Sultan of Selangor

Sultan of Selangor (سلطان سلاڠور) is the title of the constitutional ruler of Selangor, Malaysia who is the head of state and head of the Islamic religion in Selangor. The current monarch, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah ascended the throne on the death of his father, on 22 November 2001.
The Sultans of Selangor are descended from a Bugis dynasty that claim descent from the rulers of Luwu in the southern part of Celebes (today known as Sulawesi). Nobles from this bloodline were involved in the dispute over the Johor-Riau Sultanate in the early 18th century, eventually placing their full support in the cause of Sulaiman Badrul Alam Shah of Johor of the Bendahara dynasty against the claimant to the Malaccan lineage, Raja Kechil. For this reason, the Bendahara rulers of Johor-Riau established close relations with the Bugis nobles, providing them with titles and control over many areas within the empire, including Selangor.
Daeng Chelak, one of the five Bugis warriors, married Sulaiman Badrul Alam Shah's sister, Tengku Mandak. He was made the second Yang di-Pertuan Muda of Riau from 1728 until 1745. He appointed his son, Raja Lumu to become Yamtuan Selangor on 1743. In the same year, Raja Lumu was recognised by the 14th Sultan of Perak, Sultan Muhammad Shah ibni Sultan Mansur Shah III as the Raja Selangor, after helping the Sultan ascended Perak's throne. He continued to hold the title until 1766.
Raja Lumu did not succeed his father after the latter's death in 1745. Instead, his first cousin, Daeng Kemboja was appointed as the third Yang di-Pertuan Muda of Riau. In February 1756, Sulaiman Badrul Alam Shah of Johor, who assumed Selangor is still a part of his territory, offered the Dutch to mine tin ore in Selangor after helping his nephew, Raja Mahmud winning a civil war against his step-brother, Raja Alam. His action was opposed by Daeng Kemboja, Raja Tua of Klang and Raja Lumu. Raja Lumu then sought to strengthen his influence and removed Selangor from Johor empire by seeking recognition from the 16th Sultan of Perak, Sultan Mahmud Shah ibni Sultan Muhammad Shah. He was installed by Sultan Mahmud Shah as the first Sultan of Selangor in November 1766, taking the regnal name, Sultan Salehuddin Shah.
After the death of Sultan Salehuddin Shah on 1778, he was succeeded by his son, Raja Ibrahim Marhum Saleh, who then used the title Sultan Ibrahim Shah. In 1784, he was defeated in the attack on Kuala Selangor by the Dutch, forcing him to leave Kota Malawati. He subsequently managed to occupy it back in less than a year with the help of Pahang Sultanate. Sultan Ibrahim Shah allied himself with Perak Sultanate afterwards but the alliance fall apart in a debt dispute.
Following his death on 18 October 1826, he was succeeded by his son, Raja Muhammad who took on the title Sultan Muhammad Shah. He was unable to control his chiefs during his reign which resulted in the separation of Selangor into five individual territories; Bernam, Kuala Selangor, Kelang, Langat and Lukut. His reign also saw the opening of tin mines in Ampang District, which brought business to the people and the state.
After 31 years of reign, Sultan Muhammad died in late 1857 without appointing an heir. As a result, there was a huge dispute regarding who will succeed him as the Sultan of Selangor. His nephew, Raja Abdul Samad Raja Abdullah was finally chosen to be the next Sultan and he took on the title Sultan Abdul Samad. He gave the power of authority of Klang to Raja Abdullah and Langat to Tunku Kudin of Kedah, both of whom were his sons-in-law, in 1866 and 1868 respectively.
During Sultan Abdul Samad's reign, the Klang War broke out between Raja Abdullah and the previous ruler of Klang, Raja Mahdi. The involvement of British Empire in the war marks as their first involvement in Selangor's politics. The first British resident in Selangor, James Guthrie Davidson was also appointed during his reign. Sultan Abdul Samad died at the age of 93 in February 1898 and was buried at Makam Sultan Abdul Samad in Jugra.
