Klang War
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The Klang War or Selangor Civil War was a series of conflicts that lasted from 1867 to 1874 in the Malay state of
Selangor Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...
in the
Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...
(modern-day
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
). It was initially fought between Raja Abdullah, the administrator of the
Klang Valley Klang Valley () is an urban agglomeration in Malaysia that is centered in the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, and including their adjoining cities and towns in the state of Selangor. It is the urban area of the much larger Ku ...
, and Raja Mahdi. It was joined by Tengku Kudin (Tengku Dhiauddin, also spelt Ziauddin), a Kedahan prince, as well as other Malay and Chinese factions. The war was eventually won by Tengku Kudin and Abdullah's son, Raja Ismail.


Background

In 1854, the
sultan of Selangor Sultan of Selangor (سلطان سلاڠور) is the title of the constitutional ruler of Selangor, Malaysia who is the head of state and head of the Islamic religion in Selangor. The current monarch, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah ascended the t ...
Sultan Muhammad Shah appointed Raja Abdullah bin Raja Ja'afar as governor of the
Klang Valley Klang Valley () is an urban agglomeration in Malaysia that is centered in the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, and including their adjoining cities and towns in the state of Selangor. It is the urban area of the much larger Ku ...
. Raja Abdullah and his brother Raja Juma'at had previously helped Raja Sulaiman settle a debt incurred during a failed mining venture, and was rewarded with the governorship of the Klang Valley. Raja Mahdi, the grandson of Sultan Muhammad Shah, was the son of Raja Sulaiman who previously served as governor of the Klang Valley; Raja Abdullah's appointment to the post therefore also disinherited Raja Mahdi of the position, which resulted in his resentment. Raja Abdullah and Raja Juma'at, who had opened very successful tin mines in
Lukut Lukut is a suburb located to the northeast of Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. It was once part of Selangor, serving as a thriving tin mining town in the early 19th-century before being ceded to Sungai Ujong domain in 1880 to wh ...
(near modern Port Dickson,
Negeri Sembilan Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan''), historically spelled as Negri Sembilan, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia which lies on the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, wes ...
), obtained funding for the
exploration Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...
of new tin mines near
Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
, at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers, in 1857. The new mines were successful, generating considerable revenue, and the struggle for the control of the revenue, as well as for political power, were essentially the reasons for the war. Sultan Muhammad died in 1857, and
Sultan Abdul Samad Sultan Sir Abdul Samad ibni Almarhum Raja Bendahara Raja Abdullah ( Jawi: سلطان عبد الصمد ابن المرحوم راج عبد الله; born Raja Abdul Samad bin Raja Abdullah, 1804 ''–'' 6 February 1898) was the fourth Sultan ...
succeeded him after a power struggle. Sultan Abdul Samad however only had direct control over the state capital, Langat, and did not have absolute control over the rest of Selangor, which was organized into four riverine provinces – the Bernam Valley,
Kuala Selangor Kuala Selangor is a town in northwestern Selangor, Malaysia. It is the largest town and administrative centre of the coterminous Kuala Selangor District. Etymology The name ''Kuala Selangor'' means Estuary of the Selangor River. History ...
, the Klang Valley, and Lukut – which were administered by four autonomous chieftains or governors. When the disgruntled Raja Mahdi initiated the conflict, the Malays were split into two camps in the ensuing war. On Raja Mahdi's side were Raja Mahmud, son of the Panglima Raja of Selangor; Raja Hitam of the Bernam Valley; as well as
Sumatran Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi.2), including adjacent i ...
immigrants led by Mohamed Akib and his younger brother Mohamed Tahir (later conferred the title of 'Dato Dagang'). Raja Abdullah's faction included his son, Raja Ismail who continued the war after Raja Abdullah's death, later joined by the
Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman (دار الأمان; Arabic for 'The Safe Abode') and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of ...
an prince, Tengku Kudin and supported by Sultan Abdul Samad. The Chinese tin miners were also divided between the two camps. Some of the Malays however switched sides in the course of the war, for example Mohamed Tahir, who helped Raja Mahdi take Klang from Raja Abdullah, eventually switched to Tengku Kudin's side. Syed Mashhor, an Arab-Malay fighter whose father was from
Pontianak Pontianak, also known as Khuntien in Teochew and Hakka, is the capital of the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan, founded first as a trading port on the island of Borneo, occupying an area of 118.21 km2 in the delta of the Kapuas R ...
, was born in Langat, Selangor. He initially supported Raja Abdullah's cause but switched to that of Raja Mahdi. Raja Muda Musa of
Kuala Selangor Kuala Selangor is a town in northwestern Selangor, Malaysia. It is the largest town and administrative centre of the coterminous Kuala Selangor District. Etymology The name ''Kuala Selangor'' means Estuary of the Selangor River. History ...
also went over to Raja Mahdi's side. In the later stages of the conflict Tengku Kudin managed to gain the support of British colonial administrators and in 1873 mercenaries from neighbouring
Pahang {{Infobox political division , name = Pahang , official_name = Pahang Darul Makmur , native_name = , settlement_type = States and federal territories of Malaysia, State , image_skyline = , imagesize ...
.


