- Bendahara
Bendahara is an administrative position within classical Malay kingdoms before the intervention of European powers during the 19th century. A bendahara was appointed by a
sultan and was a hereditary post. It was the office that is held by bendahara family.The closest post which is comparable to the post of the
vizier as the Malay kingdoms are Islamic kingdoms. In modern times, it is typical to render the position asprime minister . Though a bendahara's duties are similar to that of a prime minister's, the two terms are not interchangeable. One clear difference is the amount of power held by the two positions. In ancient times, the bendahara was typically the highest ranking official after the sultan but the sultan retained ultimate authority. The sultan was not answerable to the bendahara, or to anyone else for that matter. The sultan was not a ceremonial ruler like theYang di-Pertuan Agong in contemporaryMalaysia where the Prime Minister holds effective political power.Though it is unclear when the title was first used, the
Sultanate of Malacca had several influential bendaharas. The most famous isTun Perak . Under Tun Perak's service which spanned several sultans, Malacca reached its height in the late 15th century. According to the "Malay Annals " and the "Hikayat Hang Tuah ", the bendahara secretly saved the life ofHang Tuah , alaksamana the sultan had ordered killed.In 1612, Bendahara
Tun Sri Lanang of theSultanate of Johor was commissioned by Sultan Alauddin Riaayat Shah to compile Malay history and record it into a book. The book was later known asSejarah Melayu , an important literary piece inMalay language history. In 1699, Bendahara Abdul Jalil became Sultan Abdul Jalil IV of Johor after the previous sultan, Mahmud Shah II was murdered, leaving no heir behind. After the rule of Sultan Abdul Jalil IV, the Bendahara was awardedPahang as his personal fief. Bendahara Tun Abbas and his descendents ruled Pahang continuously until Tun Mutahir, who was deposed in a civil war in 1863.The current
Terengganu sultanate was founded by Sultan Zainal Abidin I in 1708. He was the son ofTun Habib Abdul Majid , a 17th century "bendahara" of Johor.See also
*
Laksamana
*Penghulu Bendahari
*Syahbandar
*Temenggung
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