Raja Muda Sulaiman ibni Almarhum Raja Muda Musa, the grandson of Sultan Abdul Samad rose to the throne, taking the title Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah on 1898 as the fifth Sultan of Selangor. His reign saw the increase in construction of houses, shops, roads, and railways especially in Kuala Lumpur and Klang.
He oversaw the construction of Mahkota Puri Palace in 1905 and proceeded to live there for 35 years until his death. His first son, Tengku Musa Eddin was named the heir apparent in 1920 but he was dismissed in 1934 following the allegation from the then British resident, Theodore Samuel Adams as a gambler. Sultan Sulaiman pleaded the case to Secretary of State for the British Colonies but to no avail. Tengku Alam Shah, his third son was subsequently named the heir apparent in 1936.
Sultan Sulaiman was succeeded by Tengku Alam Shah in 1938, using the title Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah. In January 1942, following the Japanese occupation of Malaya, he was told to surrender his throne to his elder half-brother, Tengku Musa Eddin, whom the Japanese proclaimed as the new Sultan of Selangor, taking the title Sultan Musa Ghiatuddin Riayat Shah. Sultan Hisamuddin refused Japanese orders for him to work with them and stopped receiving the allowance awarded to him. Sultan Musa Ghiatuddin Riayat Shah was installed as the seventh Sultan of Selangor by the then Governor of Selangor, Lieutenant-General Shotaro Katayama in November 1943. He only ruled for three years, during the Japanese occupation. When the British returned after the war, he was dethroned and exiled to the Cocos Keeling Islands.
Sultan Hisamuddin resumed his reign in September 1945. In the same year, he signed the Malayan Union treaty, albeit under protest, along with the rest of the rulers of Malaya at the time. He later rejected the establishment of Malayan Union and openly supported the Malay nationalists who opposed the plan. In 1950, he demolished Mahkota Puri Palace and built Istana Alam Shah, which is still used as the official residence of the Sultan of Selangor to this day.
Sultan Hisamuddin continued to rule Selangor following the independence of Federation of Malaya. He was appointed as the Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong on 3 August 1957. He became the second Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaya after the death of Tuanku Abdul Rahman in 1960.
Tengku Abdul Aziz, the eldest son of Sultan Hisamuddin took the throne following his father's death. He used the title Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah. In 1974, he signed the 1974 Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur Agreement which then established the Federal Territory in Malaysia. Later, he commissioned the building of Kota Darul Ehsan arch to commemorate this event and as a border mark between Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. After Kuala Lumpur was made Federal Territory, he proclaimed Shah Alam as the new capital of Selangor. The placed is named after his father, Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah. His most notable legacy is the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque, the largest mosque in Malaysia. Sultan Salahuddin was installed as the eleventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 1999 for two years until his death in 2001.
His son, Tengku Idris Shah, ascended the throne in 2001, taking the title of Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
In the Laws of the Constitution of Selangor 1959, the Sultan (otherwise referred to as His Highness) is the Head of state and Head of Islam Religion of the state of Selangor. Oath of allegiance are made to the Sultan. Duli Yang Maha Mulia is the state anthem, and the Sultan appears on postage stamps. He has the power of executive authority of the state. His Highness has the responsibility to safeguard the special position of the Malays and the legitimate interest of other communities.
Whenever necessary, the Sultan is responsible for appointing the State Executive Council, of which he has to appoint a Menteri Besar, whom acts as the head of government, and 4 to 10 members of the Legislative Assembly. The Menteri Besar takes office by citing an oath in front of the Sultan in a ceremony. The Sultan also holds a weekly audience with the Menteri Besar before State Council meetings for him to inform the agenda that will be discussed in the meetings.