Initial conflict

In 1866, Raja Abdullah authorised two traders from the
Straits Settlements The Straits Settlements () were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under control of the ...
William Henry Macleod Read and Tan Kim Ching – to collect taxes from the opium trade in the Klang Valley, which Raja Mahdi was also involved in. Raja Mahdi objected to the tax collection, on the grounds that he should be exempted as he was Selangorean royalty, and refused to pay. Raja Abdullah saw this as an act of defiance by Raja Mahdi towards him. This incident, exacerbated by Raja Mahdi's continued dissatisfaction with being ignored as the successor to Sultan Muhammad for the Selangorean throne following his death in 1857, in favour of Raja Abdul Samad (later became Sultan Abdul Samad), as well as further conflicts between their followers, worsened the already tense relationship between the two princes, which many believe were the initial causes for the outbreak of the Klang War. At that time there was also a long-standing animosity between the
Bugis The Bugis people, also known as Buginese, are an Austronesian ethnic groupthe most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi (the others being Makassarese and Torajan), in the south-western province of Sula ...
Malays (the royal family of Selangor were of Bugis origin) and the Batu Bara clan who are of
Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
n origin. Raja Abdullah, himself a Bugis, refused to punish a fellow member of the Bugis clan he had sent to guard
Bukit Nanas Bukit Nanas (Weld Hill during colonial rule) is a small hill in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. With a height of 94 meters (308 ft) above sea level, it contains the only virgin tropical rain forest left in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. The Bukit Nanas For ...
in
Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
(the site of the modern
Kuala Lumpur Tower The Kuala Lumpur Tower (; Jawi: ), colloquially referred to as KL Tower, is a 6-storey, telecommunication tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the world's seventh-tallest tower. It features an antenna which increases its height to . The r ...
), who murdered a villager from the Batu Bara clan. Angered by Raja Abdullah's refusal to punish the murderer or paying compensation for the death of one of his men as an alternative, the Batu Bara clan leader, Mohamed Akib, informed Raja Mahdi of the incident and pledged his support for him if he wanted to fight against Raja Abdullah. Raja Mahdi, supported by some Sumatran traders, then laid siege to the fort of Klang town (now known as Raja Mahdi fort). Mohamad Akib was shot and killed in 1867 while attempting an assault at the fort, and his younger brother Mohamed Tahir assumed leadership of the Batu Bara clan. Mohamad Akib's body together with several other slain Sumatran Malays were buried within the grounds of the fort. Raja Abdullah evacuated with his family to the Straits Settlement of
Malacca Malacca (), officially the Historic State of Malacca (), is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia located in the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca ...
, where he later died, while his two sons, Raja Ismail and Raja Hasan, continued fighting. In March 1867, Raja Mahdi captured the fort of Klang, taking the city. One of Abdullah's sons, Raja Ismail, returned with three small ships to lay siege to Klang City, but was unable to retake it.


