Temenggong or Tumenggung ( Jawi: تمڠݢوڠ; ''Temenggung'', Hanacaraka: ꦠꦸꦩꦼꦁꦒꦸꦁ; ''Tumenggung'') is an old Malay and Javanese title of nobility, usually given to the chief of public security.

Responsibilities

The Temenggong is usually responsible for the safety of the monarch (raja or sultan), as well as overseeing the state police and army. A temenggong may also be assigned by its sovereign as a ruler in frontier regions, acting as either a

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

or a

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...

with additional development & military responsibility (comparable to European

Marquess A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman ...

Johor

In the

Sultanate of Johor The Johor Sultanate ( ms, Kesultanan Johor or ; also called the Sultanate of Johor, Johor-Pahang, or the Johor Empire) was founded by Malaccan Sultan Mahmud Shah's son, Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah II in 1528. Johor was part of the Malaccan ...

, the Temenggong of Muar held a fief centered in

Segamat Segamat ( Jawi: سڬامت Chinese: 昔加末) is a town located in the Segamat District, Johor, Malaysia. It is 95 km travel distance via North–South Expressway from Johor Bahru to Yong Peng, and another 77 km from Federal Route 1. Strat ...

for approximately two centuries and the Temenggong of Johor was the head of the fief (Johor mainland) between 1760 and 1868. The full rendition of the Johor Temenggong was ''Temenggung Seri Maharaja''. Although the Temenggong was the head of the fief's administration, the Temenggong held the Johor Sultanate by virtue of his being a

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerai ...

of the Sultan. In 1868, Temenggong Abu Bakar declared himself as a

maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...

, assumed control over Muar and declared himself an independent ruler. In 1885, he assumed the title of

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it c ...

with the blessing of Britain.

Majapahit

Negarakretagama cantos 10 describe that the mayor visited the Kepatihan Amangkubhumi (Prime Minister building) led by Gajah Mada in order to report the administrative activities in the area. Majapahit government administration had five authoritative leaders called Sang Panca Ri is capability they were * Patih Amangkubhumi (Prime Minister) / the Prime Minister who supervised Rakryan Tumenggung (commander), Rakryan Rangga (commander assistant), Rakryan Kanuruhan (communicator) and Rakryan Demung (regulator the royal household). He ruled as the regulator of the government implementation in all regions of Majapahit, and therefore Sang Panca Ri Wilwatikta was visited by the State authorities and local subordinates for government affairs. * From the Prime Minister, commands down to wedana (the district officer), the district head. * From wedana down to akuwu, the head of a group of village. * From akuwu down to buyut, village elders. * From buyut down to the villagers

Mataram Sultanate

During the era of

Mataram Sultanate The Sultanate of Mataram () was the last major independent Javanese kingdom on the island of Java before it was colonised by the Dutch. It was the dominant political force radiating from the interior of Central Java from the late 16th cent ...

, temenggongs were directly appointed by sultan and act as a regional leader in regions not directly administrated by the court (mostly in coastal regions). They were responsible for raising and commanding their own regional army, which could be assigned in a military expedition supervised by the sultan himself. One of the most renowned temenggong in Mataram was Bahureksa, the regent of

Kendal Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, south-east of Windermere and north of Lancaster. Historically in Westmorland, it lies within the dale of t ...

. He was executed by

Sultan Agung Sultan Anyakrakusuma is known as Sultan Agung ( jv, ꦱꦸꦭ꧀ꦠꦤ꧀ꦲꦒꦸꦁꦲꦢꦶꦥꦿꦧꦸꦲꦚꦏꦿꦏꦸꦱꦸꦩ, Sultan Agung Adi Prabu Anyakrakusuma) was the third Sultan of Mataram in Central Java ruling from 1613 to 1645 ...

due to his failure while leading the Mataram army during the unsuccessful Siege of Batavia in 1628.

References

{{reflist Malay culture

Responsibilities

Johor

Majapahit

Mataram Sultanate

See also

References