Pahang Civil War

Pahang Civil War
Sultan Ahmad al-Muadzam Shah and his personal attendants. Circa 1897.
Date 1857 – 1863 Location Pahang Kingdom Result Tun Ahmad victory and the formation of modern Pahang sultanate Territorial changes Pahang loses south Endau River basin, and southern islands including Aur, Tinggi, and others to Johor.
Belligerents
Tun Ahmad loyalists Terengganu Sultanate Rattanakosin Kingdom	Tun Mutahir loyalists Johor  United Kingdom  Straits Settlements
Commanders and leaders
Tun Ahmad Baginda Omar King Mongkut	Tun Mutahir Temenggong Tun Daeng Ibrahim Abu Bakar William Orfeur Cavenagh

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History of Malaysia
Prehistoric period Paleolithic  Lenggong Valley c. 2,000,0000 BCE  Mansuli Valley 235,000 BCE Mesolithic  Niah cultures 65,000–40,000 BCE Neolithic  Bewah man/woman 16,000 BCE  Perak man/woman 11,000–200 BCE  Neolithic Klang 500 – 200 BCE
Early kingdoms Ancient Kedah <100 BCE Chi Tu 100 BCE–642 CE Langkasuka 100 BCE–1474 CE Gangga Negara c. 100 CE–1025 Pan Pan 424–775 Old Kedah 170–1135 Old Pahang 449–1454 Srivijaya 700s–1025 Majapahit 1300s
Rise of Muslim states Kedah Sultanate 1136–present Samudera Pasai Sultanate 1267–1521 Brunei Sultanate 1368–present Malacca Sultanate 1402–1511 Sulu Sultanate 1450–1899 Pahang Sultanate 1470–1623 Aceh Sultanate 1496–1903 Pattani Sultanate 1516– 1902 Johor Sultanate 1528–present Sarawak Sultanate 1599–1641 Selangor Sultanate 1766–present Besut Kingdom 1780–1899 Setul Kingdom 1808–1916 Reman Kingdom 1810–1902 Kubang Pasu Kingdom 1839–1864
Colonial period Portuguese Malacca 1511–1641 Dutch–Portuguese War 1601–1661 Dutch Malacca 1641–1824 Pahang Kingdom 1770–1881 Straits Settlements 1786–1946 Siamese invasion of Kedah 1821–1826 Anglo-Dutch Treaty 1824 Burney Treaty 1826 Naning War 1831–1832 Kingdom of Sarawak 1841–1946 Separation of Perlis from Kedah 1843 Crown Colony of Labuan 1848–1946 Pahang Civil War 1857–1863 Larut Wars 1861–1874 Klang War 1867–1874 Pangkor Treaty 1874 Perak War 1875–1876 British Malaya / Borneo 1874–1946 Jementah Civil War 1879 North Borneo 1882–1946 Pahang Uprising 1891–1895 Mat Salleh Rebellion 1894–1905 Federated Malay States 1895–1946 Anglo-Siamese Treaty 1909 Unfederated Malay States 1909–1946 Battle of Penang 1914 Kelantan rebellion 1915
World War II Japanese occupation of Malaya / Borneo 1941–1945 Malayan campaign 1941–1942 Bornean Campaign 1941–1942 Battle of Muar 1942 Parit Sulong Massacre 1942 Battle of Singapore 1942 Sook Ching 1942 Syburi 1942 Sandakan Death Marches 1942–1945 Si Rat Malai 1943–1945 Jesselton revolt 1943–1944
Formative period BMA of Malaya/Borneo 1945–1946 Crown Colony of N. Borneo/Sarawak 1946–1963 Anti-cession movement 1946–1963 Malayan Union 1946–1948 Federation of Malaya 1948–1963 Malayan Emergency 1948–1960 Baling Talks 1955
Independence period Malayan Independence 1957 Singapore self-governance 1959 ISA 1960 1960–2012 Sarawak Insurgency 1962–1990 North Borneo self-governance 1963 Konfrontasi 1963–1966 Sarawak self-governance 1963 Formation of Malaysia 1963 Singapore in Malaysia 1963–1965 ASEAN Declaration 1967 Second communist insurgency 1968–1989
Modern period 13 May incident 1969 National Operations Council 1969–1971 Declaration of Rukun Negara 1970 New Economic Policy 1971–1990 Federal Territory of KL 1974 1977 Kelantan Emergency 1977 Pedra Branca dispute 1979–2008 South China Sea dispute (Spratly) 1980–present Federal Territory of Labuan 1984 Memali incident 1985 Operation Lalang 1987 Constitutional crisis 1987–1988 Peace Agreement of Hat Yai 1989 Royal Immunity Amendments 1993 Asian financial crisis 1997–1998 Reformasi Movement 1998–2022 H1N1 flu pandemic 2009–2010 Sedition Dragnet 2014 1MDB scandal 2015–present Pakatan Harapan takeover 2018 COVID-19 pandemic 2020–2022 Political crisis 2020–2022 Bornean Amendment 2021–2023 Green Wave 2022–present
Incidents Brunei revolt 1962–1966 North Borneo dispute (Philippine militant attacks) 1962–present Singapore race riots 1964 Brunei's Limbang claim 1967–2009 Penang Hartal riot 1967 13 May Incident 1969 Ligitan and Sipadan dispute 1969–2002 Kuala Lumpur flash floods 1971 Malaysian haze crisis 1972–present AIA building hostage crisis 1975 National Monument bombing 1975 Campbell Shopping Complex fire 1976 Sabah Air GAF Nomad crash 1976 Japan Airlines Flight 715 incident 1977 MH653 incident 1977 Dawn Raid 1981 1985 Lahad Datu ambush 1985 Memali Incident 1985 Sabah Emergency 1986 Ming Court Affair 1987 Penang terminal bridge collapse 1988 Taufiqiah Al-Khairiah madrasa fire 1989 Bright Sparklers disaster 1991 Highland Towers collapse 1993 Genting landslide 1995 MH2133 incident 1995 Pos Dipang mudflow 1996 Tropical Storm Greg 1996 1998–1999 Malaysia Nipah virus outbreak 1998–1999 2000 Sipadan kidnappings 2000 Al-Ma'unah incident 2000 Sauk Siege 2000 2001 Kampung Medan riots 2001 2002 Taman Hillview landslide 2002 Indian Ocean tsunami 2004 2006–2007 Southeast Asian floods 2006–2007 Bukit Gantang bus crash 2007 Bukit Antarabangsa landslide 2008 2009 swine flu pandemic in Malaysia 2009 Attacks against places of worship 2010 Cameron Highlands bus crash 2010 Hulu Langat landslide 2011 Genting Highlands bus crash 2013 MH370 incident 2014 MH17 incident 2014 2014–15 Malaysia floods 2014–2015 Sabah earthquake 2015 2015 Plaza Low Yat riot 2015 Movida Bar grenade attack 2016 Kim Jong-nam's Assassination 2017 Darul Quran madrasa fire 2017 2018 Subang Temple riot 2018 2020-21 Malaysia floods 2021 LRT train collision 2021 2021-22 Malaysia floods 2021–2022 2022 Batang Kali landslide 2022 2023 Elmina plane crash 2023 2024 Lumut helicopters crash 2024 2024 Ulu Tiram police station attack 2024
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The Pahang Civil War (Malay: Perang Saudara Pahang, Jawi: ڤرڠ ساودارا ڤهڠ), also known as the Brothers War or the Bendahara War was a civil war fought from 1857 to 1863, between forces loyal to the reigning Raja Bendahara Tun Mutahir, and forces loyal to his brother Tun Ahmad, over the succession to the throne of Pahang.^[1][2]

