Monarchies in Malaysia

There are currently eight states in Malaysia that have hereditary monarchies. They are Kedah, Kelantan, Johor, Perlis, Pahang, Perak, Selangor and Terengganu. One state, Negeri Sembilan, has a unique system of an elective monarchy. Additionally, the rulers of these nine states elect among themselves the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the head of state of Malaysia.. Hence Malaysia herself is also an elective monarchy.

All of these states are constitutional monarchies, which means that the rulers do not influence the politics of the state, although this convention has been breached on occasion. The rulers play a constitutional role as head of the religion of Islam in their respective states. Malaysia itself is a constitutional monarchy, with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong performing the ceremonial role of appointing the prime minister, who commands a majority in the Dewan Rakyat, Malaysia's lower house of Parliament. Similarly, the rulers appoint the heads of government in their states, known as Menteri Besar (pl. Menteris Besar), who command majorities in the respective state legislative assemblies.

The four other Malaysian states that do not have monarchs have Yang di-Pertua Negeri (roughly translated as governor) as their heads of state instead. The Yang di-Pertua Negeri are appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and their roles are also largely ceremonial.

Rulers and Yang di-Pertua Negeri convene triannually in the Conference of Rulers (Malay: Majlis Raja-Raja). The Conference exercises powers over matters related to religion, observances and ceremonies in Malaysia. It also elects the Yang di-Pertuan Agong every five years.

Current monarchies

Kedah

Further information: Kedah Kingdom and Kedah Sultanate

According to the Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, the Kingdom of Kedah was founded around 630 CE by Maharaja Derbar Raja, who arrived from Gameroon, Persia. The Sultanate of Kedah was founded when the last Hindu king, Phra Ong Mahawangsa, converted to Islam in 1136. He took the name Sultan Mudzafar Shah. Sultan Mudzafar's descendants continue to rule Kedah today.

The seat of the Sultan of Kedah is Anak Bukit.

Kelantan

Further information: Sultan of Kelantan

After centuries of subordination by Majapahit, Malacca, Siam and Terengganu, Long Muhammad, son of Long Yunus, declared himself Sultan in 1800 and gained recognition as a tributary by the Siamese. Control over Kelantan was transferred to the British under the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909.

The state capital, Kota Bharu, also serves as the royal city. The main palace for ceremonial functions is Istana Balai Besar, while Istana Negeri serves as the current sultan's residence. The previous sultan, who is still living, resides at Istana Mahkota.

Johor

The early Sultans of Johor claimed to be a continuation of the Malacca Sultanate. The first Sultan, Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah II was the son of the last Sultan of Malacca, who reigned from 1528. In the 19th century, with support from the British, the Temenggong family gained recognition as rulers of the state. Its first sultan, Maharaja Abu Bakar is known as the founder of "modern Johor". His descendants rule the state today.

The Sultan of Johor resides in the capital, Johor Bahru.

Negeri Sembilan

Negeri Sembilan's monarchy incorporates a form of federalism, whereby the state is divided into smaller luak(chiefdoms), each with a ruling ''undang (chieftain). Four of the major chieftains elect the Yang di-Pertuan Besar (Yamtuan Besar), who is the Head of State of Negeri Sembilan.

The first Yamtuan Besar was Raja Melewar, who united the nine small states of Negeri Sembilan, each of which were ruled by a local chieftain. He was sent from the Pagaruyung Kingdom at the request of the Minangkabau nobility in the nine small states in the Malay Peninsula in the 18th century. Raja Melewar was succeeded by other princes sent from Pagaruyung, whose sons did not inherit the throne until Raja Raden in 1831, who was the son of Raja Lenggang.

The seat of the Yamtuan Besar is Seri Menanti.

