Tun Fatimah

Last updated

Tun Fatimah was a well-known heroine and daughter of Tun Mutahir the Malaccan bendahara (prime minister) who lived during the 16th century. She was married to Malacca's Sultan Mahmud Shah. [1]

Contents

Early life

Through her father's lineage, she is a descendant of both Tun Kudu and Tun Ali's marriage. According to Sejarah Melayu, both were prominent figures in the times of Sultan Muzzafar, the fifth Sultan of Malacca. Tun Kudu was initially married to Muzaffar, who divorced her so that she could marry Tun Ali. Only then would Tun Ali step down from his position as Prime Minister for the more effective Tun Perak, Tun Kudu's brother, to take his place. .

First marriage To Tun Ali

Tun Fatimah was already married to her cousin, Tun Ali (not to be confused with their ancestor of the same name) when Sultan Mahmud set his sights on her to become his new wife. It is said that the Sultan was upset that Tun Mutahir kept the fact that he had a beautiful daughter away from the sultan and married her off to someone else. [2] To add to the problem, many of the Sultan's courtiers felt alienated with Tun Mutahir who elected members of his clan to important posts in the Malaccan government. One of these courtiers was Shahbandar Raja Mudaliar, the Chief of Port of Malacca who allegedly started a rumour that Tun Mutahir was scheming to take over the throne. Tun Fatimah refused to divorce her husband when the Sultan's courtiers urged her to. This proved to be her ultimate undoing because it led to the execution of all of her male relatives in her family, including Tun Mutahir and also her first husband, Tun Ali. [3]

Second marriage To Sultan Mahmud

Tun Fatimah finally complied with the Sultan's wishes. She became his fifth wife. [4] During her time as the royal consort, Tun Fatimah was said to have never smiled, and miscarried three times, perhaps due to emotional misery or even as a silent way of exacting revenge for the injustices committed by the Sultan against her family. She only started bearing children when the Sultan guaranteed her son will succeed him as ruler of Malacca. Fatimah eventually bore the Sultan two Princes and two Princesses. Mahmud had his eldest son, Ahmad Shah, with his first wife Tun Teja, who succeeded him while Fatimah's sons were still minors.

Role as Queen of Malacca

As queen consort, Tun Fatimah made sure those who slandered her father and family were executed. She then went on to become the first Malay woman to lead her people like a charismatic sovereign queen. [5] It is said that the Portuguese were more afraid of the Queen than her reigning Sultan husband. She was known to help the army to lead the Malays in their fight against the invading Portuguese forces in the early 16th century. Unfortunately, the Malays had later lost the war to the Portuguese army. According to Malaysian historians it was a sly foreign Datuk of Malacca who gave out the secrets to them to conquer the city, and thus had eventually made the Malays lost their control of it. Perhaps the fall of Malacca is also partly due to the Sultan's cruelty and disunity among Malaccans at that times.

Post fall of Malacca

Ahmad Shah was deemed incompetent and was killed by Mahmud Shah himself in 1513 after a failed attempt to retake Malacca from the Portuguese. [6] Mahmud Shah then reclaimed the throne, although by then the Malacca sultanate had been abolished, thus making him a pretender. Fatimah's eldest son, Muzaffar Shah I went on to establish a Sultanate in Perak region while her second son, Raja Raden Ali went on to become the second ruler of the Johor Sultanate as Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah for 36 years. After Malacca fell to Portugal in 1511, [7] it seemed that it was mainly Tun Fatimah's work that expanded the new Malay Johor-Riau from Johore and the Riau islands to parts of Sumatra and Borneo. The Malaccan Sultan's power was almost restricted to a figurehead. Tun Fatimah created an alliance with neighbouring kingdoms by letting her children marry the royal families of Aceh, Minangkabau and Borneo. No one knows how long she had lived for, as well as when and where she died. However, fellow historians of the Malay Archipelago suggested that her tombstone is located in Kampar, Riau on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Places and things named after Tun Fatimah

