The Sultanate of Aceh Darussalam

The Sultanate of Aceh Darussalam is an Islamic kingdom that once stood in the province of Aceh , Indonesia . The Sultanate of Aceh was available in the north of the island of Sumatra with the capital Bandar Aceh Darussalam with its first sultan being Sultan Ali Mughayat Syah who was crowned on Sunday, 1 Jumadil early 913 H or on September 8, 1507 . In its long history ( 1496–1903), Aceh develops a pattern and system of military education, is committed to opposing European imperialism, has an orderly and systematic government system, establishes centers for the study of science, and establishes diplomatic relations with other countries.

History

Early from
The Sultanate of Aceh was founded by Sultan Ali Mughayat Syah in 1496 . In the beginning, this kingdom stood on the territory of the Lamuri Kingdom , then subjugated and united several surrounding royal territories including Daya, Pedir, Lidie, Nakur. Then in 1524 the Pasai region had become part of the sovereignty of the Aceh Sultanate accompanied by Aru .

In 1528 , Ali Mughayat Syah was succeeded by his eldest son named Salahuddin , who then ruled until 1537 . Then Salahuddin was replaced by Sultan Alauddin Riayat Syah al-Kahar who ruled until 1571 . [2]

Success Time
Although the Sultan is considered the highest ruler, but in fact it is always managed by the rich or the aristocrats. Hikayat Aceh said that the Sultans who were forced to descend, including Sultan Sri Alam, were overthrown in 1579 because of his temper that had exceeded the limit in distributing royal treasures to his followers. his bride Sultan Zainal Abidin was killed a few months later because of his cruelty and because of his addiction to hunting and fighting animals. The kings and the rich offered the crown to Alaiddin Riayat Shah Sayyid al-Mukamil of the Darul Kamal dynasty in 1589. He immediately ended the period of instability by crushing the rich people who opposed him while strengthening his position as the sole ruler of the Aceh Sultanate whose impact was felt on the next sultan. [3]

The Sultanate of Aceh experienced the widest period of expansion and influence during the leadership of Sultan Iskandar Muda ( 1607–1636 ) or Sultan Meukuta Alam. During his leadership, Aceh conquered Pahang which was the main source of tin . In 1629, the Aceh sultanate attacked the Portuguese in Melaka with a fleet consisting of 500 warships and 60,000 marine soldiers. This attack was in an effort to expand Aceh’s dominance over the Malacca Strait and the Malay peninsula. Unfortunately this expedition failed, although in the same year Aceh occupied Kedah and brought many of its people to Aceh. [4]

During the time of Sultan Alaidin Righayat Syah Sayed Al-Mukammil (grandfather of Sultan Iskandar Muda) a diplomatic message was sent to the Netherlands in 1602 under the leadership of Tuanku Abdul Hamid. Sultan also many sent letters to various environmental management such as the Turkish Sultan Selim II, Prince dusk van Nassau, and Queen Elizabeth I . All this is applied to strengthen the position of power in Aceh.

setback
Aceh’s decline was caused by several factors, including the strengthening of Dutch power on the island of Sumatra and the Malacca Strait, marked by the fall of the Minangkabau, Siak, Tiku, Tapanuli, Mandailing, Deli, Barus (1840) and Bengkulu regions into the lap of Dutch colonial rule. Another important factor is the existence of a power struggle between the heirs to the sultanate throne.

Aceh diplomat to Penang . Seated: Teuku Kadi Malikul Available (left) and Teuku Imeum Lueng Bata (right). Around the 1870s
This can be studied earlier after the death of Sultan Iskandar Tsani until a series of events later, where the nobles wished to reduce the narrow control of the Sultan’s power by appointing the widow of Iskandar Tsani as Sultanah. Some sources say that the fear of the return of the tyrant King (Sultan Iskandar Muda) who behind the appointment of the queen.

Since then peace has been felt in Aceh, the Ulèëbalang are free to trade with foreign traders without having to pass through the sultan’s port in the capital . Pepper became the main crop cultivated throughout the coast of Aceh so that it became the main supplier of natural pepper until the end of the 19th century. However, some elements of the population, especially the embodiments, wanted the ruler to be a man with the title Sultan. They claim that the rightful heir is still alive and living with them in the interior. Civil war broke out, the mosque was in flames, the city of Bandar Aceh was in chaos and unrest. Following up on this dispute, Kadhi Malikul (a kind of grand mufti) Tgk. Syech Abdurrauf As-Sinkily carries out various reformsespecially regarding the division of power with the formation of the three sagoe . This resulted in the power of the sultanah/sultan being very weak with only full power in the Bibeueh area (direct power) alone.

The civil war in terms of the struggle for power played a major role in the weakening of the Aceh Sultanate. During the time of Sultan Alauddin Jauhar Alamsyah ( 1795–1824 ), a descendant of the exiled Sultan Sayyid Hussain claimed the sultanate crown by appointing his son as Sultan Saif Al-Alam. Civil war broke out again but thanks to the help of Raffles and Koh Lay Huan, a trader from Penang where Jauhar (who spoke French, English and Spanish) was returned. It didn’t end there, civil war broke out again in the struggle for power between Tuanku Sulaiman and Tuanku Ibrahim who later had the title Sultan Mansur Syah (1857–1870).

Sultan Mansyur Syah tried his best to re-strengthen the already fragile sultanate. He succeeded in subduing the pepper kings to pay tribute to the sultan, something the previous sultan could not do. To strengthen the defense of the eastern region, the sultan sent a fleet in 1854 led by Admiral Tuanku Usen with a force of 200 boats. This expedition was to ensure Aceh’s power over Deli , Langkat and Serdang . But unlucky, in 1865 Aceh took foot from the area with the conquest of the fortress of Kampai Island . [5]

The Sultan also tried to form alliances with outsiders in an effort to stem the Dutch attack . He sent an envoy back to Istanbul to confirm Aceh’s status as a vassal of the Ottoman Turks and sent a number of aid funds for the Crimean War . In response, Sultan Abdul Majid I sent some combat equipment to Aceh. Not only with Turkey, the sultan also tried to form an alliance with France by sending letters to the French King Louis Philippe I and the Second President of the French Republic (1849). However, this request was not taken seriously. [3]

The decline continued with the rise of the young and weak Sultan Mahmudsyah to power. A series of diplomatic attempts to Istanbul led by Teuku Paya Bakong and Habib Abdurrahman Az-zahier to fight Dutch expansion failed. After returning to the capital, Habib competed with an Indian Teuku Panglima Maharaja Tibang Muhammad to gain influence in the Aceh government. Moderates tended to support Habib, but the sultan protected the Panglima Tibang, who was suspected of conspiring with the Dutch during negotiations in Riau. [5]

At the end of November 1871, the so-called Treaty of Sumatra was born, where it was clearly stated that “Britain must abstain from all demonstrations against the expansion of Dutch power in any part of Sumatra. The limitations of the London Treaty 1824 regarding Aceh has been cancelled.” Since then, efforts to invade Aceh have been increasingly voiced, not taking sides from the Netherlands or Batavia. The Acehnese Ulee Balangs and the Sultan’s special envoy were given the task of seeking help from Turkey’s old allies. possible because Turkey at that time had just fought with Russia in Crimea. Aid efforts were also aimed at Italy, France and America but to no avail. The Council of Eight that was formed in Penang to gain British sympathy could not do anything about it. With this argument, the Dutch stabilized surrendered the capital.March 1873, Dutch troops landed at Pantai Cermin Meuraksa marking the beginning of the Dutch invasion of Aceh.