New Sultan of Malacca?

A surreal Sultan of Malacca had emerged.

He is 48-year-old businessman Raja Noor Jan Shah Raja Tuah, who proclaimed himself the new Sultan of Malacca at a "investiture ceremony" on 14th Nov 2005.

He is willing to take the matter to court to stake his claim to the state’s “throne”.

The new sultan's self-proclaimed ADC, Azri Safian said that Raja Noor Jan Shah Raja Tuah has the regal artefacts, which is evidential proof for his claim to the throne.

“He is serious about being installed as the 44th sultan of Malacca,” Azri told reporters at Raja Noor Jan’s purported ceremonial hall in Gombak here yesterday.

More than 500 guests attended the “investiture” ceremony at a community hall in Taman Melati, where 150 people were also bestowed honorific titles.

Two of the four wives of the property businessman, who has given himself the title Sultan Ahmad Shah, accompanied him at the Istiadat Watikah Gelar Adan Kesultanan Melaka ceremony, which came ahead of the Rulers Conference in Malacca on Nov 21.

Azri said Raja Noor Jan had claimed he was a descendant of the last known Sultan of Malacca, Sultan Mahmud Shah (1488-1511).

He said Raja Noor Jan would hand over his documents for the rulers to discuss at their meeting. Another ceremonial gathering would be held on Nov 19 in Malacca, he added.

“We have the regalia, like two keris, a silver buckle, a royal crown and brooches from ancient Malacca and authenticated by the Museum and Antiquities Department,” he said.

Letters and profiles relating to the claim had been sent to the Rulers Council, the Yang di Pertuan Agong and the Sultan of Perak as well as the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister of Malacca.

"These items are proof to be presented to the Rulers Council,” he said.

The Museum and Antiquities Department had authenticated the sultan’s genealogy, Azri said, adding that this further proved his claim.

Azri said the “sultan” had not pursued his claims until the regal instruments unexpectedly turned up two months ago.

“The sultan received some signs from his ancestors on the whereabouts of the regalia and, with the help of a pawang (traditional soothsayer) the artefacts were dug up from a place in Malacca,” he said.

The Sultanate of Malacca was founded by Parameswara in 1402. Parameswara was a Hindu Srivijayan prince who escaped the Majapahit capture of Palembang. He then settled on Temasek island - now Singapore - where he briefly instituted himself as the regent there after killing a Siam representative, Temagi. However, his rule in Temasek didn't last long as native Malays later chased him out. From the island, he fled to Muar before deciding to make Malacca his new capital in 1402.

In 1414, Parameswara converted to Islam after marrying a princess from Pasai. After his conversion, he assumed the title Sultan Megat Iskandar Shah. His conversion also encouraged his subjects to embrace Islam and this is how Malacca became a sultanate.

Sultan Mahmud Shah (d. 1528) ruled Malacca from 1488 to 1528. He was the son of Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah.

Upon his father's premature death, he was installed at a very young age. The regent at that time was the prime minister (Bendahara in Malay) Tun Perak. During his initial years as a young adult, the sultan was known to be a ruthless monarch. Fortunately, the administration of the sultanate was in the hands of an able and wise Tun Perak. After the death of Tun Perak in 1498, he was succeeded by a new Prime Minister Tun Mutahir. The death of Tun Perak changed Sultan Mahmud into a more responsible ruler.

Sultan Mahmud Shah had several wives. Among the most famous was Tun Teja. The sultan was also fortunate to be surrounded by able men and warriors such as Hang Tuah, Khoja Hassan and Hang Nadim.

It was in 1509, the Portuguese became the first European power to reach Malacca. The Portuguese delegation was led by Admiral Lopez de Sequira. Trouble however ensued after the general feeling of rivalry between Islam and Christianity was invoked by a group of Goa Muslims in the sultan's court after the Portuguese had captured Goa. Soon, the Portuguese fleet was attacked by Malacca and was forced to flee.

In 1511, a larger Portuguese fleet from Cochin, India led by Viceroy Alfonso d'Albuquerque came back to Malacca. The Viceroy made a few demands - one of which was for permission to establish a Portuguese trading post near the city - but all were refused by the Sultan. As a result, conflict was unavoidable. On August 24, Malacca fell after 40 days of fight.

Sultan Mahmud Shah was forced to flee Malacca. The sultan made several attempts to retake the capital but his efforts were fruitless. The Portuguese retaliated and forced the sultan to flee to Pahang. Later, the sultan sailed to Bintan and established a new capital there. With a base established, the sultan rallied the disarrayed Malay forces and organized several attacks and blockades against the Portuguese's position.

Frequent raids on Malacca caused the Portuguese severe hardship and it helped convince the Portuguese to silence the exiled sultan's forces. A number of attempts were made to suppress the Malay but it wasn't until 1526 that the Portuguese finally razed Bintan to the ground. The sultan then retreated to Kampar in Sumatra and died two years later. He left behind two sons named Muzaffar Shah and Alauddin Riayat Shah.

His son Muzaffar was invited by the people in the north of the peninsula to become their ruler, establishing the Sultanate of Perak. Meanwhile Mahmud's other son Alauddin went on to become the successor of his father and made a new capital in the south and established the Sultanate of Johore.

Malacca was later conquered by the Dutch 1641. Melaka was ceded to the British in the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 in exchange for Benkoelen on Sumatra. From 1826 to 1946 Melaka was governed, first by the British East India Company and then as a Crown Colony. It formed part of the Straits Settlements, together with Singapore and Penang. After the dissolution of this crown colony, Melaka and Penang became part of the Malayan Union, which later became Malaysia.

Timeline of Malacca Sultanate

1414 - 1424 : Sultan Megat Iskandar Shah (Parameswara)
1409: Admiral Cheng Ho , Commander of the Chinese Imperial fleet, arrives in Malacca on the first of his seven voyages to the Indian Ocean.
1424 - 1444 : Sultan Muhammad Shah
1444: Sultan Muhammad Shah is succeeded by his youngest son Raja Ibrahim on his death. A year late Raja Ibrahim was murdered and buried with the title Sultan Abu Syahid (Never installed)
1444 - 1459 : Raja Kassim ascended the throne with the title Sultan Muzaffar Shah and declared Islam as the state religion.
1456 - Tun Perak becomes Bendahara , Prime Minister with the title Bendahara Paduka Raja. Served under four Sultans, he is responsible for Malacca's rise to power in maritime Southeast Asia.
1459 - 1477 : Sultan Mansur Shah succeeds Sultan Muzaffar Shah. Tun Perpateh Puteh envoy to China brings the Chinese Princess Hang Li Po as a wife for the Sultan.
1477 - 1488 : Sultan Mansur Shah dies. He is succeeded by his 15 year old son Alauddin Riayat Shah .
1488 - 1511: Sultan Alauddin is poisoned in Pagoh. Sultan Mahmud Shah a cruel and tyrannical ruler succeeds him.Sultan Mahmud Shah I is the last Sultan of Malacca)
1498: Tun Perak died
1500 - Tun Mutahir replaces Tun Perak as Bendahara with the title Bendahara Seri Maharaja. He became the grandest and most powerful of all the Melakan Bendaharas.
1510 - Sultan Mahmud Shah executes Bendahara Tun Mutahir and his entire family for allegedly plotting to assasinate him. Sultan Ahmad Shah succeeded the throne temporary from his father Sultan Mahmud Shah.
August 24, 1511: Portuguese conquered & take over Malacca.
1512 - 1526: Mahmud Shah I ruled from Johor and died in exile in Kampar, Sumatra, 1528
1641: Dutch ruled
1824: British ruled