Tun Sri Lanang
Encyclopedia
Tun Muhammad bin Tun Ahmad, better known as Tun Sri Lanang, is the Bendahara
(Grand Vizier
) of the royal Court of Johor Sultanate
who lived between the 16th and 17th centuries. He served under two Sultans of Johore namely; Sultan Ali Jalla Abdul Jalil Shah II
(1570–1597) and Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah III (1597–1615) and also advisers to 3 Acheh sultans namely; Sultan Iskandar Muda (until 1636), Sultan Iskandar Thani
(1636–1641) and Sultana Tajul Alam Safiatuddin Shah
(1641–1675). He had two honorific titles throughout his lifetime; as the Bendahara of Johor, Bendahara Paduka Raja Tun Mohamad, while he was given the title of Orang Kaya Dato' Bendahara Seri Paduka Tun Seberang after settling in Aceh.
During the period the Dutch were attacking the Portuguese for the port of Malacca. The Dutch signed a friendship treaty with the Johore Sultanate (in 1606) with Tun Sri Lanang as a representative. Tun Sri Lanang refused the Dutch request of helping the Dutch to blockade the port of Malacca preferring the Dutch do it themselves.
In 1612, at the request of Raja Abdullah to pen the Malay Annals to ensure " ... all the adat
, the rules and the ceremonies of the Malay Sultans and Rajas to be heard by our descendants and is made known all utterances so that it may benefit them". At this time, under the orders of Sultan Alauddin Riaayat Shah, Tun Sri Lanang oversaw the editorial and compilation process of the Malay Annals, better known as Sejarah Melayu in Malay
.
In 1613, Acheh attacked Johore and in the battle of Batu Sawar. Johore was defeated and the Royal Family and Tun Sri Lanang was captured and brought to Acheh. The Bendaharaship was continued by his descendants. His notable descendants include Bendehara Tun Habib Abdul Majid
and the Raja Temenggung of Muar
.
His legacy is not only the magnum opus "Sejarah Melayu" but also includes the strongly Islamic flavor of Samalanga. Samalanga is also known as "Kota Santri", or "Town of Medrassas" is the centre of Islamic propagation in Acheh until today. Samalanga was also among the last town to fall to the Dutch during the time of the last Sultan of Acheh, Sultan Muhammad Daud Shah and also one of his strongholds.
Bendahara
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 and was a hereditary post. It was the office that is held by bendahara family...
(Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
) of the royal Court of Johor Sultanate
Johor Sultanate
The Sultanate of Johor was founded by Malaccan Sultan Mahmud Shah's son, Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah II in 1528. Johor was part of the Malaccan Sultanate before the Portuguese conquered Malacca's capital in 1511...
who lived between the 16th and 17th centuries. He served under two Sultans of Johore namely; Sultan Ali Jalla Abdul Jalil Shah II
Ali Jalla Abdul Jalil Shah II
Ali Jalla Abdul Jalil Shah II was the Sultan of Johor from 1571 to 1597.Ali Jalla Abdul Jalil Shah II married Fatima Raja the sister of Muzaffar II of Johor who was the sultan of Johor. On Muzaffar's death, Ali Jalla and Fatima's son Abdul Jalil I of Johor became the sultan...
(1570–1597) and Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah III (1597–1615) and also advisers to 3 Acheh sultans namely; Sultan Iskandar Muda (until 1636), Sultan Iskandar Thani
Iskandar Thani
Iskandar Thani Alauddin Mughayat Syah was the thirteenth sultan of Aceh, following the powerful Iskandar Muda. Iskandar Thani was the son of the sultan of Pahang, Ahmad Syah, who was brought to Aceh in the conquest of Pahang in 1617 by Iskandar Muda...
(1636–1641) and Sultana Tajul Alam Safiatuddin Shah
Taj ul-Alam
Ratu Safiatuddin Taj ul-Alam was the fourteenth sultana of Aceh. She was the daughter of the sultan Iskandar Muda and the wife of his successor, Iskandar Thani, who became sultan upon the death of her husband...
