Jump to content

Muhammad Shah of Brunei

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Awang Alak Betatar)
This article is about the first sultan of Brunei. For other uses, see Muhammad Shah (disambiguation).

Muhammad Shah
محمد شاه
Sultan of Brunei
Reign1363/68–1402[1]
PredecessorTitle established
SuccessorAbdul Majid Hassan
BornAwang Alak Betatar
Diedc. 1402[1]
SpousePuteri Dayang Pingai[2]
Issue
Regnal name
Raja Awang Alak Betatar
FatherDewa Emas Kayangan
ReligionSunni Islam

Muhammad Shah (born Awang Alak Betatar; died c. 1402)[1] established the Sultanate of Brunei and was its first sultan, from 1368 to his death in 1402.[3][1] The genealogy of Muhammad Shah remains unclear.[4][3] He converted to Islam in the 14th century and assumed the name Sultan Muhammad Shah. Subsequent sovereigns of Brunei, governed by a Muslim administration, were referred to as sultans.[5]

Personal life[edit]

Awang Alak Betatar and his half-brother Awang Semaun were among the 14 siblings born to their father,[6] Dewa Emas Kayangan, and a Murut woman from Limbang.[7] Dewa Emas Kayangan embarked on a quest for a specific type of cattle, the tembadau, to fulfill his wife's desires while she was pregnant.[8] Throughout his journey, he married women in four villages, fathered children, and ultimately had the 14 siblings mentioned. Upon finding the tembadau, Dewa Emas Kayangan chose to ascend to the celestial realms, where he was known as Batara Kala di Kayangan.[9] Awang Alak Betatar was crowned despite not being the firstborn prince. Charming and attractive, he rose to become Brunei's first monarch.[10]

Reign[edit]

Founding of Brunei[edit]

The current state of Brunei was formed by Muhammad Shah, with the help of his brothers. He ruled as Raja Awang Alak Betatar until the early 1360s, until his conversion to Islam.[3] Before the Brunei River colony was established, Awang Alak Betatar established a new village in Negeri Garang in the current Temburong District.[10] Following a period at Negeri Garang, Awang Alak Betatar then moved to Brunei on the waters around Kota Batu. The reason for the migration was because they felt the new place was more suitable as the centre of administration. The location of Kota Batu near a river enabled Awang Alak Betatar to control the rural areas and enlarge his political influence.[10]

The Syair Awang Semaun, 'Poem of Awang Semaun' explains the history of Brunei, which was ruled by Awang Alak Betatar and his siblings; Awang Semaun at Kota Batu; Pateh Mambang and Pateh Tuba at Luba: Pateh Sangkuna and Pateh Manggurun at Saba, Pateh Malakai at Bukit Panggal, Pateh Pahit at Labuhan Kapal, Damang (Damong) Sari at Bukit Salilah, Pateh Sindayung at Panchor Papan, Demang Lebar Daun, Hapu Awang, Pateh Berbai (also known as Sultan Ahmad of Brunei), and Pateh Laila Langgong.[10]

Brunei's rise and expansion[edit]

At the beginning, Melanau and Brunei were both subjects of the Majapahit Empire. A number of regions, including "Kadangdangan, Landa Samedang, Tirem, Sedu, Barune(ng), Kalka, Saludung, Solot, Pasir Barito, Sawaku, Tabulang, Tajung Kuteri, and Malano," were vassals of the Majapahit, according to the old Nagarakretagama record. As the Majapahit Empire collapsed, Brunei seized the chance to increase its power and set its sights on the Tutong River region. Pembakal Bangis, a Bruneian nobleman, was chosen by Awang Alak Betatar to make the request that Mawangga, the Tutong chief, show up at the capital. Mawangga responded, however, that he and his people were conquered slaves, ruled by the Melanau leader Basiung and his in-law Tugaw, who resided in Igan, and that they could not submit.[11]