Chinese ''Kongsi'' Involvement

When the Selangor Civil War broke out,
Kapitan Cina Kapitan Cina, also spelled Kapitan China or Capitan China or Capitan Chino (; ; ; ), was a high-ranking government position in the civil administration of colonial Indonesia, Malaya, Singapore, Borneo and the Philippines. Office holders exercis ...
of Kuala Lumpur
Yap Ah Loy Kapitan China Yap Ah Loy (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Ya̍p Â-lòi'', Jawi: ; 14 March 1837 – 15 April 1885), also known as Yap Tet Loy and Yap Mao Lan, is an important figure of early Kuala Lumpur. He served as the third '' Kapitan China'' of Kuala ...
was faced with internecine fighting among dissident Chinese groups as well as attacks from other Malay factions. The two largest Chinese gangs, the Kuala Lumpur-based Hai San and the
Selayang Selayang is a town in Gombak District, Selangor, Malaysia. Location Selayang is located on the main route to Rawang through Jalan Ipoh, and this route is connected to Jalan Kuching as main Rawang-Kuala Lumpur route. It is also an option ...
-based Ghee Hin, had engaged in fighting to gain control of tin production in the town. The Chinese factions would eventually join opposing sides in the civil war, with the Ghee Hin siding with Raja Mahdi, and the Hai San with Yap Ah Loy siding with Tengku Kudin. At Kanching (near Selayang), the headman Yap Ah Sze, who was an ally of Yap Ah Loy, was murdered, most likely at the instigation of Chong Chong, another Hakka headman.
Yap Ah Loy Kapitan China Yap Ah Loy (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Ya̍p Â-lòi'', Jawi: ; 14 March 1837 – 15 April 1885), also known as Yap Tet Loy and Yap Mao Lan, is an important figure of early Kuala Lumpur. He served as the third '' Kapitan China'' of Kuala ...
, the Chinese Kapitan of Kuala Lumpur, went to Kanching with his men to drive out Chong Chong, and many from the Kanching faction were killed. Chong Chong then took refuge in Rawang and joined Raja Mahdi's faction. Yap Ah Loy initially stayed neutral in the Klang War, choosing to deal with whoever that was in power. After Raja Mahdi took Klang City, he had in fact scheduled a ceremony to formally invest Yap into the office of Kapitan in 1869. However, when Klang City was captured by Tengku Kudin, Yap recognized Tengku Kudin's authority, after meeting him by chance in Langat, earning him the enmity of Raja Mahdi. Chong Chong soon joined Syed Mashhor on two failed offensives on Kuala Lumpur.


Tengku Kudin enters the war

In 1867, Tengku Kudin, a prince from Kedah (then part of
Siam Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
), married into the royal family of Selangor. Sultan Abdul Samad then appointed his son-in-law as Viceroy of Selangor with a mandate to carry out mediation between the warring parties, first on 26 June 1868. Raja Mahdi however rejected the mediation. Offended, Tengku Kudin opted to back Raja Ismail. Simultaneously, cracks emerge between Raja Mahdi and his former ally, Mohamed Tahir, leader of the Batu Bara clan. Raja Mahdi had earlier promised Tahir the governorship in the interior provinces of Selangor, in exchange for Tahir's assistance in his offensive on Klang City. However, he reneged on his offer after his victory in Klang in March 1867. To make things worse, a relative of Raja Mahdi had killed one of the clan leader's followers in a scuffle. Tahir demanded for justice according to the Malay custom of ''adat ganti darah'' ( blood money), but Raja Mahdi ignored his demand. Tahir soon withdrew his support for Raja Mahdi, and offered Tengku Kudin his allegiance, which Tengku Kudin accepted. Tahir also informed Tengku Kudin (and Sultan Abdul Samad) that he was able, through his contacts in
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
, to supply them with weapons and ammunition in their fight against Raja Mahdi. In March 1870, Raja Ismail, assisted by Tengku Kudin, laid siege to Klang City and drove out Raja Mahdi, who retreated north to Kuala Selangor which he had captured from Raja Musa with help from Raja Hitam. Syed Mashhor, then serving under Tengku Kudin, was deployed to Kuala Selangor to assist Raja Musa but defected upon learning that his brother had been killed by a son of Sultan Abdul Samad. Raja Mahdi and his Chinese allies from Selayang who were enemies of Yap, unsuccessfully mounted an offensive on Kuala Lumpur in 1870, with support from Malay troops led by Syed Mashhor. Another offensive the following year also failed. Meanwhile, the conflict disrupted the economy and trade with the British
Straits Settlements The Straits Settlements () were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under control of the ...
, while also raising concerns over security, especially with the occurrence of piracy. The British soon increasingly involved themselves in the affairs of Selangor. In July 1871, a pirate attack on ships was traced to Raja Mahdi's stronghold in Kuala Selangor. The British soon captured Kuala Selangor in an expedition, driving out Mahdi's men out and giving the town to Tengku Kudin. Kudin however refused to surrender the province to Raja Musa who was the governor, which prompted Raja Musa to join Raja Mahdi's side. Sultan Abdul Samad, who had bestowed the governorship of the Langat province upon Tengku Kudin to help him fund his war, also began to be concerned about the rising influence of Tengku Kudin.