Notes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malacca Sultanate</span> State on the Malay Peninsula and surrounding regions (1400–1511)

The Malacca Sultanate was a Malay sultanate based in the modern-day state of Malacca, Malaysia. Conventional historical thesis marks c. 1400 as the founding year of the sultanate by King of Singapura, Parameswara, also known as Iskandar Shah, although earlier dates for its founding have been proposed. At the height of the sultanate's power in the 15th century, its capital grew into one of the most important transshipment ports of its time, with territory covering much of the Malay Peninsula, the Riau Islands and a significant portion of the northern coast of Sumatra in present-day Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johor Sultanate</span> Sultanate of Johor

The Johor Sultanate was founded by Malaccan Sultan Mahmud Shah's son, Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah II in 1528. Prior to being a sultanate of its own right, Johor had been part of the Malaccan Sultanate before the Portuguese conquered its capital in 1511. At its height, the sultanate controlled areas in what is now modern-day Johor, Pahang, Terengganu, territories stretching from the rivers of Klang to the Linggi and Tanjung Tuan, respectively situated in the states of Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Malacca, Singapore, Pulau Tinggi and other islands off the east coast of the Malay peninsula, the Karimun islands, the islands of Bintan, Bulang, Lingga and Bunguran, and Bengkalis, Kampar and Siak in Sumatra. During the colonial era, the mainland part was administered by the British, and the insular part by the Dutch, thus breaking up the sultanate into Johor and Riau. In 1946, the British section became part of the Malayan Union. Two years later, it joined the Federation of Malaya and subsequently, the Federation of Malaysia in 1963. In 1949, the Dutch section became part of Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bendahara</span> Head of the Malay nobility

Bendahara 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.

Sultan Mahmud Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah ruled the Sultanate of Malacca from 1488 to 1511, and again as pretender to the throne from 1513 to 1528. He was son to Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah. As a monarch, he was known to be ruthless ruler. After the capture of Malacca and the downfall of the century long sultanate; Mahmud left for Bintan and became a leader of a small confederacy which led attacks against Portuguese-occupied Malacca in the late 1510s. After retaliation from the Portuguese in 1526, he fled to Riau and died there in 1528.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tun Perak</span> 5th Bendahara of Sultanate of Malacca

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.

Hang Nadim was a warrior of the Johor-Riau during the Portuguese occupation of Melaka. Nadim was appointed laksamana (admiral) of Sultan Mahmud Shah's forces that harassed the Portuguese trade colonies from 1511 to 1526. He also appears as a legendary figure in a chapter of the Sejarah Melayu.

Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Mansur Shah was a sultan of the Malacca Sultanate from 1477 to 1488.

Bendahara Sri Maharaja Tun Mutahir was a famous Bendahara of the Malaccan Sultanate. Of Tamil Muslim ancestry, he was the seventh Bendahara, a post equivalent to a prime minister. Prior to holding the post of Bendahara, he also held the post of Temenggung. He was also an influential Tamil Muslim leader in Malacca who elected Tamil Muslims to important posts in the Malaccan government.

Bendahara Sri Nara Diraja Tun Ali was a Tamil Muslim and the fourth bendahara, or prime minister of the Malaccan Sultanate. He was the penghulu bendahari of Malacca before becoming bendahara. He had allegedly conspired to assassinate the sultan of Malacca, Raja Sri Parameswara Dewa Shah. According to other sources, Tun Ali and his nephew, Raja Kassim was conspiring to murder Raja Rokan who was disliked by palace officials. It was said that during the attack, Raja Rokan who was with Sri Parameswara stabbed the king in retaliation to an attacker stabbing Raja Rokan. Tun Ali and Raja Kassim was unsuccessful to save the king. Tun Ali then installed Raja Kassim as the monarch of Malacca who took the title Sultan Muzaffar Shah. Tun Ali stepped down in 1446 upon the advice of Sultan Muzaffar in favour of Bendahara Paduka Raja Tun Perak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sultan of Pahang</span> Hereditary constitutional head of Pahang, Malaysia

Sultan of Pahang is the title of the hereditary constitutional head of Pahang, Malaysia. The current sultan is Al-Sultan Abdullah ibni Sultan Ahmad Shah. He is the Head of Islam in the state and the source of all titles, honours and dignities in the state. Historically, the title was also used by rulers of the Old Pahang Sultanate.

