

Islamic era

Sultan ofKedah
Provincial
Arms of His Royal Highness the Sultan of Kedah
Incumbent
Sallehuddin since 12 September 2017
installation 22 October 2018
Details
Style	His Royal Highness
Heir apparent	Tunku Sarafuddin Badlishah
First monarch	Mudzaffar Shah I(first)
Formation	1136(1136)
Residence	Istana Anak Bukit,Alor Setar

The beginning of the use of the titlesultanin Kedah is attributed to a visit by a Muslim scholar fromYemen,Sheikh Abdullah bin Ja'afar Quamiri, to Durbar Raja II'spalaceat Bukit Meriam in 1136.The audience resulted in the king's conversion to Islam. He adopted the nameMudzaffar Shahand established the Sultanate of Kedah.

The source for the list of sultans given here is the official genealogy given for the Sultan of Kedah.There are however discrepancies with theKedah Annalsas it lists only five sultans from the first convert Mudzaffar Shah to Sulaiman Shah, who was captured by Aceh in 1619, in contrast to the twelve listed here. The rest of the list largely follows as that given in theKedah Annalswith the exception of a few changes and more recent updates in the 20th and 21st century.

Sultans of Kedah

Number	Sultan	Reign
1	Mudzaffar Shah I	1136–1179
2	Mu'adzam Shah	1179–1202
3	Muhammad Shah	1202–1237
4	Muzzil Shah	1237–1280
5	Mahmud Shah I	1280–1321
6	Ibrahim Shah	1321–1373
7	Sulaiman Shah I	1373–1423
8	Ataullah Muhammad Shah I	1423–1473
9	Muhammad Jiwa Zainal Adilin Mu'adzam Shah I	1473–1506
10	Mahmud Shah II	1506–1547
11	Mudzaffar Shah III	1547–1602
12	Sulaiman Shah II	1602–1626
13	Rijaluddin Muhammad Shah	1626–1652
14	Muhyiddin Mansur Shah	1652–1662
15	Dziaddin Mukarram Shah I	1662–1688
16	Ataullah Muhammad Shah II	1688–1698
17	Abdullah Mu'adzam Shah	1698–1706
18	Ahmad Tajuddin Halim Shah I	1706–1710
19	Muhammad Jiwa Zainal Adilin Mu'adzam Shah II	1710–1778
20	Abdullah Mukarram Shah	1778–1797
21	Dziaddin Mukarram Shah II	1797–1803
22	Ahmad Tajuddin Halim Shah II	1803–1821
–	Siamese invasion of Kedah	1821–1842
(22)	Ahmad Tajuddin Halim Shah II	1842–1845
23	Zainal Rashid Al-Mu'adzam Shah I	1845–1854
24	Ahmad Tajuddin Mukarram Shah	1854–1879
25	Zainal Rashid Mu'adzam Shah II	1879–1881
26	Abdul Hamid Halim Shah	1881–1943
27	Badlishah Shah	1943–1958
28	Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah	1958–2017
29	Sallehuddin	2017–present

Culture

Nobat

Thenobatmusical instruments of Nagara and Nepiri were introduced to Kedah by Maharaja Derbar Raja. The instrument is also calledsemambu.The band is led by the king, and it consists of drums, a gong, a flute and a trumpet. Today,nobatis a royal orchestra, played only during royal ceremonies such as inaugurations, weddings, and funerals. The building which houses the instruments and where the ensemble rehearses is known as the Balai Nobat, literally the Office of Nobat, inAlor Setarcity proper.

See also

• Bujang Valley
• Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa
• Sultanate of Johor
• Sultanate of Malacca
• Sultanate of Singgora
• Kingdom of Kubang Pasu Darul Qiyam,another historical Malay Kingdom born during the Partition of Kedah
• Family tree of Kedah monarchs
• Family tree of Malaysian monarchs
• List of Sunni Muslim dynasties

References

• Mohammad Isa Othman, Politik Tradisional Kedah 1681–1942,Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka,Kuala Lumpur, 1990

• Ibrahim Bakar (Ed.), At-Tarikh Salasilah Negeri Kedah Darul Aman by Muhammad Hassan bin Dato' Kerani Muhammad Arshad,Persatuan Sejarah Malaysia Cawangan Kedah,Alor Setar Kedah, 2018

External links

• List of Kedah sultans
• Nobat(in Malay)