A controversial figure, due to his origin tales and the rebellion he led, Raja Kecil united a multi-ethnic force in eastern Sumatra to defeat the Johor Sultanate in 1718.
[3] Conceived under supernatural circumstances on the eve of the murder of Sultan Mahmud in 1699, courtiers supposedly sent Raja Kecik (literally, "little king" in local dialect) to the Minangkabau Highlands in central Sumatra, where he came under the protection of the ruling queen.
In the mid-1710s, the young prince, known at the time as Tuan Bujang, travelled to Bengkalis, a trade port in eastern Sumatra, where he united various merchants and mercenaries who disliked the control Johor exercised over their commerce.
His actions after this victory created doubt in the veracity of his origin myth, however, as Raja Kecil immediately retreated to eastern Sumatra, re-appointed Abdul Jalil Shah IV as the Bendahara and married one of his daughters, Tengku Kamariah.
[7] Chaos and uncertainty reigned in Johor for the next four years, as Raja Kecil attempted to consolidate his power in eastern Sumatra, appeal to the many different ethnic groups in the region, and prevent the return of the Bendahara to a position of real authority.
[5] No longer willing to oversee the affairs of state, Raja Kecil allowed his advisory council, known as the Four Penghulu and consisting of his elite supporters, to choose which of his sons would become the ruler of Siak.
They chose Raja Mahmud, who officially became Sultan Muhammad Abdul Jalil Jalaluddin Shah following his father's death in 1746, although he ruled the state for at least five years prior to his formal elevation to the throne.
Under these circumstances, the other son, Raja Alam fled to the Strait of Malacca to gather followers in a series of attempts to counter his brother, a pattern that would haunt Siak leadership for decades.