Deli Sultanate

Deli Sultanate in Sumatra

Deli is a 1,820 km² state in east Sumatra founded in 1630. A Rajadom from 1630 until 1814, the state became a sultanate in 1814 when acquiring independence from Siak. It was based in Kota Medan.


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In the 16th century, there was a kingdom called "Aru" located near the Lalang River (Deli Tua now). In 1612, the ARU Kingdom was defeated by Kingdom of Aceh, led by Commander flisyamsudin, who was a descendant of Zulkanaeni Bahasid Syekh Batraluddin Hindustant from the country of Shindi Hindustan. Eventually, he was promoted by Sultan Iskandar Muda from Aceh to serve as a representative of the Kingdom for East Sumatra located at the Lalang River. His new name was Panglima Gocah Pahlawan.

1539
Johor was also threatened by Aceh , on the northern tip of Sumatra. In 1539, Aru, Johor's vassal state on the east coast of Sumatra, was attacked by a fleet of 160 ships with 12,000 soldiers comprised of Acehnese, Malaccan Malays, Malabaris, Gujeratis, and Turkish soldiers. Alauddin Riayat gathered a fleet with aid from his allies, Perak and Siak, and attacked Aru in 1540. He reconquered Aru, leaving only 14 Acehnese ships afloat and thousands of Acehnese troops dead. The battle was called, Battle of Sungai Paneh, which was the most glorious Malay victory since they were defeated in Malacca.

In 1564, the Sultan of Aceh, Alauddin al-Qahar, defeated Aru and expulsed the Johoreans from Aru. The sultan of Aceh, then, launched an attack on Johor Lama from Aru. The fort and town was leveled and Alauddin Riayat was captured and brought back to Aceh. He was later killed and was given the posthumous title, ''Marhum Syahid di Acheh''. He was succeeded by his son, Muzaffar Shah II.

1612- The famous Sultan Iskandar Muda from Aceh defeated Aru kingdom in Deli Tua ("Old Deli" located southward of the present Medan) in 1612, established the Deli kingdom in 1632, and appointed Gocah Pahlawan as the first king. The second king, Marhum Kesawan was enthroned in 1669 and then moved the capital to the present location of Medan (the name "Kesawan" is originated from his name). The location of the capital of Deli kingdom was moved several times (to Pulo Brayan, then to Labuhan Deli) before finally settled down in the present location of Maimoon Palace in 1888 by the 9th ruler, Sultan Ma'mum Al Rasyid Perkasa Alamsyah.

In 1861 some Fujianese from Southern China began to settle in Labuhan Deli, some 20 km north towards the sea. Labuhan was an important port town of the Sultanate of Deli, where the Syahbandar (Port Master) office was located at the middle of the town near the main landing place or harbor. In 1891 a temple dedicated for Guanyin, Shoushan-gong was erected by Fujianese in Labuhan Deli to commemorate 30 years anniversary of the founding of the settlement. Labuhan Deli is the capital of Deli kingdom from the 4th ruler (Tuanku Panglima Pasutan, ruled from 1728 to 1761) until the 9th ruler (Sultan Ma'mum Al Rashid Perkasa Alamsyah, ruled from 1873 to 1924) before it was moved to Medan. The location of the palace was near the present site of the Sultan Mosque in Labuhan Deli.

1824 - In 1824, a treaty between the Dutch and British governments established the status quo of the colonial claims of both countries in this region of South-east Asia. The British withdraw from Sumatra (Bengkulu, Natal and Tapanuli) and the Dutch were forbidden to establish any settlement on the Malay Peninsula. Dutch colonial intervention in the island Sumatra was still fairly limited;Westerners had still not even set foot in the greater part of the island. The Dutch government was averse to spending funds on exploring new areas, unless they were forced to do so by particular circumstances.

1858 - On 1 February 1858, a political contract was signed between the Netherlands Indies government and the sultanate of Siak Sri Indrapura and Siak came under the rule of the Dutch colonial government. Historically a number of districts on the north-east coast of Sumatra, like Deli, Langkat, and Serdang, were subject to the Sultan of Siak.

Siak gave away Deli to Dutch by treaty and Siak become Dutch protectorate, and move troops in to prevent British adventurers from gaining a foothold there. The boundary of Siak is defined to include Langkat and Deli, infringing on Acehnese territory. The Dutch governed Tanah Deli (now Medan)from 1858, after Sultan Assyaidis Syarif Ismail Jalil Jalaluddin (1827-1864),ruler of the Kingdom of Siak Sri Indrapura, yielded some of his once-ruled land, Deli(1862), Langkat(1869), and Serdang.

The British merchants on the island Penang feared that under control of the Dutch the Siak
dependencies would exclude British traders from the North Sumatra pepper trade of Asahan,Deli and Langkat. Apparently, the local indigenous rulers shared the same fear; so repeated appeals for protection were addressed to the Governor of Singapore by: the Sultan of Deli in 1861, the Raja of Serdang and the Sultan of Aceh in 1862 and in 1863 by the Sultan of Asahan.

