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Bendahara (Jawi: بندهار) is an administrative position within classical Malay kingdoms comparable to a vizier before the intervention of European powers during the 19th century. A bendahara was appointed by a sultan and was a hereditary post. The bendahara and the sultan shared the same lineage.
The closest post which is comparable to the post of the vizier as the Malay kingdoms are Islamic kingdoms. As the bendahara is the head of the nobility, the status confers certain responsibility. The bendahara is the backbone of the Malay Sultanate. For the ancient kingdoms of Malacca and Johor, there were many tasks and responsibilities but the primary ones were:[ citation needed ]
Legitimacy of the Sultan lies with the bendahara. The bendahara always consulted the other nobles before arriving at a decision. The bendahara and nobles do this for the well-being of the subjects and is essential if there are problems in the state. These tasks are more extensive than any vizier or the modern prime minister.
The involvement of the British and the Dutch in the administration of the Malay States and the subsequent independence of Malaysia and Indonesia has reduced the Bendahara to a symbolic title only.
Though it is unclear when the title was first used, the Sultanate of Malacca had several influential bendaharas. The most famous is Tun Perak. Under Tun Perak's service which spanned several sultans, Malacca reached its height in the late 15th century. According to the Malay Annals and the Hikayat Hang Tuah , the bendahara secretly saved the life of Hang Tuah, a laksamana the sultan had ordered killed.
In 1612, Bendahara Tun Sri Lanang of the Sultanate of Johor was commissioned by Sultan Alauddin Riaayat Shah of Johor to compile Malay history and record it into a book. The book was known as Sulalatus Salatin and later known as Sejarah Melayu, an important literary piece in Malay language history. In 1699, Bendahara Abdul Jalil became Sultan Abdul Jalil IV of Johor after the previous sultan, Mahmud Shah II was murdered, leaving no heir behind. After the rule of Sultan Abdul Jalil IV, the bendahara was awarded Pahang as his personal fief. Bendahara Tun Abbas and his descendants ruled Pahang continuously until Tun Mutahir, who was deposed in a civil war in 1863.
The current Terengganu sultanate was founded by Sultan Zainal Abidin I of Terengganu in 1708. He was the son of Tun Habib Abdul Majid, a 17th-century bendahara of Johor.[ citation needed ]
After the fall of Malacca to the Portuguese, the Malacca Sultanate was succeeded by the Johore Sultanate.
The following Bendaharas were sidelined by the palace following the rise of Laksamana Paduka Tuan:
After the succession of Sultan Abdul Jalil IV in Johor, the Bendahara were granted Pahang as a personal fief. Thereafter the Bendahara of Johor were known as the Bendahara in Pahang. They are also known as "Raja Bendahara" for their status as the rulers of Melaka as a vassal state of the Johore Sultanate.
In Brunei, the title of Pengiran Bendahara was given to royal family members and to serve as a significant military commander. [1]
Even now, the wazir class of aristocracy still goes by the title Bendahara, although they now refer to it as Pengiran Bendahara Seri Maharaja Permaisuara. [14]
In modern times of Malaysia, it is typical to render the position as prime minister. Though a bendahara's duties are similar to that of a prime minister's, the two terms are not interchangeable. One clear difference is the amount of power held by the two positions. In ancient times, the bendahara was typically the highest-ranking official after the sultan but the sultan retained ultimate authority. The sultan was not answerable to the bendahara, or to anyone else for that matter. The sultan was not just a constitutional monarchy like the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in contemporary Malaysia where the Prime Minister holds effective political power.[ citation needed ]
Current titles used:
In Indonesia, a treasurer is commonly referred as Bendahara. [23] In Malaysia the equivalent/similar term for the treasurer of a small organisation/club is "bendahari". [24]
In the Philippines, the term Bendahara was recorded by Antonio Pigafetta during the Ferdinand Magellan expedition to refer to the Prime Minister of the Rajahnate of Cebu who was the brother of Rajah Humabon, king of that Polity. [25]
The Malay language has a complex system of styles, titles and honorifics which are used extensively in Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia and Singapore.
The Johor Sultanate was founded by Malaccan Sultan Mahmud Shah's son, Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah II in 1528.
Bendahara Paduka Raja Tun Perak was the fifth and most famous bendahara, a Malay rank similar to a prime minister, of the Sultanate of Malacca. He served under four sultans from 1456 to 1498. Early in his life, Perak was a soldier-statesman for Malaccan rulers. In 1445, he led the Malaccan army to victory by defeating Siamese invaders. As a result, he was made bendahara in 1456.
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 taken over by first minister with the constitutional monarchy system via Johor State Constitution. The sultan is the constitutional head of state of Johor. The sultan has his own independent military force, the Royal Johor Military Force. The sultan is also the Head of Islam in Johor state.
Tun Muhammad bin Tun Ahmad, better known as Tun Sri Lanang, was the Bendahara of the royal Court of Johor Sultanate who lived between the 16th and 17th centuries. He served under two Sultans of Johor, namely; Sultan Ali Jalla Abdul Jalil Shah II (1570–1597) and Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah III (1597–1615) and also advisers to 3 Acheh sultans namely; Sultan Iskandar Muda, Sultan Iskandar Thani (1636–1641) and Sultana Tajul Alam Safiatuddin Shah (1641–1675). He had two honorific titles throughout his lifetime; as the Bendahara of Johor, Bendahara Paduka Raja Tun Mohamad, while he was given the title of Orang Kaya Dato' Bendahara Seri Paduka Tun Seberang after settling in Aceh.
