| Mahmud Shah | |
|---|---|
| Sultan of Malacca | |
 | |
| Sultan ofMalacca | |
| 1st reign | 1488–1511 |
| Predecessor | Alauddin Riayat Shah |
| Successor | Ahmad Shah |
| Bendahara | Tun Perak (1488–1498) |
| 2nd reign | 1513–1528 |
| Predecessor | Ahmad Shah |
| Successor | Monarchy Abolished (Alauddin Riayat Shah II asSultan of Johor) |
| Died | 1528 (1529) Kampar,Riau |
| Consorts | Princess of Sultan of Pahang Princess Onang Kening Tun Teja Ratna Menggala Tun Kudu Tun Fatimah |
| Issue | Alauddin Riayat Shah II Muzaffar Shah I Ahmad Shah I |
| Father | Alauddin Riayat Shah |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Mahmud Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah (died 1528) was Sultan ofMalacca from 1488 to 1511, and again aspretender to the throne from 1513 to 1528. He was son of SultanAlauddin Riayat Shah.[1]: 246 As a monarch, he was known to be a ruthless ruler. After theCapture of Malacca and the downfall of the century-long sultanate, he left for Bintan and became a leader of a small confederacy which led attacks againstPortuguese-occupied Malacca in the late 1510s. Afterretaliation from the Portuguese in 1526, he fled to Riau and died there in 1528.
He had several consorts, the most notable beingTun Teja. The sultan was surrounded by able men and warriors such asHang Tuah, Khoja Hassan and Hang Nadim. He had three sons; Ahmad Shah,Muzaffar Shah I andAlauddin Riayat Shah II. Muzaffar and Alauddin Riayat would later form the sultanates ofPerak andJohor, respectively.
Sultan Mahmud is associated with the Malay legend ofPuteri Gunung Ledang, which is about his failed courtship of a celestial princess.
Upon his father's premature death, he was installed at a very young age. The regent at that time was the prime minister (bendahara inMalay)Tun Perak. During his initial years as a young adult, the sultan was known to be a ruthless monarch. The administration of the sultanate was in the hands of an able and wiseTun Perak. After the death of Tun Perak in 1498, he was succeeded by the new BendaharaTun Mutahir. The death of Tun Perak changed Sultan Mahmud into a more responsible ruler, although his rule was turbulent in his twilight years.
It was turbulent since his administration was ineffective and weak, and that Tun Mutahir took bribes and anointed ministers on a whim. This also caused factions amongst the ministers, in which led to Sultan Mahmud executing Tun Mutahir and his entire family due to a certain faction's deception. Sultan Mahmud is also said to have killed Tun Mutahir and the Bendahara's family members because Mutahir did allow Mahmud to marry his daughter, Tun Fatimah. She was later married to Tun Ali. Apart from that, the struggle for power between the ministers ultimately disrupted the unity of the population. The defenses of the sultanate too, deteriorated by the early 16th century due to its army largely consisting of mercenaries who were disloyal to the sultan.[2]
During the Portuguese admiralDiogo Lopes de Sequeira's visit to Malacca from 1509 to 1510, the sultan planned to assassinate him. However, Sequeira learned of this plot and fled Malacca after losing a few followers to the sultan's guards. When the famous Portuguese naval officerAfonso de Albuquerque received word, he decided to utilize this to embark upon his expeditions of conquest in Asia.[3] Malacca was then subsequently attacked by thePortuguese in theCapture of Malacca (1511), during which Mahmud Shah fled across the Malay Peninsula toPahang on the east coast, where he made a futile effort to enlist Chinese aid.
Mahmud Shah then moved south and with his capital on the island ofBintan (now part of Indonesia), southeast of Singapore, he continued to receive the tribute and allegiance from surrounding states that had rendered him as ruler of Malacca. He became the leader of a Malay Muslim confederacy and launched several unsuccessful attacks against Portuguese-occupied Malacca between 1515 and 1519. In 1526, the Portuguese responded to the threat of Mahmud Shah's forces bydestroying his capital at Bintan. Mahmud Shah finally fled toKampar, Riau, then died two years later in 1528.
Ahmad Shah succeeded his father, Mahmud when Mahmud mistakenly killed the Bendahara Tun Mutahir and the Bendahara's family afterRaja Mudaliar accused Mutahir of planning a rebellion. Ahmad Shah was deemed incompetent and was killed by Mahmud Shah himself in 1513 after a failed attempt to retake Malacca from the Portuguese. Mahmud Shah then reclaimed the throne, although by then the Malacca Sultanate had been abolished, making him apretender.
His son Raja Ali, the futureAlauddin Riayat Shah II went on to found the Johor Sultanate, which became a major regional sultanate whose power culminated in the 18th and 19th centuries.[4] His other son, Muzaffar was invited by Perak ministersTun Saban andNakhoda Kassim to found the Perak Sultanate.[5]
Mahmud Shah of Malacca House of Malacca Died: 1528 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Sultan of Malacca 1488–1511 | Succeeded by |
| Regnal titles | ||
| Preceded by Position established | Sultan of Johor 1511–1528 | Succeeded by |