Raja Mahadi

Orang Besar Daerah Klang
Raja Mahadi
Born
Raja Mahadi
Died1882 (1883)
Johor
Burial placeMahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum, Johor Bahru
OccupationNobleman
FatherRaja Sulaiman

Raja Mahadi (Jawi: ‏راج مهدي‎‎) was a Selangor nobleman who a key protagonist in the Selangor Civil War, which lasted from 1867 to 1874. He occupied the position of Orang Besar Daerah Klang between 1867 till his exile to Singapore on 1874.

History

Raja Mahadi was born as a son of Raja Sulaiman, eldest son of Sultan Muhammad Shah.[1]

In 1839, Sultan Muhammad Shah gave the Klang River valley to his eldest son, Raja Sulaiman, but it was found that Raja Sulaiman did not really try to get much revenue from the Klang district. After Raja Sulaiman died, Sultan Muhammad gave the Klang River valley district to his brother-in-law, Raja Abdullah, instead of giving it to Raja Mahadi, the son of the late Raja Sulaiman.[2] Raja Abdullah and his brother Raja Juma'at had previously helped Raja Sulaiman settle a debt incurred during a failed mining venture.[3] Raja Mahadi was not satisfied and thought that he should have inherited the Klang district[4] but his rights were simply set aside.

In 1866, Raja Abdullah appointed two Singaporean merchants named W.H. Reed and Baba Tan Kim Cheng as official tax collectors in the Klang district, and in all the areas under King Abdullah's rule, namely Kuala Lumpur, Petaling, Kanching and Ampang. According to custom, the children of the king were exempted from paying taxes. The custom was abolished due to the greed of the two tax collectors.[5]

At the time of the new tax regulations, Raja Mahadi was in Malacca on business, trading goods from the Straits Settlements to be sold in Klang and around the Kuala Lumpur mining area.[6]

When Raja Mahadi returned to Selangor about a month after the regulations came into effect, Raja Mahadi brought two chests of opium to be sold to Chinese miners in Kuala Lumpur. He was asked to pay a tax of $100. He refused to pay the tax, which led to his trade being confiscated. Raja Mahadi felt that the person who had occupied his position illegally according to custom had acted beyond the bounds

In 1866, he build his own fortress called Kota Raja Mahadi at Bukit Kota.[7] Later that year, a fight erupted between the Sumatrans, especially the Batu Bara people, and the Bugis in the Dato' Bandar Yasih fortress in Kuala Lumpur. Dato' Bandar Yasih was a follower of Raja Abdullah whom he brought from Riau.

Muhammad Akib,leader of the Batu Bara people and his brother Nonggok complained to Raja Abdullah and demanded that the Bugis be punished for committing the murders, but the demand was ignored by Raja Abdullah. Then Muhammad Akib went to see Raja Mahadi to complain about the incident that had occurred, they expressed their willingness to Raja Mahadi to help fight against Raja Abdullah.[8][9] So Raja Mahadi's heart was open to accept the call for war.[10] He was powered by monetary assistance from Melaka Chinese Baba, Tek Cheng.[11]

In March 1867, Raja Mahadi with the help of the Sumatran Malays including the people of Batu Bara successfully defeated Raja Abdullah.[12] Raja Abdullah tried to recapture Klang but was unsuccessful.[13] During the war, Muhamad Akib, the leader of the Batu Bara people, was shot dead and his brother Nonggok (also known as Dato Dagang Muhamad Tahir) replaced his brother as the leader of the Batu Bara people. Muhamad Akib and several of his followers who died were buried in the Kota Raja Mahadi area. The grave is still there until now. Because Raja Mahadi failed to fulfill his promise to give power to Muhamad Akib and Muhamad Tahir (as successors to his deceased brother) most of the districts of Selangor as a reward for supporting Raja Mahadi in defeating Raja Abdullah in Klang, a dispute occurred between Muhamad Tahir and Raja Mahadi. Furthermore, one of Muhamad Tahir's followers was killed by a brother of Raja Mahadi, which Raja Mahadi refused to settle or pay compensation to Muhamad Tahir. Therefore, Muhamad Tahir felt angry and dissatisfied and subsequently withdrew his support from Raja Mahadi and instead sided with Tengku Kudin until the end of the Klang War.