(1641–1675). He had two honorific titles throughout his lifetime; as the Bendahara of Johor, Bendahara Paduka Raja Tun Mohamad, while he was given the title of Orang Kaya Dato' Bendahara Seri Paduka Tun Seberang after settling in Aceh.
Early life and events in Johore
Tun Sri Lanang was born in 1565 in Seluyut, Johore, and was descended from Tun Tahir, a brother of Bendahara Tun Mutahir of Malacca. There are not many records about his period as Bendehara in Johore. However during the rule of Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah III, he shouldered a heavier burden on the affairs of the state as the Sultan is a weak ruler. He shared the responsibility with the Sultan's brother Raja Abdullah (later to become Sultan Abdullah Maayah Shah which reigns between 1615 to 1623).During the period the Dutch were attacking the Portuguese for the port of Malacca. The Dutch signed a friendship treaty with the Johore Sultanate (in 1606) with Tun Sri Lanang as a representative. Tun Sri Lanang refused the Dutch request of helping the Dutch to blockade the port of Malacca preferring the Dutch do it themselves.
In 1612, at the request of Raja Abdullah to pen the Malay Annals to ensure " ... all the 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...
, the rules and the ceremonies of the Malay Sultans and Rajas to be heard by our descendants and is made known all utterances so that it may benefit them". At this time, under the orders of Sultan Alauddin Riaayat Shah, Tun Sri Lanang oversaw the editorial and compilation process of the Malay Annals, better known as Sejarah Melayu in Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
.
In 1613, Acheh attacked Johore and in the battle of Batu Sawar. Johore was defeated and the Royal Family and Tun Sri Lanang was captured and brought to Acheh. The Bendaharaship was continued by his descendants. His notable descendants include Bendehara 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...
and the Raja Temenggung of Muar
Raja Temenggung of Muar
Raja Temenggung of Muar is a noble title used to refer to the family of Dato' Pasir Raja and his descendants, which ruled the Muar fief, which was a part of the Johor Empire from the middle of the seventeenth century onwards.-History:During the mid-seventeenth century, the Sultan of Johor took the...
.
Later life in Acheh
In Aceh a brief "reeducation" the Johor Royal Family was returned to Johore. Tun Sri Lanang elected to stay in Acheh. He became advisor to the third Sultan of Acheh and was bestowed an Acheh honorific title. He was awarded a personal fief in Samalanga, Aceh in 1613 and held the title Uleebalang of Samalanga. He died in 1659 in Samalanga.Legacy
Some of Tun Sri Lanang's descendants rule as the Uleebalang of Samalanga until 1949, when Indonesia was formed in the same year. Many of his descendants are fervent nationalists including the female warrior Pocut Meuligo, Teuku Muhammad Daud, Teuku Abdul Hamid Azwar and Teuku Hamzah Bendehara. Some of his descendants carry the "Bedahara" suffix to their names indicating their ancestry.His legacy is not only the magnum opus "Sejarah Melayu" but also includes the strongly Islamic flavor of Samalanga. Samalanga is also known as "Kota Santri", or "Town of Medrassas" is the centre of Islamic propagation in Acheh until today. Samalanga was also among the last town to fall to the Dutch during the time of the last Sultan of Acheh, Sultan Muhammad Daud Shah and also one of his strongholds.
Buildings and Institutions
- Laman Tun Sri Lanang, Kota TinggiKota TinggiKota Tinggi is a town in the state of Johor of Malaysia, located around 42 kilometers north-east of Johor Bahru, on the road to Mersing. Hometown of Azizul Hanipah. Kota Tinggi can also be reached by ferry from Changi terminal in Singapore where tourists need to pass through the immigration check...
- Perpustakaan Tun Seri Lanang, Universiti Kebangsaan MalaysiaUniversiti Kebangsaan MalaysiaThe National University of Malaysia is a public university located in Bangi, Selangor which is about 35 km south of Kuala Lumpur...
- Tun Seri Lanang Secondary School, former Secondary school in SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...