Riau-Lingga Sultanate

Due to this fear, the Dutch appointed an assistant resident to be stationed in Tanjung Buton, a port close to Mepar Island, 6 kilometres from the Riau administrative centre.

Proximity to cosmopolitan Singapore, just 40 miles away, shaped the political climate of the kingdom, giving Riau Malays an opportunity to familiarise themselves with new ideas from the Middle East.

[4] Inspired by the experience and intellectual progress attained in the Middle East and influenced by the Pan-Islamism brotherhood, the Riau Malay intelligentsia established the Roesidijah (Club) Riouw in 1895.

The association was born as a literary circle to develop the religious, cultural and intellectual needs of the sultanate, but as it matured, it changed into a more critical organisation and began to address the fight against Dutch rule in the kingdom.

Diplomatic missions were sent to the Ottoman Empire in 1883, 1895 and in 1905 to secure the liberation of the kingdom by Raja Ali Kelana, accompanied by a renowned Pattani-born Ulema, Syeikh Wan Ahmad Fatani.

Hurgronje justified this with several arguments, among which were that since 1902 the members of the Roesidijah Klub would gather around the royal court and refuse to raise the Dutch flag on government vessels.

In its reply to the geheim letter numbered 1036/G 9 August 1904, the Dutch East Indies Council agreed on the proposal put forward by Hurgronje and authorised action against the nationalist association.

The affiliates of the Roesidijah Klub, mainly the members of the administrative class, were thus able to slowly manoeuvre Abdul Rahman, once a supporter of Dutch rule, to act against the colonial power's wishes.

[7] Once the letter of deposition had been read by the Dutch official, he described the crown prince and other members of the Roesidijah Klub as "individuals who harbour animosity against his excellency the Governor of Netherlands Indies" (orang berniat bermusuhan dengan Sri Padoeka Gouvenrnement Hindia Nederland).

The sultan and Tengku Ampuan (the Queen) left Pulau Penyengat and sailed to Singapore in the royal vessel Sri Daik, while Crown Prince Raja Ali Kelana, Khalid Hitam and the resistance movement in Bukit Bahjah followed a couple of days later.

From the ashes of political uncertainty and fragility in the East Indies following the World War II, a royalist faction known as Persatoean Melayu Riouw Sedjati (PMRS) (Association of the Indigenous Riau Malays) emerged to call for the restoration of the Riau-Lingga Sultanate.

[12] After establishing itself in Tanjung Pinang, the group formed a new organisation known as Djawatan Koewasa Pengoeroes Rakjat Riow (The Council of Riau People Administration), with the members hailing from Tudjuh Archipelago, Great Karimun, Lingga and Singkep.

Based on Indonesian archive records, Dr. Iljas gained approvals from non-Malay newcomers to Riau, including Minang, Javanese, Palembang, and Batak people.

The council, created following the decree of the Governor General of the East Indies on 12 July 1947, was inaugurated on 4 August 1947, and represented a major step forward in the revival of the monarchy system.

The leader of Riau forces, Major Raja Muhammad Yunus, who led the bid to reestablish the sultanate apart from Indonesia fled into exile in Johor after his ill attempt.

The Sultan was dominant in Lingga and its dependencies, while the Bugis Yang Dipertuan Muda controlled Riau (consisting of Bintan, Penyengat and the surrounding islands), with each of them having no claim on the revenues of the other.

On 17 September 1883, in wake of the death of Badrul Alam Syah II, the Bugis-Malay elites voted for Tengku Fatimah as his successor, making her the first queen regnant in the history of the empire since the Malaccan period.

Nearly a month later, on 13 October, another gathering was convened, and on this occasion Abdul Rahman II, was crowned as the new sultan after Tengku Fatimah voluntarily abdicated in favour of her son.

[15] As the settlement for the debt of honour by Sulaiman of Johor-Riau in 1772, a joint government were structured between the Bugis forces and the nascent community and the native Malays and several political marriage were formed between the two dynasties.