End of war

In 1872, Raja Mahdi gained the support of several Malay chiefs, some of them members of the royal family of Selangor. Raja Asal and Sutan Puasa – the leaders of
Mandailing The Mandailing (also known as Mandailing Batak) people are an ethnic group in Sumatra, Indonesia that is commonly associated with the Batak people. They are found mainly in the northern section of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. They came und ...
diaspora in Selangor – also pledged their allegiance to Raja Mahdi. Raja Mahdi successfully captured Kuala Lumpur, with Raja Asal laying siege to
Bukit Nanas Bukit Nanas (Weld Hill during colonial rule) is a small hill in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. With a height of 94 meters (308 ft) above sea level, it contains the only virgin tropical rain forest left in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. The Bukit Nanas For ...
, where Tengku Kudin's forces of 500 soldiers and
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
an
mercenaries A mercenary is a private individual who joins an War, armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rath ...
were stationed. Some of Tengku Kudin's men attempted a breakthrough, but they were captured in
Petaling The Petaling District is a district located in the heart of Selangor in Malaysia. Petaling is not to be confused with the city of Petaling Jaya located in it, nor the ''mukim'' of Petaling under Subang Jaya City. The district office is located i ...
and killed. Yap Ah Loy managed to escape to Klang, but Kuala Lumpur was razed to the ground and Kuala Selangor was recaptured by Raja Mahdi's forces. Yap, however, was determined to regain Kuala Lumpur, and assembled a force of around 1,000 men. Tengku Kudin requested for assistance from the
Sultan Sultan (; ', ) 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 came to be use ...
of neighbouring
Pahang {{Infobox political division , name = Pahang , official_name = Pahang Darul Makmur , native_name = , settlement_type = States and federal territories of Malaysia, State , image_skyline = , imagesize ...
, with the
Bendahara Bendahara ( Jawi: ) was an administrative position within classical Malay kingdoms comparable to a vizier before the intervention of European powers during the 19th century. A bendahara was appointed by a sultan and was a hereditary post w ...
Wan Ahmad of Pahang providing him 1,000 men and other reservists. He also gained the support of the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
colonial administrator Sir Andrew Clarke. In March 1873, Kudin's men, supported by Pahangese fighters, defeated Syed Mashhor in Kuala Lumpur, and Mashhor fled to
Perak Perak (; Perak Malay: ''Peghok'') is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kel ...
. The fighting continued for a few more months, but on 8 November 1873 the Pahangese forces captured Kuala Selangor and the war largely ended. In 1874 Raja Mahdi went into exile in
Johor Johor, also spelled Johore,'' is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. It borders with Pahang, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the north. Johor has maritime borders with Singapore ...
and then Singapore, where he died in 1882.


