Muhammad Shah of Pahang

Paduka Sri Sultan Muhammad Shah I ibni al-Marhum Sultan Mansur Shah is the first Sultan of Pahang who reigned from 1470 to 1475. Initially appointed as heir apparent to the Melaka throne by his father, Mansur Shah, he was banished for committing murder following a feud in a Sepak Raga game and went into exile in Pahang, later installed as its first Sultan in 1470.

Early Life

Known as Raja Muhammad before his accession, he is the second son of the sixth Sultan of Melaka, Mansur Shah by his wife Putri Wanang Sri Lela Wangsa, daughter of Maharaja Dewa Surya, ruler of Pahang and a relative of the King of Siam. Both his mother and grandfather were captured and presented to the Sultan of Melaka after the conquest of Pahang.^[1]

Raja Muda of Melaka

As he is favoured greatly by his father, Raja Muhammad was named as Raja Muda ('heir apparent') to the Melaka throne instead of his elder brother, Raja Ahmad. This hot tempered youth however, brought about his own exile from Melaka when he slew the Bendahara Tun Perak's son for accidentally knocking off his headdress by a misdirected sepak raga ball. At pressure from Bendahara family, Raja Muhammad was stripped off from his title and was sent away to Pahang to be its Sultan. This began the Melaka line of royalty on the Pahang throne.^[2]

Sultan of Pahang

Raja Muhammad brought with him the trappings of the Melakan court to Pahang. He had with him Tun Hamzah, the former governor of Pahang as his first Bendahara, Seri Akar Raja as his chief Hulubalang, a Penghulu Bendahari ('chief treasurer'), a Temenggong and 100 boys and 100 girls of noble family. He was duly installed as Sultan Muhammad Shah in the year 1470.^[2]

The boundaries of his kingdom stretched from Sedili Besar to the borders of Terengganu. There was evidence to show he settled at Tanjung Lanngar which was the old seat of the former Pahang princes. Muhammad Shah was married to Princess Mengindra Putri, the grand daughter of Iskandar Shah, Sultan of Kelantan. He died from poisoning on 17 September 1475 and buried at Langgar, Dusun Pinang, Pahang.^[1] He is styled as Marhum Langgar thereafter and succeeded by his elder brother, Raja Ahmad.^[2]

References

Bibliography

• Ahmad Sarji, Abdul Hamid (2011), The Encyclopedia of Malaysia, 16 - The Rulers of Malaysia, Editions Didier Millet, ISBN 978-981-3018-54-9 
• Buyers, Christopher (2009), Royal Ark 
• Khoo, Gilbert (1980), From Pre-Malaccan period to present day, New Straits Times 
• Suria Fadhillah Md Fauzi; Zarith Sofiah Othman; Sharifah Shatrah Syed Hamid (2014), Undang-Undang Tubuh Kerajaan Pahang: Raja Pemerintah Sebagai Simbol Kuasa dan Kedaulatan Negeri, International Conference on Law, Policy and Social Justice 
• Melayu Online, The Pahang Sultanate