The Bugis chieftain was formally rewarded for his service with the titles of Yang di-Pertuan Muda/Yamtuan Muda (deputy ruler or Viceroy) and Raja Tua (principal prince), receiving the second and third paramount seat in the sultanate.

All these territories were headed by a Datuk Kaya (nobleman), known as an Amir (equivalent to a Prince or Duke) who had been chosen by the sultan or by the ruling elite to deal with the local administration.

Observing the rise of the Islamic Brotherhood that gained momentum in the late 18th century, the Riau-Lingga Sultanate regarded the Ottoman Empire as a protector against non-Muslim colonial powers.

Several customary practices and did survive however, for instance the revered position of women in society and the close affinity of kinship based on their common Bugis ancestry and heritage.

It played a major role in supporting intellectuals, artist, writers, poets and philosophers in the Riau-Lingga Sultanate, aiming to facilitate the development of arts, theatre, live performance and literature.

Raja Aisyah's Hikayat Syamsul Anwar, completed in 1890, was perhaps one earliest testaments of feminism to be found in Malay literature: it describes the secret life of Badrul Muin, a heroine who disguises herself as a male.

Among the works published by the Mathaba'at al Riauwiyah were Faruk Al-Makmur (the Laws of Riau) and Pohon Perhimpunan (The journey of Raja Ali Kelana to Tudjuh Archipelago).

They re-established the Mathaba'at al Ahmadiah in Singapore to continue their printing activities, and they would distribute materials on general knowledge and Islamic literature for free to act against the Dutch occupation on their homeland.

Adopting martial music as practised in the west, he sent several young men from Riau to Malacca to train with the Dutch on western instruments such as the violin, trumpet and flute.

[26][27] It was recorded that a Gamelan ensemble was invited from Pulau Penyengat to perform in Pahang in 1811 for the royal wedding of Tengku Hussein of Johor and Wan Esah, a Pahangite aristocrat.

The seeds of western music which dated from the arrival of Raja Jaafar in 1805 matured and became an integral part of the official ceremonies and military parade of the palace court by the end of the 19th century Riau.