1861 - Dutch intervention in 1861, of which resulted in contract with the Netherlands East Indies the following year 1862, helped to recognize Deli's independence from Aceh and Siak.

1862 - The Governor of Singapore sent the Resident Councillor of Penang to Deli and Langkat in 1862 to secure redress for alleged wrongs inflicted on British subjects.

Then the Dutch decided to announce their territorial claims and, in 1862, the Dutch colonial administration arranged political contracts with the Siak dependencies Deli, Langkat and Serdang ; these contracts were counter-signed by the Sultan of Siak.

1863 - In 1863, a planter from Java, Jacob Nienhuys, visited the north-east coast of Sumatra and started negotiations with the Sultan of Deli, Mahmoed Perkasa Alam, in order to obtain land for agriculture. A year later, the first tobacco was shipped to Rotterdam. This was the beginning of the exploitation of the north-east coast of Sumatra by large scaled Western agricultural companies.

1864 - But the real challenge to establish the Dutch colonial presence in this region of Sumatra occurred in 1864. The Resident Elisa Netscher arrived in the capital of Siak Sri Indrapura to solve (in the terms of the colonial administration) the earnest problems between the Sultan and his indigenous advisers. Netscher appointed the younger brother of the Sultan, Sjarif Kasim Abdoeldapalit Saifoedin, the new ruler of Siak.

It was in this period of turbulence, that the first economic relations between the native rulers at the north-east coast of Sumatra and the Western agriculture industries began.Before the abolishing of the government monopoly on agriculture in Java in 1872,private entrepreneurs had already began searching for new challenges to do business in the Indonesian Archipelago.

Chronological list of Sultans

1350- Majapahit conquers the Islamic kingdoms of Pasai and Aru (later Deli, near Medan) in northern Sumatra.
1460 Kingdom of Aru (near Deli) on Sumatra gained independence.
c.1512 Aru state founded.?
1524 Acheh attack Aru
1539 War between Acheh & Johor at Aru. Acheh won
1539 - 1564 Incorporated into Aceh. Acheh conquered Johor's vassal-state of Aru (Deli) in 1539 Aru.
160. - 1612 Incorporated into Johor
1612 - 1814 Incorporated into Aceh. 1612 Aceh took Deli and Aru (in Medan area). They installed the Deli Sultanate in 1632..
(Note: reported Deli was under Siak's territory,infringing on Acehnese territory).
18 Mar 1814 State independent from Siak ,and renamed Deli.
22 Aug 1862 Dutch protectorate.

1. Tuanku Panglima Gocah Pahlawan

The time and situation changed and in 1632 Aceh built the Deli Kingdom led by Commander Gocah Pahlawan who was the first Deli King. He got a new name called tuanku Panglima Gocah Pahlawan". He died in 1669.

2. Tuanku Panglima Parunggit

The second Deli King governed and moved the kingdom to an area on a plain (now Medan). He became the king in 1669 and died in 1698. His new name was "Marhum Kesawan".

3. Tuanku Panglima Padrap

The third Deli King governed from 1698-1728. He had 4 sons. He moved the kingdom to Pulo Brayan.

4. Tuanku Panglima Pasutan

This king governed from 1728-1761. He moved the kingdom to Labuhan Deli and named the heads of the aborigine tribes in Deli. They were usually called Datuk of 4 tribes. Those tribes received the titles as follows:

- Sepuluh Dua Kuta resort (Hamparan Perak and the surroundings)
- Serbanyaman resort (Sunggal and the surroundings)
- Senembah resort (Patumbak area and Tanjung Morawa)
- Sukapiring resort (Kampung Baru, and Medan)

5. Tuanku Panglima Gandar Wahid

The fifth Deli King ruled from 1761-1805. It was during his regime that the position of Datuk 4 became stronger as the people's representative.

6. Sultan Amaluddin Mengedar Alam

This is the third son of Panglima Gandar Wahid who ruled from 1805-1850. In his regime, Siak Kingdom's influence was stronger than Aceh's. The title of "Sultanate" was given to the Deli Kingdom.

7. Sultan Osman Perkasa Alam

He ruled from 1850-1858 and got the right to govern Deli as an autonomous kingdom. It was marked by giving him the "Bawar" and "cap Sembilan Swords". It was really intended to weaken the influence of Siak Kingdom in the Deli region.

8. Sultan Mahmud Al Rasyid Perkasa Alam

This Sultan, who governed from 1858-1873, commenced the relationship with the Dutch government which wanted to use the land in Deli for tobacco production.

9.Sultan Ma'mun Al Rasyid Perkasa Alamsyah

This young Sultan ruled from 1873-1924. During his regime, the tobacco trade rapidly developed and he reached the peak of his prosperity. He moved the kingdom to Medan and finished building the Maimoon Palace on 26 August 1888. It was officially inaugurated on 18 May 1891.

