Raj of Sarawak

Raj of Sarawak Kerajaan Sarawak
1841–1946
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Latin: Dum Spiro Spero[1][2] (While I breathe, I hope)[2]
Anthem: Gone Forth Beyond the Sea
The Raj in the 1920s
Status	Independent sovereign state (1841–1888) Independent protected state[3] (1888–1946)
Capital	Kuching
Common languages	English, Iban, Melanau, Bidayuh, Sarawak Malay, Chinese etc.
Government	Absolute monarchy[4][5]
White Rajah
• 1841–1868 (First)	James Brooke
• 1868–1917 (Second)	Charles Brooke
• 1917–1946 (Third)	Vyner Brooke
Legislature	Council Negri
Historical era	New Imperialism
• Established	24 September 1841
• Protected state	14 June 1888
• Japanese invasion	16 December 1941
• Allied liberation	10 June 1945
• Ceded as a Crown colony	1 July 1946
Currency	Sarawak dollar
Preceded by Succeeded by Bruneian Empire Sultanate of Sarawak Japanese occupation of British Borneo British Military Administration (Borneo) Crown Colony of Sarawak
Today part of	Malaysia

The Raj of Sarawak, Kingdom of Sarawak or State of Sarawak, was a kingdom founded in 1841 in northwestern Borneo and was in a treaty of protection with the United Kingdom from 1888. It was formed from a series of land concessions acquired by the Englishman James Brooke from the Sultan of Brunei. Sarawak was recognised as a sovereign state by the United States in 1850, and by the United Kingdom in 1864. The territory of the kingdom is now the Malaysian state of Sarawak.

Following recognition, Brooke expanded the Raj's territory at the expense of Brunei. Several major rebellions occurred against his rule, causing him to be plagued by debt incurred in countering the rebellions, and the sluggish economic situation at the time. His nephew, Charles Brooke, succeeded James and normalised the situation by improving the economy, reducing government debt and establishing public infrastructure. In 1888, the Raj acquired protected state status from the British Government whilst avoiding cession.

To promote economic growth, Charles Brooke encouraged the migration of Chinese workers from Qing China and British Singapore for agricultural work. With proper economic planning and stability, Sarawak prospered and emerged as one of the world's major producers of black pepper, in addition to oil and the introduction of rubber plantations. He was succeeded by his son, Charles Vyner Brooke, but World War II and the arrival of Imperial Japanese forces ultimately brought an end to the Raj, with the territory placed under British Military Administration upon the Japanese capitulation in 1945, and annexed by Britain as its last acquisition as a Crown Colony in 1946, contrary to the Atlantic Charter.