Bendahara
Encyclopedia
Bendahara is an administrative position within classical Malay kingdoms before the intervention of European powers during the 19th century. A bendahara was appointed by a sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...

 and was a hereditary post. It was the office that is held by bendahara family. The bendahara and the sultan shared the same lineage.

Tasks of the bendahara

The closest post which is comparable to the post of the vizier
Vizier
A vizier or in Arabic script ; ; sometimes spelled vazir, vizir, vasir, wazir, vesir, or vezir) is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in a Muslim government....

 as the Malay kingdoms are Islamic kingdoms. As the bendahara is the head of the nobility, the status confers certain responsibility. The bendehara is the backbone of the Malay Sultanate. For the ancient kingdom of Malacca
Malacca
Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...

 and Johor
Johor
Johor is a Malaysian state, located in the southern portion of Peninsular Malaysia. It is one of the most developed states in Malaysia. The state capital city and royal city of Johor is Johor Bahru, formerly known as Tanjung Puteri...

, there are many tasks and responsibilities but the primary ones are:
  • coronation and installation the Sultan
  • responsibility of the welfare of the Sultan.
  • adviser to his majesty on affairs of the state basing on Sharia
    Sharia
    Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...

     and Adat
    Adat
    Adat in Indonesian-Malay culture is the set of cultural norms, values, customs and practices found among specific ethnic groups in Indonesia, the southern Philippines and Malaysia...

     (Prevailing norms and values)
  • responsibility of the Royal marriage, birth and funeral
  • responsibility of the royal succession if the Sultan dies without any heir
  • acting as a vicegerent
    Vicegerent
    Vicegerent is the official administrative deputy of a ruler or head of state: vice + gerere .-Related usage:*The Byzantine Emperors held as a title "God's Vicegerent on Earth"....

     if the Sultan is still young
  • acting on any command of the Sultan.


Legitimacy of the Sultan lies with the bendahara. The bendahara always consult the other nobles before arriving at a decision. The bendahara and nobles do this for the well-being of the subjects and is essential if there are problems in the state. These tasks are more extensive than any vizier or the modern prime minister.

The involvement of the British and the Dutch in the administration of the Malay States and the subsequent independence of Malaysia and Indonesia has reduced the Bendehara to a symbolic title only.

In modern times, it is typical to render the position as prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

. Though a bendahara's duties are similar to that of a prime minister's, the two terms are not interchangeable. One clear difference is the amount of power held by the two positions. In ancient times, the bendahara was typically the highest ranking official after the sultan but the sultan retained ultimate authority. The sultan was not answerable to the bendahara, or to anyone else for that matter. The sultan was not just a constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...

 like the Yang di-Pertuan Agong
Yang di-Pertuan Agong
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the head of state of Malaysia. The office was established in 1957 when the Federation of Malaya gained independence....

 in contemporary Malaysia where the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Malaysia
The Prime Minister of Malaysia is the indirectly elected head of government of Malaysia. He is officially appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the head of state, who in HM's judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House of Representatives , the...

 holds effective political power.

History

Though it is unclear when the title was first used, the Sultanate of Malacca had several influential bendaharas. The most famous is Tun Perak
Tun Perak
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...

. Under Tun Perak's service which spanned several sultans, Malacca reached its height in the late 15th century. According to the Malay Annals and the Hikayat Hang Tuah
Hikayat Hang Tuah
Hikayat Hang Tuah is a Malay work of literature that tells the tale of the legendary Malay Muslim warrior Hang Tuah and his four warrior friends - Hang Jebat, Hang Kasturi, Hang Lekir and Hang Lekiu - who lived during the height of the Sultanate of Malacca in the 15th century.The most memorable...

, the bendahara secretly saved the life of Hang Tuah
Hang Tuah
Hang Tuah is a legendary warrior/hero who lived during the reign of Sultan Mansur Shah of the Sultanate of Malacca in the 15th century. He was the greatest of all the laksamana, or sultan's admirals, and was known to be a ferocious fighter...

, a laksamana
Laksamana
The Laksamana is a position within the armed forces, similar to the position of admiral in Malay people sultanates and in present-day countries like Malaysia and Indonesia...

 the sultan had ordered killed.

In 1612, Bendahara Tun Sri Lanang
Tun Sri Lanang
Tun Muhammad bin Tun Ahmad, better known as Tun Sri Lanang, is the Bendahara of the royal Court of Johor Sultanate who lived between the 16th and 17th centuries...

 of the Sultanate of Johor was commissioned by Sultan Alauddin Riaayat Shah of Johor to compile Malay history and record it into a book. The book was known as Sulalatus Salatin and later known as Sejarah Melayu
Sejarah Melayu
Sejarah Melayu or Malay Annals is a Malay literary work which covers a period of over 600 years that chronicles the, then and now, Genealogies of Rulers in the Malay Archipelago...

