Johor
was founded in the early 16th century when the son of the last Sultan
of Melaka, Sultan Mahmud Shah, fled south from Portuguese attack.
The Johor empire flourished but this brought on inter-faction rivalry.
Stamford Raffles (British Lieutenant Governor to Bencoleen in Sumatera)
took advantage of this and acquired Singapore.
This
resulted in the break-up of the empire, with the Sultan taking control
of Riau-Lingga (in the Sumatran province) and the Temenggong (equivalent
to army chief), promoting himself to Sultan of Johor. He was then
succeeded by his son, Sultan Ibrahim. The Johor monarch now is of
this lineage. |