Tun Habib Abdul Majid bin Tun Ali bin Tun Muhammad 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riau-Lingga Sultanate</span> 1824–1911 Malay sultanate in Southeast Asia

Riau-Lingga Sultanate, also known as the Lingga-Riau Sultanate, Riau Sultanate or Lingga Sultanate was a Malay sultanate that existed from 1824 to 1911, before being dissolved following Dutch intervention.

Sultan Zainal Abidin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Mahmud Shah was the seventh Sultan of Pahang who reigned from 1540 to 1555. He succeeded on the death of his elder brother in 1540.

Mahmud Ri’ayat Shah Zilu’llah fil’Alam Khalifat ul-Muminin ibni al-Marhum Sultan ‘Abdu’l Jalil Shah was the 17th Sultan of Johor and Johor's dependencies who reigned from 1770 to 1811.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pahang Sultanate</span> Old sultanate of Pahang, Malaysia

The Pahang Sultanate also referred as the Old Pahang Sultanate, as opposed to the Modern Pahang Sultanate, was a Malay Muslim state established in the eastern Malay peninsula in 15th century. At the height of its influence, the Sultanate was an important power in Southeast Asian history and controlled the entire Pahang basin, bordering to the north, the Pattani Sultanate, and adjoined to that of Johor Sultanate to the south. To the west, it also extended jurisdiction over part of modern-day Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pahang Kingdom</span> Malay state from 1770 to 1881

The Pahang Kingdom was a Malay state that existed from 1770 to 1881, and is the immediate predecessor of the modern Malaysian state of Pahang. The kingdom came into existence with the consolidation of power by the Bendahara family in Pahang, following the gradual dismemberment of Johor Empire. A self rule was established in Pahang in the late 18th century, with Tun Abdul Majid declared as the first Raja Bendahara. The area around Pahang formed a part of the hereditary domains attached to this title and administered directly by the Raja Bendahara. The weakening of the Johor sultanate and the disputed succession to the throne was matched by an increasing independence of the great territorial magnates; the Bendahara in Pahang, the Temenggong in Johor and Singapore, and the Yamtuan Muda in Riau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bendahara dynasty</span> Late-17th-century Malaysian family tree

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.

Paduka Sri Sultan Muzaffar Shah I ibni Almarhum Sultan Mahmud Shah was the first Sultan of Perak from 1528 to 1549.

References

  1. ↑ Buyong bin Adil (Haji.) (1957). The Story of Tun Fatimah. Geliga. p. 33.
  2. ↑ Keat Gin Ooi (2004). Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor. ABC-CLIO. p. 821. ISBN   978-1-57607-770-2.
  3. ↑ Liaw Yock Fang (2013). A History of Classical Malay Literature. Yayasan Pustaka Obor Indonesia. p. 364. ISBN   978-979-461-810-3.
  4. ↑ Ruzy Suliza Hashim (2003). Out of the shadows: women in Malay court narratives. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. p. 207. ISBN   978-967-942-637-3.
  5. ↑ Malay Annals. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown. 1821. p.  349.
  6. ↑ Jaime Koh; Stephanie Ho Ph.D. (22 June 2009). Culture and Customs of Singapore and Malaysia. ABC-CLIO. p. 10. ISBN   978-0-313-35116-7.
  7. ↑ Jaime Koh; Stephanie Ho Ph.D. (22 June 2009). Culture and Customs of Singapore and Malaysia. ABC-CLIO. p. 9. ISBN   978-0-313-35116-7.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.