Sulaiman al-Qanuni ibni Sharif Ali, also known as Senior King and Adipati Agung, was the fifth Sultan of Brunei, according to Silsilah Raja-Raja Berunai. He succeeded his father in 1432 and ruled until his abdication in 1485, to allow his son Bolkiah to become Sultan.
Muhammad Hasan ibni Saiful Rijal Nurul Alam, 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 of Borneo and Northern Philippines, including Sulu.
Dato' Bendahara Seri Maharaja Tun Habib Abdul Majid was the 19th Bendahara of the Johor Sultanate during the late 17th century. The Johor Sultanate under Sultan Mahmud Shah II saw a gradual decline of royal authority during Tun Habib's tenure as the Bendahara of Johor. Internal challenges within the Sultanate faced by Tun Habib consolidated his power as the Bendahara, in which case the Bendahara monopolised legitimate authority over the Johor Sultanate by the 1690s. After his death, Tun Habib's descendants spanned throughout the Johor Sultanate and established ruling houses in Riau-Lingga, Johor, Pahang and Terengganu.
Sri Paduka Dato' Bendahara Sri Maharaja Tun Muhammad Tahir ibni Almarhum Dato' Bendahara Sri Maharaja Tun Ali was the fifth Raja Bendahara of Pahang who ruled the state until his death in 1863 in the Pahang Civil War.
Sri Maharaja Sang Sapurba Paduka Sri Trimurti Tri Buana, (1245–1316) also known as Sri Nila Pahlawan, is a figure in the Malay Annals, highly revered as the legendary great ancestor of some of the major dynasties of the Malay world: Singapura, Malacca, Pahang, Johor, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu and Siak Sri Indrapura. Legend has it that after his accession to Seguntang Hill with his two younger brothers, Sang Sapurba enters into a sacred covenant with Demang Lebar Daun the native ruler of Palembang, which laid the basis of the proper relationship between the Malay rulers and the subjects. The legendary sword believed to be carried by the king, the Cura Si Manjakini, is now formed part of the regalia of Perak Sultanate, whose rulers are said directly descended from the king. The details of Sang Sapurba stories are mainly composed of folklore and legends, and thus his historical existence is debated and disputed by modern historians. Even so, as De Jong argued in her article The Character of Malay Annals, the stories of the Malay Annals could have been realistically mixed with the historical figures and events.
Abdul Hakkul Mubin ibni Muhammad Panjang, also known as Abdul Mubin or Al-Marhum di Pulau, was the 14th Sultan of Brunei. He was involved in the Brunei Civil War and ruled the sultanate from 1661 to 1673, after killing his uncle, Sultan Muhammad Ali.
Sri Paduka Dato' Bendahara Paduka Raja Tun Abdul Majid ibni Almarhum Dato' Bendahara Sri Maharaja Tun Abbas, (1718–1802) was the 21st Bendahara of the Johor Sultanate, who was believed by historians to be the first Raja Bendahara of the Pahang Kingdom that gained effective control over the principality, following the gradual dissolution of the Johor by the end of the 18th century.
Sri Paduka Dato' Bendahara Sri Maharaja Tun Ali ibni Almarhum Dato' Bendahara Paduka Raja Tun Koris was the 23rd and the last Bendahara of Johor Sultanate, and the fourth Raja Bendahara of the Pahang Kingdom who reigned from 1806 to 1857.
The Bendahara dynasty is the current ruling dynasty of Pahang, Terengganu and Johor Sultanate, a constituent state of Malaysia. The royal house were of noble origin, holding the hereditary position of Bendahara in the courts of Singapura, Melaka and Old Johor since at least from the end of the 13th century.
The Most Esteemed Family Order of Laila Utama is an order of Brunei. It was established on 1 March 1954 by Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III. The order carries the post-nominal letters "DK" or "DK I" as well as the title "Dato Laila Utama".
Cermin Island is an islet at the mouth of Brunei River in the Mukim Kota Batu, Brunei-Muara District, Brunei. During the Brunei Civil War, a battle unfolded on the island and it's sometimes referred to as the Peperangan Pulau Cermin. A proposal for an 5 hectares protection status to be implemented on the island. The island is home to sundry vegetation and swamp forests.
Pengiran Anak Damit was Queen of Brunei as the wife of the 28th Sultan of Brunei, Omar Ali Saifuddien III.
The Wazir are a group of royal dignitaries within the Sultanate of Brunei whose position ranks the second-highest official in the country behind the Sultan. The vizier had formerly held the position of the Sultan's highest official in the administration of the then-reigning government throughout Brunei's history, particularly during the times prior to and after the British protectorate. The core of Brunei's nobility consisted of this class of governmental offices, and it consists of a Perdana Wazir, and four Wazir under him, namely Bendahara, Di-Gadong, Pemancha and Temenggong. Notably, they are sometimes referred to as and acted as senior ministers.
Pengiran Anak Hashim, also simply referred to as P. M. Hashim, was a Bruneian nobleman and politician who formerly held several high-ranking positions which included being a member of the Privy Council, Legislative Council, and the Islamic Religious Council.
Princess Nor Ehsani or sometimes spelled Noor Ehsani, is the only child and daughter of Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin and Queen Tengku Raihani.
