Sultan Tengah

Sultan Ibrahim Ali Omar Shah or known as Sultan Tengah, (died in 1641), born Pengiran Raja Tengah, was the first and only Sultan of Sarawak.

Background

His father, Sultan Muhammad Hassan, was Brunei's ninth Sultan from 1582 to 1598. At his death, he was succeeded by his eldest son, Sultan Abdul Jalilul Akbar.

Sucession

The new Sultan's younger brother, Pengiran Muda Tengah, also wanted to become Sultan of Brunei by claiming himself rightful successor on the basis of having been born when his father became the Crown Prince. Sultan Abdul Jalilul Akbar responded by proclaiming Pengiran Muda Tengah as Sultan of Sarawak, as at that time Sarawak was a territory administered by Brunei.

After the proclamation been made, Pengiran Muda Tengah went to Sarawak to prepare for his coronation. He brought with him a few nobles who were his loyal supporters accompanied by over 1,000 warriors.

Reign

Upon arriving in Sarawak, Sultan Tengah build a palace in the area which known as present day Kuching. He began to consolidate his power, appointing several of his loyal supporters to high rank in his administration. He also introduced the post of Datu Patinggi, Datu Shahbandar, Datu Amar and Datu Temenggong. Sultan Tengah proclaim himself Sultan Ibrahim Ali Omar Shah, and was also known as Sultan Abdul Jalil.

Marriages and Family

Sultan Tengah married Puteri Suria Kesuma, the younger sister of the Sultan of Sukadana, Sultan Muhammad Saifuddin. She gave birth to the princes Radin Sulaiman, Pengiran Badaruddin (later, Pengiran Bendahara Seri Maharaja) and Pengiran Abdul Wahab (later , Pengiran Temenggong Jaya Kesuma).

In Matan, Sultan Tengah married the Matan Princess who had the son Pengiran Mangku Negara, who became Sultan of Matan.

Death

Sultan Tengah was killed at Batu Buaya in 1641 by one of his followers.^[1] He was buried in Kampong Batu Buaya. With his death, the Sultanate of Sarawak came to an end.

References