Some of the government's executive authority is theoretically and nominally vested in the Sovereign and is known as the royal prerogative. His Highness shall act in accordance with the advice of state executive council but he may act in his discretion in the performance of the following: appointment of Menteri Besar, the withholding of consent to request the dissolution of the Legislative Assembly, making a request for a meeting of the Conference of Rulers (concern solely about the privileges, position, honours and dignities of Their Highnesses or religious acts, observance or ceremonies), any function as the head of the Islam religion or relating to the custom of the Malays, appointment of an heir (or heirs), consort, regent or the Council of Regency, the appointment of persons to Malay customary ranks, titles, honours, dignities, and the designations of the functions appertaining thereto, and the regulation of royal courts and palaces. The Sultan also can grant a pardon to any offense committed in the state.
Only the Sultan has the power to confer titles and dignities, and institute the Orders and Badges of Honour and Dignity to whom he sees fit after consulting the Selangor Council of Royal Court. He also has the power to degrade any person of any title and order that has been conferred by him or his precedence.
The Sultan of Selangor has a permanent seat in the conference of rulers as he is one of the nine Malay sultans. During the meeting, none of the Malay Rulers takes precedence over the others and all are considered equal. The member of the conference has the power to elect one of the Malay Rulers as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (the head of state of Malaysia) and Deputy of Yang di-Pertuan Agong every five years. Sultan of Selangor is eligible to stand as a candidate for such occasions. Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah and Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah were Malaysia's second and eleventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong respectively.
The succession order of Selangor sultanate is determined by agnatic primogeniture. No female may become ruler, and female line descendants are generally excluded from succession. According to Laws of the Constitution of Selangor 1959 (in Malay language: Undang-undang Tubuh Negeri Selangor 1959), the Sultan of Selangor must be Malay, royal in blood, descendant of the Selangor sultanate, male and a Muslim. The crown prince is also subjected to the same rule. The constitution states that the Sultan must come from the line of Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah, only if there are no longer eligible descendant of him, then the Sultan should be chosen from the descendant of Sultan Alauddin Sulaiman Shah and so on.
The order of the descendants, in descending order of degree of kinship : Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah, Sultan Alauddin Sulaiman Shah, Sultan Abdul Samad, Sultan Ibrahim Shah, Sultan Salehuddin.
The current order of succession is as follow:
- previous Sultan - current Sultan
The following is the list of the Sultans of Selangor:
The sovereign's official residence in Klang is Istana Alam Shah. It is the palace where the Sultan carried out his official duties and the site that held formal events involving him such as the coronation ceremony. Another official residence is Istana Darul Ehsan, located in Putrajaya. It was built as a sign of appreciation to Sultan of Selangor from the Federal government for ceding Putrajaya to become a federal territory and become the federal administrative centre of Malaysia. The sovereign's official residence in Shah Alam is Istana Bukit Kayangan. Istana Mestika is the official residence of the Raja Muda of Selangor.
Historically, Kota Melawati in Kuala Selangor had been the residence of the three earliest Sultan since Selangor Sultanate started there. Today, the fort had become a tourist attraction besides housing one of the royal mausoleums and the location of the new moon sighting. Sultan Abdul Samad lived at Istana Jugra in Jugra, Kuala Langat since his administration center was located there. It was built in 1876 and was where Sultan Alauddin Sulaiman Shah's coronation took place. Mahkota Puri Palace (now the site of Istana Alam Shah) was built by the British in 1889 for Sultan Alauddin Sulaiman Shah so his administration center is closed to the British colonial administration center in Kuala Lumpur, thus become his official residence.
The title used by the ruling prince is Duli Yang Maha Mulia Sultan dan Yang di-Pertuan Selangor Darul Ehsan Serta Segala Daerah Takluknya or Sultan and Ruler of the State of Selangor Darul Ehsan and all its dependencies, with the style of His Royal Highness.
For example, the present sovereign full style and title is "Duli Yang Maha Mulia Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Alhaj, Sultan dan Yang di-Pertuan Selangor Darul Ehsan Serta Segala Daerah Takluknya" or in English; "His Royal Highness Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Al-Haj, The Sultan and Sovereign Ruler of Selangor Abode of Sincerity and its Sovereign Dependencies".
The heir apparent will use the title Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Raja Muda Selangor Darul Ehsan with the styled of His Royal Highness.