page_title: James Brooke
section_title: Cession of Labuan to Great Britain
hierarchical_section_title: James Brooke / Cession of Labuan to Great Britain
caption_attribution_description: English: Picture shows British delegation packed with firearms at the palace of the Brunei sultanate circa 1846. The British navy lined up British warships near the Sultan's palace with cannons ready to fire if the Sultan refused to sign the treaty. The Sultan had no choice but to sign the Treaty of Labuan on 18th December 1846 and forced to cede Labuan to Britain. The island later became a Crown Colony in 1848.
context_page_description: Sir James Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak, KCB, was a British soldier and adventurer who founded the Raj of Sarawak in Borneo. He ruled as the first White Rajah of Sarawak from 1841 until his death in 1868.
  Brooke was born and raised under the Company Raj of the British East India Company in India. After a few years of education in England, he served in the Bengal Army, was wounded, and resigned his commission. He then bought a ship and sailed out to the Malay Archipelago where, by helping to crush a rebellion, he became governor of Sarawak. He then vigorously suppressed piracy in the region and, in the ensuing turmoil, restored the Sultan of Brunei to his throne, for which the Sultan made Brooke the Rajah of Sarawak. He ruled until his death.
  Brooke was not without detractors and was criticised in the British Parliament and officially investigated in Singapore for his anti-piracy measures. He was, however, honoured and feted in London for his activities in Southeast Asia. The naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace was one of many visitors whose published work spoke of his hospitality and achievements.
context_section_description: In 1846 Brooke presented the island of Labuan to the British government. He was appointed governor and commander-in-chief of Labuan in 1848.
caption: James Brooke negotiating with the Sultan of Brunei, which led to the signing of the Treaty of Labuan between the Brunei sultanate and the British delegation on 18 December 1846 at the Brunei palace, in which Labuan was ceded to Great Britain.[4][5]
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