| Rajah ofSarawak | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
_by_Francis_Grant.jpg) His Highness Sir James Brooke, 1st White Rajah of Sarawak | |
| Details | |
| Style | His Highness |
| First monarch | James Brooke |
| Last monarch | Charles Vyner Brooke |
| House | Brooke |
| Formation | 1841; 184 years ago (1841) |
| Abolition | 1946; 79 years ago (1946) |
| Residence | The Astana,Kuching |
| Appointer | Hereditary |
| Pretenders | John Brooke Johnson Brooke,Anthony Walter Dayrell Brooke |
TheWhite Rajahs of Sarawak were ahereditary monarchy of theBrooke family, who founded and ruled theRaj of Sarawak as asovereign state, located on the northwest coast of the island ofBorneo inMaritime Southeast Asia, from 1841 to 1946. OfBritish origin, the first ruler,James Brooke was granted the province ofKuching – which was known as Sarawak Asal (Original Sarawak) – by the Sultanate of Brunei for helping fight piracy and insurgency among theindigenous peoples in 1841 and received independent kingdom status.
Based ondescent through the male line in accordance with the will of James Brooke, the White Rajahs' dynasty continued through Brooke'snephew andgrandnephew, the latter of whom ceded his rights over Sarawak to theUnited Kingdom in 1946, which was made aCrown colony. His nephew had been the legal heir to the throne and objected to the cession, as did most of the Sarawak members of theCouncil Negri.
Sarawak was part of the realm ofBrunei until 1841 when James Brooke was granted a sizeable area of land in the southwest area of Brunei – around the town ofSarawak (now Kuching) and the nearby mining region ofBau – from Bruneian SultanOmar Ali Saifuddin II. He was later confirmed with the title ofRajah of the territory. The Raj of Sarawak developed and expanded during the rule of the first two White Rajahs, growing to occupy much of the north region of the island of Borneo. The Brooke administrations leased or annexed more land from Brunei.
| Name | Portrait | Birth | Death | Marriages | Succession right |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James of Sarawak (James Brooke) (1841–1868) |  | 29 April 1803, India | 11 June 1868, England | Unmarried, but acknowledged an illegitimate son | Granted Sarawak and the title Rajah by thesultan of Brunei |
| Charles of Sarawak (Charles Johnson/Brooke) (1868–1917) |  | 3 June 1829, England | 17 May 1917, England | Dayang Mastiah, one son, Esca Margaret Alice Lili de Windt, with whom he had six children; three survived infancy More illegitimate children have been suspected but not acknowledged | His uncle James named Charles as his successor in 1865 |
| Vyner of Sarawak (Charles Vyner Brooke) (1917–1946) |  | 26 September 1874, England | 9 May 1963, England | Sylvia Brett, with whom he had three daughters | Son of the preceding, inherited the title |
James and Charles had shortgrammar school educations, Vyner went to public schools andCambridge University (but without taking degrees). All of them died in England and are buried atSheepstor parish church, Devon. Anthony Brooke had his ashes interred at Sheepstor as well as at the Brooke family graveyard in Kuching, as per his last wish.
Vyner Brooke instituted significant political reforms during his tenure. He ended theabsolute rule of the rajah in 1941, before theJapanese invasion duringWorld War II, by granting new powers to the Council Negri (the parliament). Bertram co-ruled with his elder brother, taking turns of 6–8 months in charge of the country each year. By 1939 Vyner Brooke's nephewAnthony Brooke had taken the reins of government,[citation needed] and it was with a considerable controversy that Vyner attempted to secretly cede Sarawak to Britain in 1946 in what gave rise to theanti-cession movement of Sarawak.Sarawak today is a state ofMalaysia after theMalaysia Agreement of 1963.
In accordance with the will of the first rajah, James Brooke, the line of succession to the "sovereignty of Sarawak and all the rights and privileges whatsoever thereto belonging" was to the heirs male lawfully begotten of the Rajah's nephew Charles Anthony Johnson Brooke. Charles inherited under the will in 1868, and confirmed the succession in his own will of 1913. On his accession in 1918, his son Vyner (later Sir Charles Vyner Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak) swore to uphold the will "as forming the constitution of the state". This unique testamentary trust became known as the Sarawak Sovereignty Trust.
When James Brooke first arrived in Sarawak, it was governed as avassal state of theSultanate of Brunei; the system of government was based on the Bruneian model. Brooke reorganised the government according to the British model, eventually creating acivil service. It recruitedEuropean (chiefly British) officers to run district outstations. The Sarawak Service was continually reformed by Rajah James and his successors.
Rajah James retained many of the customs and symbols of Malay monarchy, and combined them with his own style of absolute rule. The Rajah had the power to introduce laws and acted as chief judge in Kuching.