, an important literary piece in Malay language
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...

 history. In 1699, Bendahara Abdul Jalil became Sultan Abdul Jalil IV of Johor after the previous sultan, Mahmud Shah II
Sultan Mahmud Shah II of Johor
H.H. Paduka Sri Sultan Mahmud Shah II ibni al-Marhum Sultan Ibrahim Shah was the 10th Sultan of Johor, Pahang and Lingga ....

 was murdered, leaving no heir behind. After the rule of Sultan Abdul Jalil IV, the bendahara was awarded Pahang
Pahang
Pahang is the third largest state in Malaysia, after Sarawak and Sabah, occupying the huge Pahang River river basin. It is bordered to the north by Kelantan, to the west by Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, to the south by Johor and to the east by Terengganu and the South China Sea.Its state...

 as his personal fief. Bendahara Tun Abbas and his descendents ruled Pahang continuously until Tun Mutahir, who was deposed in a civil war in 1863.

The current Terengganu
Terengganu
Terengganu is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Iman...

 sultanate was founded by Sultan Zainal Abidin I of Terengganu in 1708. He was the son of Tun Habib Abdul Majid
Tun Habib Abdul Majid
Tun Habib Abdul Majid was the 19th Bendahara of the Johor Sultanate during the late 16th 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...

, a 17th century bendahara of Johor.

Bendaharas of Malacca and Johore

  • Tun Perpatih Muka Berjajar, Bendahara
  • Tun Perpatih Tulus, Bendahara of Malacca
  • Raden Bagus, Bendahara of Malacca
  • Raden Anum, Bendahara Sri Amar DiRaja, Bendahara of Malacca
  • Tun Perpatih Sedang, Bendahara Sri Wak Raja, Bendahara of Malacca
  • Tun Perpatih Putih, Bendahara Paduka Tuan, Bendahara of Malacca
  • Tun Perak
    Tun Perak
    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...

    , Bendahara Paduka Raja, Bendahara of Malacca
  • Tun Mutahir
    Tun Mutahir
    Bendahara Sri Maharaja Tun Mutahir was a famous bendahara of the Malaccan Sultanate. 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...

    , Bendahara Seri Maharaja, Bendahara of Malacca
  • Tun Tepok, Bendahara Paduka Tuan, Bendahara of Malacca


After the fall of Malacca to the Portuguese, the Malacca Sultanate was succeeded by the Johore Sultanate
  • Tun Khoja, Bendahara Paduka Raja, Bendahara of Johore
  • Tun Biajid, Bendahara Seri Maharaja, Bendahara of Johore
  • Tun Mahmud, Bendahara Tun Narawangsa, Bendahara of Johore
  • Tun Isap Misai, Bendahara Seri Maharaja, Bendahara of Johore
  • Tun Sri Lanang
    Tun Sri Lanang
    Tun Muhammad bin Tun Ahmad, better known as Tun Sri Lanang, is the Bendahara of the royal Court of Johor Sultanate who lived between the 16th and 17th centuries...

    , Bendahara Paduka Raja, Bendahara of Johore. He was captured by the Achenese forces and opted to remain in Acheh.


The following Bendaharas were sidelined by the palace following the rise of Laksamana Paduka Tuan
  • Tun Anum, Bendahara Seri Maharaja, Bendahara of Johore
  • Tun Mat Ali, Bendahara Paduka Tuan, Bendahara of Johore
  • Tun Rantau, Bendahara Seri Maharaja, Bendahara of Johore. He was captured by the Jambi forces.

  • Tun Habib Abdul Majid
    Tun Habib Abdul Majid
    Tun Habib Abdul Majid was the 19th Bendahara of the Johor Sultanate during the late 16th 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...

    , Bendahara Seri Maharaja, Bendahara Padang Saujana, restored back the position of the bendahara in the palace.

  • Tun Abdul Jalil, Bendahara Paduka Raja, was elevated to the Sultan of Johore, Sultan Abdul Jalil IV following the death of Sultan Mahmud II. The Temenggung
    Temenggung
    Temenggung is an ancient Malay title of nobility, usually given to the chief of public security. The Temenggung is usually responsible for the safety of the monarch as well as the state police and army...

     branch of his dynasty still rules the Malaysian state of Johore today.

  • Tun Abbas, Bendahara Seri Maharaja, Bendahara of Johore and Pahang


Following the elevation Sultan Abdul Jalil IV, the bendahara was granted Pahang as their personal fief. From thereon afterwards the Bendahara of Johor is known as the Bendahara in Pahang. They are also known as "Raja Bendahara" for their status as the rulers of the vassal state of Pahang. Pahang was the vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...

 of Johore Sultanate.

Bendahara in Pahang

  • Tun Abdul Majid, Raja Bendahara Pahang I (1777–1802)
  • Tun Muhammad, Raja Bendahara Pahang II
  • Tun Koris, Bendahara Paduka Raja, Raja Bendahara Pahang III (1803–1806)
  • Tun Ali, Bendahara Siwa Raja, Raja Bendahara Pahang IV (1806–1847)
  • Tun Mutahir
    Tun Mutahir of Pahang
    Tun Muhammad Tahir, better known as Tun Mutahir was the last Bendahara of the Old Johor Sultanate. As also the last Raja Bendahara of Pahang, he ruled the vassal state of Pahang until his death in 1863 following the Pahang Civil War.-Early life:He was born in 1803...

    , Bendahara Seri Maharaja, Raja Bendahara Pahang V (1847–1863). He is the last reigning Raja Bendahara of Pahang. He was ousted by his brother Wan Ahmad who was later proclaimed as Sultan of Pahang after the dismemberment of the Johore Empire.
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