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 his sovereign as a ruler in frontier regions, acting either as a

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

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 Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

with additional development & military responsibility (comparable to European

Marquess A marquess (; ) 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 with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or wid ...

). However, a Temenggong could usurp power for themselves, as in the case 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 ...

Johor

In the

Sultanate of Johor The Johor Sultanate ( or ; also called the Sultanate of Johor, Johor-Pahang-Riau-Lingga, or the Johor Empire) was founded by Sultan of Malacca Mahmud Shah of Malacca, Mahmud Shah's son, Alauddin Riayat Shah II of Johor, Alauddin Riayat Shah ...

, the Temenggong of Muar held a fief centered in

Segamat The Segamat District () or simply Segamat is a List of districts in Malaysia, district in the Malaysian states of Malaysia, state of Johor. Segamat (town), Segamat is also the name of the district's primary town. Segamat district is one of the t ...

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 suzerain ...

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

maharaja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...

, assumed control over Muar and declared himself an independent ruler. An

Anglophile An Anglophile is a person who admires or loves England, its people, its culture, its language, and/or its various accents. In some cases, Anglophilia refers to an individual's appreciation of English history and traditional English cultural ico ...

, in 1885, he assumed the title of

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 ...

. This was made with the blessing of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, which had hegemonised Malaya, including Johor, as protectorates.

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 people, Javanese kingdom on the island of Java (island), Java before it was Dutch Empire, colonised by the Dutch. It was the dominant political force radiating from the inte ...

, temenggongs were directly appointed by sultan and acted as regional leaders 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 temenggongs 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 unitary authority of Westmorland and Furness, England. It lies within the River Kent's dale, from which its name is derived, just outside the boundary of t ...

. He was executed by Sultan Agung due to his failure while leading the Mataram army during the unsuccessful

Siege of Batavia The siege of Batavia was a military campaign led by Sultan Agung of Mataram to capture the Dutch port-settlement of Batavia in western Java. The first attempt was launched in 1628, and the second in 1629; both were unsuccessful. Prelude In ...

in 1628.

References

{{reflist Malay culture Military history of Southeast Asia

Responsibilities

Johor

Majapahit

Mataram Sultanate

See also

References