Aftermath

Despite winning the war, Tengku Kudin was viewed with suspicion by the royal family of Selangor. His Pahangese allies also refused to return to Pahang because they wanted a share of tax revenue as "payment" for their service, and their refusal to withdraw complicated the situation. The commander of the Pahangese expeditionary forces was authorised to collect revenue in the provinces of Kuala Selangor and Klang, while J. G. Davidson and others who assisted Tengku Kudin were given favourable concessions on mining land for ten years in Selangor. While the British through the new governor Andrew Clarke backed Tengku Kudin, the post-war situation made his position untenable. Kudin remained the Viceroy of Selangor until 1878, but he had already returned to Kedah by 1876, and later went on to live in Penang. The war was significant enough that British subjects asked for compensation for their loss of capital invested in Klang. Also, traders from Malacca petitioned the British colonial authorities for their losses incurred during the war.


British Resident

A significant development in this period is the beginning of direct British involvement in the affairs of the Malay states. The British were concerned about the disruption caused by the war to their trade and investments in the region, eventually siding with Tengku Kudin, in part because Raja Mahdi and some of his followers had attacked shipping in the
Strait of Malacca The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, long and from wide, between the Malay Peninsula to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connecting the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the South China Sea (Pa ...
. Colonial Secretary James W. W. Birch voiced his support for Tengku Kudin and lent him a ship to blockade Kuala Selangor, and Governor
Harry Ord Sir Harry St. George Ord (17 June 1819 – 20 August 1885) was a British colonial administrator who served as Governor of Bermuda between 1861 and 1864, Governor of the Straits Settlements between 1867 and 1873, and Governor of Western Austral ...
also encouraged Pahang to back Tengku Kudin with fighters. Previously the British had a policy of non-intervention even if they had at times become engaged in local disputes. This war and in particular the Larut War in Perak led to the official abandonment of this policy in September 1873 by the Earl of Kimberley,
Secretary of State for the Colonies The secretary of state for the colonies or colonial secretary was the Cabinet of the United Kingdom's government minister, minister in charge of managing certain parts of the British Empire. The colonial secretary never had responsibility for t ...
, and set into motion the beginning of British administration in the Malay States. In October 1875, Sultan Abdul Samad sent a letter to Andrew Clarke requesting that Selangor become a British
protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...
. James Guthrie Davidson, a lawyer from
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
, was soon appointed as the first British Resident of Selangor. This came after the signing of the 1874 Pangkor Agreement with the
Sultan of Perak The Sultan of Perak (, Jawi script, Jawi: ) is the Constitutional monarchy, constitutional monarch and head of state of the Malaysia, Malaysian state of Perak. It is one of the oldest hereditary seats among the Malay states. The current Sultan o ...
that marked the beginning of a period of indirect rule of the Malay states by the British Residents serving as advisers to the sultans.


See also

*
British Malaya The term "British Malaya" (; ) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British Empire, British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. Unlike the ...


References


Further reading

* Zainal Abidin bin Abdul Wahid; Khoo Kay Kim; Muhd Yusof bin Ibrahim; Singh, D.S. Ranjit (1994). ''Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Menengah Sejarah Tingkatan 2.''
Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (, Jawi: ), abbreviated DBP, is the government body responsible for coordinating the use of the Malay language and Malay-language literature in Malaysia. History DBP Malaysia was established as Balai Pustaka in Joh ...
. {{ISBN, 978-983-62-1009-8 *
1911 Encyclopædia Britannica Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * January 3 ** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 Mom ...
. ''Malay States.'' * Haji Buyong Adil; ''Sejarah Johor''
Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (, Jawi: ), abbreviated DBP, is the government body responsible for coordinating the use of the Malay language and Malay-language literature in Malaysia. History DBP Malaysia was established as Balai Pustaka in Joh ...
. Conflicts in 1867 Conflicts in 1868 Conflicts in 1869 Conflicts in 1870 Conflicts in 1871 Conflicts in 1872 Conflicts in 1873 Conflicts in 1874 History of Selangor History of Kuala Lumpur Civil wars in Malaysia Wars involving pre-independence Malaysia