The White Rajahs were determined to prevent the indigenous peoples of Sarawak from being exploited by Western business interests. They allowedBorneo Company Limited (the Borneo Company) to assist in managing the economy. The core of the early Sarawak economy wasantimony, later followed by gold, which was mined inBau by a Chinese company which imported numerous workers from China and Singapore.[1] After the local Chinese uprising in 1857,[2] the mining operations were gradually taken over by the Borneo Company; it bought out the last Chinese company in 1884.[1] The Borneo Company provided military support to the White Rajahs during crises such as the Chinese uprising. One of the company steamships, theSir James Brooke, helped recapture Kuching.
Rajah Charles formed a smallparamilitary force, theSarawak Rangers, to police and defend the expanding state. This small army also manned a series of forts around the country, acted as the rajahs' personal guard, and performed ceremonial duties.
AfterWorld War II, during which Sarawak and the rest of Borneo had beenoccupied by Japanese forces, the third rajah, Vyner Brooke, ceded Sarawak to theColonial Office. Unclear as to the legality of cession, the British government simultaneously passed a Bill of Annexation. Rajah Vyner's nephew and legal heir,Anthony Brooke, initially opposed annexation by the Crown, as did a majority of the native members of theCouncil Negri.
Because of his opposition to the cession, Anthony Brooke was considered a suspect whenDuncan Stewart, the second British governor to Sarawak, was assassinated by two people that were believed to be members of a group dedicated to restoring him as rajah.[3] In reality, they were from a political group agitating for union with newly independentIndonesia.[3] He was never prosecuted. Documents released in the late 20th century indicate that the British government knew that Brooke was not involved, but chose not to reveal the truth of the matter so as not to provoke Indonesia. It had recently won itswar of independence from theNetherlands, and the UK was already dealing with theMalayan Emergency to the north-west.[3][4] Since those events, there has been no serious movement for the restoration of the monarchy, although under the will of Sir James Brooke any member of the Brooke family is eligible to be appointed heir.
TheBrooke family still maintains strong ties to the state and its people and are represented by the Brooke Trust, and by Anthony Brooke's grandsonJason Brooke, at many state functions and supporting heritage projects.
Thecoaling station ofBrooketon inBrunei was named after the Brooke family.
The architectural legacy of the dynasty can be seen in many of the country's 19th-century and colonial heritage buildings. InKuching these include theAstana, or governor's residence; theSarawak Museum; theOld Courthouse;Fort Margherita; the Square Fort; and Brooke Memorial. The Brooke Dockyard, which was founded in the period of Rajah Charles, is still in operation, as is the originalSarawak Museum. Several key buildings from the Brooke period, such as the offices and warehouses of Borneo Company, have been demolished for more recent developments.
Modern Kuching has many businesses and attractions that refer to the era of the White Rajahs:
Sarawak has a diverse population with a large proportion of indigenous tribal peoples, such as the Dayaks (Kayan, Kelabit, Kenyah, Melanau (Kayan Lalo), Kenowit, Sebop Bukitan, Kedayan, Tanjong, Sipeng, Kajang, Sekapan, Kejaman, Lahanan, Punan, Lugat, Lisum, Penan, Sian, Tagal (Murut), Tring, Adang, Livong, Miriek, Tabun, Ukit, Bakong, Kiput, Berawan, Narum, Dali, Penan & other Dayaks), Malay, Bidayuh (Land Dayaks) and Iban (Sea Dayaks). In addition, it received numerousChinese andIndian immigrants, whose businesses and labour were encouraged at various times by the White Rajahs.
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The heraldic arms of the Brooke dynasty were based on the emblem used by James Brooke prior to 9 November 1848. It consisted of a red and black cross per pale on a yellow shield, crested by abadger, known inheraldic parlance as a "brock" and hencealluding to the dynastic surname. The shield design was used as the basis of the Sarawak flag hoisted 21 September 1848.[5][6] A crown was added to the flag around 1870 whenCharles Brooke wanted to differentiate the government flag from the merchant flag (without crown).[7]
On 9 November 1848Sir James Brooke, KCB was granted a coat of arms (Or a Cross engrailed per cross indented, Azure and Sable in the first quarter an Estoile of the second. Crest: On an Eastern Crown Or a Brock Proper ducally gorged also Or). The arms were for him and his descendants and the descendants of his late father Thomas Brooke.[8]
| Thomas Brooke | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Francis Johnson | Emma Brooke | James Brooke 1st White Rajah | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| John Brooke Johnson Brooke Rajah Muda | Charles Anthoni Johnson Brooke 2nd White Rajah | George Brooke | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Esca Brooke-Daykin | Charles Vyner Brooke 3rd White Rajah | Bertram Brooke Tuan Muda | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Anthony Brooke Rajah Muda | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| James Lionel Brooke | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Laurence Brooke | Jason Brooke | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Children of Ruler and Heir apparent: