Brunei and the British in the Nineteenth Century

Of a Seer-poet, an Adventurer, and the Near Extinction of an Ancient Malay Sultanate
1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-032-79664-2
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 184 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 453 g

Reihe: Routledge Studies in the Modern History of Asia

Brunei and the British in the Nineteenth Century relates the remarkable tale of the encounter between the Sultanate of Brunei, that in 1800 possessed nominal hegemony over most of northern Borneo, and Western colonialists, particularly the British.

The study focuses on two notable protagonists: Pengiran Indera Mahkota (c. 1790s–1858), a high-born Bruneian courtier, and James Brooke (1803–1868), a former English soldier and gentleman-adventurer. Pengiran Indera Mahkota was governor (rajah) of Sarawak, then a small area of Brunei. He penned his cautionary words and counsel in a popular verse form titled, Syair Rakis, which he presented to the throne in 1847. James Brooke successfully detached Sarawak from Brunei, establishing his own dynastic “raj”, ruling as the “White Rajah” of Sarawak from 1841 until his passing to be succeeded by his younger nephew, as Rajah Charles Brooke. In this book, textual analysis together with archival research present a mapping of verse (poem) and fact (history) that reveal a confluence of the two that was compatible. It shows the veracity of the forewarnings and intuitive hunches in the Syair Rakis that uncannily reflected historical developments. Although Pengiran Indera Mahkota’s counsel was not acted upon, and the outcome for Brunei was unfavourable, the book argues that Pengiran Indera Mahkota was a significant figure, whose prominent and pivotal role deserves greater recognition.

This book will be of interest to historians and scholars of Southeast Asian history, Imperial and Colonial history and Malay literature.

Zielgruppe

Academic

Autoren/Hrsg.

Gin, Ooi Keat

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Europäische Geschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Weltgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Asiatische Geschichte
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften Interdisziplinär Regionalwissenschaften, Regionalstudien
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Stadt- und Regionalsoziologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction

1. Backdrop and Setting

2. Brunei Pengiran to Rajah of Sarawak

3. James Brooke, Borneo, and Britain

4. “There Cannot be Two Suns in the Sky”

5. Syair Rakis

6. Between Predatory Neighbours

7. All Came to Pass …

8. Concluding Remarks

Postscript

Über Autor(innen)

Ooi Keat Gin is Professor of the Modern History of Brunei/ Borneo at the Academy of Brunei Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Brunei and visiting Professor of the Korean Institute of ASEAN Studies, Busan University of Foreign Studies, Busan, South Korea.