This is the sound of the Nobat of the Riau-Lingga sultanate
The region witnessed the invasion of Haji Fisabillah of Johor-Riau during the battle against the Dutch East India Company on 6 January 1784 in Tanjung Pinang, Riau. It was one of the largest military campaign in the Strait of Malacca during the 18th century.
Alexander Hamilton 's "A Map of the Dominions of Johore and of the Island of Sumatra with the Adjacent Islands" (1727). Illustrating mainland Johore, eastern Sumatra, Singapore, Bangka and Riau Archipelago as a single political entity, the map was made a century prior to the partition of 1824.
The Riau-Lingga noblemen with Sultan Sulaiman II (seated, in the middle). (c.1867)
Cogan , the Royal Regalia of Johor-Riau. The coronation of the sultan would be only be official if the regalia were used. This caused both the British and the Dutch to try to claim the regalia from Engku Puteri Hamidah in order to install their preferred sultan.
A fort in Reteh, Indragiri, on mainland Sumatra (c. 1857). One of the territory held by the Sultanate. The fort was constructed by Tengku Sulung in retaliation of the appointment of Sultan Sulaiman and the Dutch rule whom contested control over the area.
Tandjoengpinang in 1859
Ali Kelana, Crown Prince of Riau-Lingga, one of the founding fathers of the Roesidijah Club Riouw, the first modern organisation in the Netherlands East Indies. (taken in 1899)
A Dutch map of Residentie Riouw en Onderhoorigheden (Residence of Riau and Dependencies) in 1860.
The last Sultan of Riau-Lingga, Abdul Rahman II. He was forced to live in exile after his refusal to sign an agreement with the Dutch that was intended to totally limit his powers.
The dissolution of the sultanate as reported in Rotterdam's Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant on 19 February 1911.
The Datuk Kaya or local Malay rulers of Poelau Toedjoeh ( Tudjuh Archipelago ) with G.F Bruijn Kops, the Dutch Resident of Riouw. Taken in Tanjung Pinang, a week after the abdication of the Sultan (1911).
The Straits Times , dated 11 December 1947 on the establishment of Riouw Raad, with Tengku Ibrahim (left) to be crowned as the sultan if the sultanate were to be revived. Seen in right was his grandfather, the late Sultan Abdul Rahman II.
The Riouw Raad building with Encik Mohamad Apan (middle, don under a peci ) the temporary leader of the council, with other members of the Riouw Raad during the appointment of the Provincial Resident on 4 August 1947.
The flag of Federasi Bangka Belitung dan Riau (Bangka Belitung and Riau Federation), an autonomous territory under Dutch rule in United States of Indonesia until 1950.
A picture Sultan Abdul Rahman II (1890–1911) shows him with a headdress with a crescent and five-pointed star from which a lily-shaped ornament rises. The crescent and star symbolise "Head of State" as the crescent is the Islamic emblem of state, and the star the emblem of a (Muslim) ruler. [ 9 ]
Onderkoning Van Riau (Dutch: Viceroy of Riau) inscribed on the mohor (royal seal) of Yang Dipertuan Muda Abdullah, the XI Yang Dipertuan Muda of Riau Lingga (1857–8). In a fusion of Arabic - Malay written in Jawi script the seal also bears the inscription Al Watik Baladun Al Aziz Al Ghaffar Sultan Alauddin Syah Ibni Al Marhum Raja Jaafar 1273-Hijrah (lit: the trusted governor, the powerful, the protector, Sultan Alauddin Syah Ibni Al Marhum Raja Jaafar, Year 1273 AH (1856 AD )
The Dutch Resident with the Sultan. (1890–1910)
The Heraldic badge of Riau-Lingga Sultanate in Arabic calligraphy , consisting of a Dua and verses from the As-Saff surah .
A tin mine belonging to the Sultan in Singkep.
Japanese stamps issued in Tandjoengpinang, Riow in 1943. The territory was occupied by Imperial Japan during World War II, with its territorial jurisdiction incorporated into Malaya .
Pulau Penyengat (lit: Wasp island), lithography of an original watercolour by J.C. Rappard. c. 1883–1889. Initially founded as a royal dowry for Engku Puteri Hamidah, by the late 19th century, it was known as Penyengat Inderasakti. The latter was derived from Indera (Royal) and Sakti (Divination).
A Mus'haf of the Quran dating from the Riau-Lingga Sultanate period, with East coast Malay Peninsula styled gloss finish.
A manuscript of Gurindam 12 , a morale and religious guidance originally written in Jawi script , completed in 1264 AH (1847AD).
Ali Haji (1808–1873) was credited to be the author of the first Malay dictionary , this would later form the basis of the Indonesian language.
Raja Aisyah Sulaiman completed her first work, Hikayat Syamsul Anwar in 1890. The hikayat is one of the earliest pieces of feminist literature published in the Malay world . Photo from 1911.
The Masjid Raya (Grand Mosque), built in 1803, is part of the legacy of the sultanate that can be found in Penyengat Inderasakti. The mosque was a home for the Kutub Kanah Marhum Ahmadi, an Islamic library.
The Al-Ahmadiah Press in Singapore, a legacy of its predecessor from Riau-Lingga. (1925)
A troupe of local Riau Malay dancers performing the Joget Dangkong . Photo c. late 19th century.
The Nobat that was used for the coronation of Sultan Abdul Rahman II (taken in 1885). The assembly was inherited by the Terengganu Sultanate and became a vital part of the regalia of the royal house. It was last used during the installation ceremony of Mizan Zainal Abidin as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia) on 27 April 2007.
The Royal Brass Band with Heer Gunter, the instructor from Vienna , Austro-Hungarian Empire . Photo from c. 1880s, Penyengat Palace.