Mawangga told Pembakal Bangis that Tutong would surrender to the authority of the Brunei King if the great Melanau commander, Awang Alak Betatar, ordered his soldiers to proceed to Igan. Awang Alak Betatar's demand was communicated to Basiung, the chief of the Bruneian forces at Igan. However, Basiung was not pleased and was used to people approaching him. In response, Basiung suggested that Awang Alak Betatar pay him a visit instead, threatening to launch an Igan attack on Brunei if there was any delay. Bangis told Basiung nine days to make up his mind, but Basiung was unfazed and declared that he would make sure Awang Alak Betatar didn't hurt him if he showed up on time with presents. Awang Alak Betatar and his ministers, Awang Semaun, Awang Jeramabak, and Pateh Damang Sari, were offended by Basiung's reply and chose to attack Igan in order to establish their authority.[12]

The first battleground between Brunei and foreign armies was the Sarawakian Igan Valley. The Igan River flowed through this valley and was located in the traditional lands of the Melanau-speaking people. There are two accounts of the fight: the first, more legendary, tells of a nine-month struggle between three Brunei heroes and Bilanapura, a genie that Jerambak finally defeated using a miraculous fish skin he stole from an ogre. According to the second, Awang Jerambak's Brunei men came up against Basiung and his 9,000-strong allied armies from Sambas, Matu, Sadung, and Sarikei. The Brunei army, aided by the Dayaks, overpowered Basiung's warriors despite their superior numbers; as a result, Igan was destroyed and war spoils were taken. Following this, Jerambak made Igan accept Awang Alak Betatar's dominance.[12]

The Bruneian soldiers persisted in their conquests, subduing Igan's allies, such as Sarikei, Rajang, Sadung, Sarawak, Tanjung Datu, and Lingga, and stealing and capturing the traditionally Melanau regions of Oya, Matu, and Mukah. They penetrated all the way to Sambas, where they took control of Pontianak, Sanggau, and Sambas itself. They also expanded their dominion over Borneo to the south and southwest. They overcame Banjar (now Banjarmasin) on the east coast and took over parts of northern Borneo, albeit the latter took longer because of the dispersed towns.[13] Awang Alak Betatar expanded the newly established Brunei territory by advancing his frontiers from the Tutong River to the Rejang river delta.[11]

Islamic conversion and land grants[edit]

As to the Salasilah Raja-Raja Brunei, 'Royal Genealogy of Brunei' (Manuscript 9B), upon Sultan Muhammad's ascension as the first Sultan of Brunei, he was bestowed with many lands by the Yang Di-Pertuan of Johor, including Kalaka, Saribas, Semarahan, Sarawak, and Mukah. Theorising that the Melanau people's resistance to Brunei rule could account for the difference within the battle accounts and the gift from the Sultan of Johor, Dzulfawati Haji Hassan published her paper "Hubungan Melanau-Brunei" for the 10th Anniversary of Universiti Brunei Darussalam in 1996. In defiance of Brunei's invasions and conquests, the Melanau sided with Johor and revolted. However, these states were eventually restored to Brunei after Sultan Muhammad Shah wed a princess of Johor.[13]

Local customs, recorded in the Syair Awang Semaun and the Salasilah Raja-Raja Brunei, state that Awang Alak Betatar turned to Islam in order to marry Puteri Dayang Pingai,[2] the daughter of the Sultan of Johor. While archeological data points to Brunei's emergence in the 10th century, some historians of Brunei have placed this event as early as 1368 (Jamil Al-Sufri 1997), which has come to be accepted as the official date of the sultanate's Islamic conversion, though there is still room for disagreement.[10]

According to Jamil Al-Sufri, the Johor in the Salasilah Raja-Raja Brunei should be understood as Tumasik,[3][1] or ancient Singapore, as Johor was not created until 1512. Pengiran Mohammad (1992), who seems to have known that Singapore was not a Muslim country, proposes that Melaka, whose kings converted to Islam in the early 15th century, should be considered as the correct interpretation.[10] It is unclear whom Muhammad Shah married, but it is reported either as the daughter of Iskandar Shah, or the daughter of Sang Nila Utama, both of the House of Sang Sapurba.[10]

Awang Alak Betatar's conversion of the Malay Hindu-Buddhist monarchy of Brunei to Islam transformed its religious landscape. However, because of the strong Hindu-Buddhist influence, Islam had not yet thoroughly permeated Bruneian society in the immediate wake of his conversion. According to Mahmud Saedon in 2003, Islamic missionary activities also hadn't established a solid foundation at that point.[10] Despite this, evidence also suggests that the present-day region of Brunei was home to an Islamic presence before to the establishment of the Sultanate, as well as a pre-existing Muslim monarchy.[4][3]

