[2] The nominal reign of Alauddin Sulaiman Ali Iskandar Syah was filled with incidents with the Dutch colonial state.
In 1839 the important port Barus, hitherto a part of the Acehnese possessions, was occupied by the Dutch whose claims to that place went back before 1779.
The Acehnese attempted to attack Singkil in 1848, which caused the Dutch to seek support from Trumon, a principality which had formerly stood under Aceh but withdrawn around 1830.
On one occasion in 1844 the two ports Kuala Bateë and Meureudu were chastised by British warships after a set of piratical acts.
[3] Acehnese power over part of the east coast of Sumatra, including Langkat, Serdang, Batubara, Deli and Asahan was strengthened in 1853-54 thanks to the efforts of the senior sultan Alauddin Ibrahim Mansur Syah.