When the Johor Empire waned in the early nineteenth century, the Bendahara in Pahang, Tun Ali, asserted his autonomy in Pahang, just as the Temenggong had in the state of Johor.^[3] Peace and prosperity reigned in Pahang under his rule which lasted until 1857. After his death that year, his eldest son, Tun Mutahir, succeeded him as Bendahara, but did not execute his father's wish of granting tax revenues of Kuantan and Endau provinces to his younger brother, Wan Ahmad. Wan Ahmad resented and, along with his supporters, moved to Tekong Island just outside Singapore, planning his attack.^[4][5][6]

Tun Mutahir received the backing of Johor ruler Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim, and his son Abu Bakar, who, because of their close ties with Singapore's business community, convinced many of them that British commercial interests lay with Tun Mutahir. On the other hand, Wan Ahmad enlisted the support of Sultan Ali, based in Muar, a rival claimant to the Johor throne, who saw an opportunity for revenge against the Johor Temenggong. The Siamese Rattanakosin Kingdom also weighed in on the side of Wan Ahmad, viewing the disorder as an opportunity to exercise greater control over their southern provinces and extend their influence farther south into Pahang. Sultan Baginda Omar of Terengganu also supported Wan Ahmad, seeing him as a tool to counter the rise of the Temenggong.^[7][8] The province of Kemaman in southern Terengganu was the primary base for many of Wan Ahmad's offensives into Pahang.^[9]

Hostilities began in November 1857, when Wan Ahmad forces attacked Pekan town and nearby Ganchong, but failed to make significant permanent gains.^[10] In the second campaign, carried out in March 1861, the invading forces managed to fortify their position in Endau in southern Pahang, after overrunning Kuala Pahang and Kuantan. They also made significant incursion further inland, occupying more provinces further upstream on the Pahang River. However, in November, their advances were again halted by the Johor/Bendahara coalition. Wan Ahmad and his men retreated to Terengganu, rallying his disarrayed forces for another invasion.^[11]

At the early stage of the war, Major General William Orfeur Cavenagh, the Governor of the British Straits Settlements, offered to mediate but was rejected by both sides. Wan Ahmad felt that Cavenagh was biased in favor of his older brother due to the influence of the Temenggung and Singapore merchants. Tun Mutahir rejected the mediation because he was winning the war.^[12]

In 1862, Wan Ahmad launched a full-scale offensive from Terengganu, when he crossed the border from Kemaman to Ulu Tembeling (Jerantut). With the support of more Pahang chiefs who switched sides, he successfully overran the Bendahara's positions at Temerloh, Batu Gajah and Chenor. Wan Ahmad emerged victorious, with a successful final offensive against the state capital Pekan. Tun Mutahir retreated to Temai and in May 1863, he fled to Kuala Sedili in Johor, where he died with his son Wan Koris.^[13]

The six year-long conflict had destroyed much of the modicum of prosperity which Pahang had enjoyed in the heyday of Bendahara Tun Ali's rule. As noted by Sir Hugh Clifford, prior to the war, Pahang was far more populated than in modern times, but warfare which ravaged the land caused thousands of Pahang Malays to leave their country. The valley of the Lebir river in southern Kelantan, and the mountainous regions in western Pahang, near the Perak and Selangor borders, became inhabited by many Pahang Malays.^[14] As a result of the conflict, Pahang also permanently lost the area south of Endau River (corresponding to modern day Mersing province) and several islands off the coast of Endau including Aur and Tinggi, that were ceded by Tun Mutahir to Johor in return to military assistance.^[15]