He also built:

- This Grand Mosque Al Mashum in 1907, and inaugurated it on Friday, 10 September 1909 (25 Sya'ban 1329 H).

- A meeting room in 1906 whidi was used as the Justice court of Law for Sultan Maimoon Al Rasyid Alamsyah' s regime (It used to be the Deli Serdang regent office). It was inaugurated on 5 May 1913.

- Other public facilities for social development and two mosques which are used to spread the Moslem religion.

10. Sultan Amaluddin Al Sani Perkasa Alamsyah

He governed from 1924-1945. During his regime, the commercial connections with other countries and kingdoms in Indonesia increased. This increased activity is evident from the development of more harbors at that time. After the declaration of the Independence of Indonesia on 17 August 1945, the government of the Deli Sultanate acknowledged the sovereignty of Republic of Indonesia and, in turn, the Sultans became the top administrators of Deli Malay customs, traditions and cultures.

11. Sultan Amaluddin Al Sani Perkasa Alamsyah`s eldest son became the administrator of customs from 1945 and carried out his duties until 1965.

12. Sultan Azmi Perkasa Alam

He relieved his father's position, Sultan Osman Al Sani Perkasa Alam, as the top administrator of Deli Malayan in 1965 and has continued to the present.


Sultans (style Sultan Panglima Mangedar 'Alam)

18 Mar 1814 - 18 Mar 1824 Amaluddin I Mangedar Alam Syah (d. 1824)
18 Mar 1824 - 22 Oct 1857 Uthman I Perkasa Alam Syah (b. 1809 - d. 1857)
22 Oct 1857 - 24 Oct 1873 Amaluddin II Mahmud Perkasa Alam (b. 1831 - d. 1873)
Syah
24 Oct 1873 - 9 Sep 1924 Mamun al-Rasyid Perkasa Alam Syah (b. 1853 - d. 1924)
1923 - 11 Sep 1924 Amaluddin Perkasa Alam Syah -Regent(b. 1877 - d. 1945)
11 Sep 1924 - 4 Oct 1945 Amaluddin III Perkasa Alam Syah (s.a.)
1933 - 4 Oct 1945 Uthman Perkasa Alam Syah -Regent (b. 1900 - d. 1967)
4 Oct 1945 - 5 Jun 1967 Uthman II Perkasa Alam Syah (s.a.)
5 Jun 1967 - 4 May 1998 Azmi Perkasa Alam Syah (b. 1936 - d. 1998)
4 May 1998 - 21 Jul 2005 Otteman III Mahmud Ma'amun Padrap (b. 1966 - d. 2005)
Perkasa Alam Syah
21 Jul 2005 - Mahmud Aria Lamanjiji Perkasa (b. 1997)
Alam Syah
21 Jul 2005 - Raja Muda, Tengku Haji Hamdi -Regent


Deli Serdang Regency

Deli Serdang is a regency in the Indonesian province of North Sumatra. It is located southeast of Medan, and also borders the chartered city Binjai. The capital of the district is Lubukpakam, which is located approximately 30 km east of Medan. Its estimated population is 1,686,000 people as of 2007.

Boundaries of the district:

* To the north: the Langkat Regency and the Strait of Malacca.
* To the south: the Karo Regency and Simalungun Regency.
* To the east: the Asahan Regency and the Strait of Malacca
* To the west: the Karo Regency and Langkat Regency

Deli Serdang has three plantations owned by London Sumatra (LONSUM).

In June 2004, farmers and indigenous peoples in a number of villages within the district had protested over land ownership of their villages (apparently, the government had leased the land in the villages to LONSUM, but they rejected such leasings and resisted moving. It is said that the authorities had shot farmers and indigenous people attempting to reoccupy the villages.

Johor was also threatened by Aceh , on the northern tip of Sumatra. In 1539, Aru, Johor's vassal state on the east coast of Sumatra, was attacked by a fleet of 160 ships with 12,000 soldiers comprised of Acehnese, Malaccan Malays, Malabaris, Gujeratis, and Turkish soldiers. Alauddin Riayat gathered a fleet with aid from his allies, Perak and Siak, and attacked Aru in 1540. He reconquered Aru, leaving only 14 Acehnese ships afloat and thousands of Acehnese troops dead. The battle was called, Battle of Sungai Paneh, which was the most glorious Malay victory since they were defeated in Malacca. In 1564, the Sultan of Aceh, Alauddin al-Qahar, defeated Aru and expulsed the Johoreans from Aru. The sultan of Aceh, then, launched an attack on Johor Lama from Aru. The fort and town was leveled and Alauddin Riayat was captured and brought back to Aceh. He was later killed and was given the posthumous title, ''Marhum Syahid di Acheh''. He was succeeded by his son, Muzaffar Shah II.

Related articles:

1. http://www.hubert-herald.nl/Sumatera%20Utara.htm#Deli