As Orang Besar Daerah Klang

After taking control of Klang[14] , Raja Mahadi stopped paying Sultan Abdul Samad $500 as Raja Abdullah had done.[15] This stoppage caused Sultan Abdul Samad to break off Raja Mahadi's engagement to his daughter, Raja Arfah.[16]

In 1868, Sultan Abdul Samad married his daughter, Raja Arfah, to Tengku Kudin (Tengku Dhiauddin; younger brother of Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin Mukarram Shah) from Kedah. Sultan Abdul Samad also appointed Tengku Kudin as the administrator of the Langat district. Tengku Kudin attempted to be a peacemaker.[17] However, Tengku Kudin's efforts were rejected by Raja Mahadi.[18] Tengku Kudin was offended and chose to help Raja Ismail, Raja Abdullah's son, who led a group against Raja Mahadi after Raja Abdullah's death.

In 1869, Raja Mahdi as chief of Klang, appointed Yap Ah Loy as Kapitan of Kuala Lumpur. However, Yap Ah Loy defected[19] and supported Raja Ismail and Tengku Kudin[20] after they succeeded in controlling Klang. Later in August, Raja Ismail[21] , leading a force of 100 men, attacked Klang and captured the city on the lower Klang River. This attack began a siege of Klang with the help of Muhamad Tahir and the Batu Bara people that lasted for 6 months. Soon after, Raja Ismail's forces were aided by 500 Kedah men brought by Tengku Kudin. This aid gave Raja Ismail an advantage and caused Raja Mahadi to retreat from Klang in March 1870.[22]

In 1872, Raja Mahdi gained the support of several Malay chiefs, some of them members of the royal family of Selangor.[23] Raja Asal and Sutan Puasa – the leaders of Mandailing diaspora in Selangor – also pledged their allegiance to Raja Mahdi. Raja Mahdi successfully captured Kuala Lumpur, with Raja Asal laying siege to Bukit Nanas, where Tengku Kudin's forces of 500 soldiers and European mercenaries were stationed.

Between 1872 and 1873, with the help of the Sultan Ahmad Muʽazzam, Raja bendahara of Pahang, a group of Pahang soldiers led by Rasu bin Shahrom [24] descended on Selangor and immediately defeated Raja Mahadi's forces.[25][26][27] Raja Bendahara supported Tengku Kudin after him counter offer Raja Mahadi in obtaining their assistance.[28]

After British intervention in 1874[29] Raja Mahadi was arrested and imprisoned in Singapore in 1875, alongside Sultan Puasa.[30]

Deceased

He was released and began living in Singapore as an exile. Raja Mahadi was given a house and a monthly pension by the British.[31] Seven years later, he died in Singapore on 10 January 1882 of tuberculosis[32] and was buried in Bukit Mahmoodiah, Johor Bahru.

Legacy

A school in Klang and a street in Kuala Lumpur have been named after him.