Relations with China[edit]

It was noted that Muhammad Shah founded the Sultanate. He sent a mission to China in 1371; the Ming-shih (Book 325), a contemporaneous Chinese reference book, noted that the King of Brunei in 1370 was Ma-ho-mo-sa. Local Brunei historians take this to refer to "Muhammad Shah" the first Islamic Sultan of Brunei, however others take it to read as "Mahmud Shah".[4] Another viewpoint is that it could be pronounced as "Maha Moksha", which means Great Eternity, a Buddhist name; this is in keeping by the Chinese record of his successor also having a Buddhist name.[4]

His daughter, Princess Ratna Dewi,[2] allegedly married a Chinese immigrant by the name of Ong Sum Ping who started a trading station at Mumiang on the Kinabatangan River. For this he was conferred the nobility title of Pengiran Maharaja Lela and elected Chief of Kinabatangan.[14][15]

Legend[edit]

The remaining portions of what seems to be a distinct, albeit damaged, version of the Syair Awang Semaun that was converted from an oral to a written script in 1947 were released by Allen R. Maxwell in 2005. It tells mostly mythological tales about pre-Islamic Brunei and how it came to be, including the political structure that prevailed under Awang Alak Betatar's rule—possibly the first monarch of Brunei ever documented. One of the most notable local heroic figures in the Syair Awang Semaun is Awang Semaun, for whom the poem is named after. Awang Semaun appears to have been a Bruneian Malay. Rather than because of his connection with Awang Alak Betatar, he is the main character in the local narratives because of his bravery and physical strength.[10]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Jatswan S. Sidhu (22 December 2009). Historical Dictionary of Brunei Darussalam. Scarecrow Press. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-8108-7078-9.
  2. ^ a b c "Pusat Sejarah Brunei - Sultan - Sultan Brunei". www.history-centre.gov.bn (in Malay). Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e Elisseeff, Vadime (January 2000). "Chapter 8: A Brunei Sultan of the Early Fourteenth Century - A Study of an Arabic Gravestone". The Silk Roads: Highways of Culture and Commerce. Berghahn Books. pp. 145–157. ISBN 978-1-57181-222-3. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d "The golden history of Islam in Brunei | the Brunei Times". Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  5. ^ Borneo Bulletin Year Book 2024 (1 May 2024). "HISTORY AND CULTURE". borneobulletinyearbook.com.bn. Retrieved 14 May 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Mohammad bin Pengiran Haji Abd Rahman (Pengiran Haji) (2001). Islam di Brunei Darussalam (in Malay). Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Brunei, Kementerian Kebudayaan Belia dan Sukan. p. 19. ISBN 978-99917-0-181-3.
  7. ^ Traditional Literature of ASEAN. ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information. 2000. p. 37. ISBN 978-99917-0-196-7.
  8. ^ Barrington, Brook (1997). Empires, Imperialism and Southeast Asia: Essays in Honour of Nicholas Tarling. Monash Asia Institute. p. 204. ISBN 978-0-7326-1153-8.
  9. ^ Schulze, Fritz (2004). Abstammung und Islamisierung als Motive der Herrschaftslegitimation in der traditionellen malaiischen Geschichtsschreibung (in German). Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 59. ISBN 978-3-447-05011-1.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i Gin Ooi Keat; Victor T. King (29 July 2022). Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Brunei. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-56864-6.
  11. ^ a b Yunos 2010, p. 1.
  12. ^ a b Yunos 2010, p. 2.
  13. ^ a b Yunos 2010, p. 3.
  14. ^ Pusat Sejarah Brunei "Pusat Sejarah Brunei". Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  15. ^ Muhammad Jamil Al-Sufri.(1990). Tarsilah Brunei- Sejarah Awal dan Perkembangan Islam. Bandar Seri Begawan: Jabatan Pusat Sejarah

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]

Regnal titles
Preceded by
Title established
 Sultan of Brunei
1363–1402 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://wiki.riteme.site/w/index.php?title=Muhammad_Shah_of_Brunei&oldid=1233696546"