References

  1. ^ Hassan, Mohamad Amir (1 December 1966). "Raja Mahadi bin Raja Sulaiman". Peninjau Sejarah. 1 (2): 53–61.
  2. ^ Gullick, J. M. (1958). Indigenous Political Systems of Western Malaya. Athlone Press.
  3. ^ J.M. Gullick (1983). "Chapter 2: The State of Selangor". The Story of Kuala Lumpur, 1857-1939. Eastern Universities Press (M). pp. 8–29. ISBN 978-9679080285.
  4. ^ Gullick, J. M. (1958). Malayan Pioneers. Singapore: Eastern Universities Press. p. 62. OCLC 2483526.
  5. ^ "Perang Klang, konflik berdarah pembesar Selangor". X-PLORASI (in Malay). May 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  6. ^ Hj. Ahmad, A. Talib (1962). Perang saudara di Selangor 1868-1873 (in Malay). Penerbitan Pustaka Antara. p. 21.
  7. ^ "Kota Raja Mahadi". Padat.gov.my (in Malay). Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  8. ^ "Raja Mahadi Fort (Kota Raja Mahadi)". Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia. 2000. Archived from the original on 16 November 2003. Retrieved 25 June 2009.
  9. ^ Sumbu dunia Melayu hubungan keserumpunan Malaysia-Indonesia (in Malay). Penerbit Universiti Malaya. 2018. p. 93. ISBN 9789831009710.
  10. ^ Ridley, H. N., ed. (1910). "Agricultural Bulletin of the Straits and Federated Malay States". 9. Government Printing Office, Singapore: 585. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ^ Bolton, Kingsley; Hutton, Christopher, eds. (2000). Triad Societies: Western Accounts of the History, Sociology and Linguistics of Chinese Secret Societies. Vol. 5. Routledge. p. 418. ISBN 978-0415243971.
  12. ^ Ahmad Sanusi, Hassan (2017). Amalan Tebus Guna Tanah, Reka Bentuk Bandar dan Seni Bina di Malaysia (in Malay). Penerbit USM. ISBN 9789674610999.
  13. ^ Gullick, JM. A History of Selangor. The Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. p. 60. ISBN 9679948102.
  14. ^ Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1895). Malay Sketches. John Lane. p. 105.
  15. ^ Burns, P. L.; Cowan, C. D., eds. (1975). Sir Frank Swettenham's Malayan Journals, 1874–1876. Oxford University Press. p. xxiv.
  16. ^ Yahaya, Nisriwani; Noor, Syed Zulflida S. M. (2003). 101 Puteri Dunia Melayu: Sejarah dan Legenda. Kuala Lumpur: Jabatan Muzium dan Antikuiti. p. 312. ISBN 978-967-9935-31-8.
  17. ^ Adil, Buyong (1971). A History of Selangor. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. p. 24.
  18. ^ Gullick, J. M. (1956). The Story of Kuala Lumpur (1857–1939). Eastern Universities Press. p. 19.
  19. ^ Fook, Chong Soon (1984–85). "Yap Ah Loy sebagai Kapitan Cina Kuala Lumpur" (PDF). Jebat (in Malay). 13: 93-117 [116].
  20. ^ Selangor: History and Heritage. Selangor State Museum Board. 2005. p. 140.
  21. ^ Khoo, Kay Kim (1971). "The Klang War 1867-1873". Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 44 (1 (219)). Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society: 12.
  22. ^ Andaya, Barbara Watson; Andaya, Leonard Y. (2016). A History of Malaysia (3rd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan. p. 197. ISBN 978-1137605153.
  23. ^ Shamsul, A. B. (2004). From British to Bumiputera Rule: Local Politics and Rural Development in Peninsular Malaysia (2nd reprint ed.). Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. p. 19. ISBN 978-9971-988-22-7.
  24. ^ "Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society" (1). Singapore: Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. June 1878: 20. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  25. ^ "Selangor Civil War". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 17 December 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  26. ^ Azizul Farhan (16 November 2023). "Macam Mana Tok Gajah Sertai Perang Kelang?". The Patriots (in Malay). Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  27. ^ Wilkinson, R. J. (January 1932). "Events Prior to British Ascendancy". Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 10 (1 (112)). Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society: 67.
  28. ^ Cant, R. G. (1972). Pahang, 1880–1933: A Political and Economic Geography. Monograph of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, No. 6. Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. p. 31.
  29. ^ Ghazali, Abdullah Zakaria (1996). "MENOLEH SEJARAH MEMBETULKAN ARAH". Sejarah Perjuangan Kemerdekaan Brunei (in Malay). Taiping, Perak: Persatuan Sejarah Malaysia & Majlis Perbandaran Taiping. p. 13.
  30. ^ Bakar, Ibrahim bin Abu (1994). Islamic Modernism in Malaya: The Life and Thought of Sayid Syekh al-Hadi, 1867-1934. Kuala Lumpur: University of Malaya Press. p. 8. ISBN 978-967-9940-68-8.
  31. ^ Wilkinson, Richard James (1920). A History of the Peninsular Malays: With Chapters on Perak and Selangor. Kelly & Walsh. p. 167.
  32. ^ Buyong Adi (2019). Sejarah Selangor (Edisi Semakan) (in Malay). Seri Kembangan, Selangor: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. pp. 154l. m/s 154
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