Chieftains / Undang

Further information: Undang

Chieftains are selected among the nobility in each Luak, following matrilineal inheritance, part of the state's adat perpatih customs. The Undang of Sungai Ujong is chosen among the Waris Hulu and Waris Hilir families, and inherits the title Dato' Kelana Petra Seri Jaya. The Undang of Jelebu is elected among the four noble houses, Waris Jelebu, Waris Ulu Jelebu, Waris Sarin and Waris Kemin. Undangs of Johol are a succession of members of a single family in the female line. The son of the eldest sister of the incumbent is usually the heir. The Undang of Rembau alternates between the two major noble houses in the Luak, namely the Waris Jakun (who inherit the title Dato' Lela Maharaja) and the Waris Jawa (Dato' Sedia di-Raja). As with the undangs of Johol, the son of the eldest sister of the incumbent is the heir in the family.

Luak	Title	Undang	Reign since
Sungai Ujong	Dato' Kelana Petra Seri Jaya	Dato' Shah Bandar	1993
Jelebu	Dato' Mendelika Mentri Akhir ul-Zaman	Dato’ Haji Musa Abdul Wahab	1983
Johol	Dato' Johan Pahlawan Lela Perkasa Setiawan	Dato' Muhammad Abdul Ghani	2007
Rembau	Dato' Lela Maharaja or Dato' Sedia di-Raja	Dato' Muhammad Sharif Othman	1999

Tampin

In addition, the district of Tampin has its own hereditary ruler, known as the Tunku Besar. The Tunku Besars of Tampin are descendants of Sharif Sha'aban Syed Ibrahim al-Qadri, the son-in-law of Raja Ali, a member of the state royal family who challenged the reign of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar in the early 19th century.

District	Title	Incumbent	Reign since
Tampin	Tunku Besar	Tunku Syed Razman Tunku Syed Idrus Al-Qadri	2005

Pahang

The modern royal house of Pahang is a branch of the royal family of Johor. They held the title of Bendahara. In 1853, the Bndahara, Tun Muhammad Tahir, broke away from the Johor sultan and declared the state of Pahang independent. He was later deposed by his brother Ahmad, who declared himself Sultan in 1884.

Perlis

For more details on this topic, see House of Jamalullail (Perlis).

Syed Hussein Jamalullail, the son of Syed Abu Bakar Jamalullail, the chief of Arau, and a daughter of Sultan Dziaddin of Kedah, was recognized as Raja of Perlis by the Siamese after helping them suppress a rebelliong by the Raja of Ligor, a microstate in the Pattani region. The Jamalullails are of Arab descent and continue to rule the state of Perlis.

The seat of the Raja of Perlis is Arau.

Succession

The succession order is generally determined roughly by agnatic primogeniture. No female may become ruler, and female line descendants are generally excluded from succession as well. The main exception is Negeri Sembilan. The Yang di-Pertuan Besar of the state is nominally elected by a council of Four Ruling Chieftains (Undang Empat), although succession stays within the state royal family. In 1967, after the death of Tuanku Munawir, his son, Tunku Muhriz was not selected as the next Yang di-Pertuan Besar because of his youth. Instead, the Chieftains elected his uncle, Tuanku Jaafar, to succeed his father. In 2008, upon the death of Tuanku Jaafar, the Chieftains passed over Jaafar's son and elected Tunku Muhriz as the next ruler.

Table of monarchies

State	Monarch	Succession	Incumbent	Born	Age	Reigns since	Designated heir
Malaysia	Yang di-Pertuan Agong	elective monarchy	Sultan Abdul Halim	28 November 1927	84 y.	13 December 2011	None; elected by Conference of Rulers
Johor	Sultan	agnatic primogeniture	Sultan Ibrahim Ismail	22 November 1958	53 y.	23 January 2010	Tunku Ismail Idris, Tunku Mahkota (eldest son)
Kedah	Sultan	agnatic primogeniture	Sultan Abdul Halim	28 November 1927	84 y.	15 July 1958	Tunku Abdul Malik, Raja Muda (brother)
Kelantan	Sultan	agnatic primogeniture	Muhammad V	6 October 1969	42 y.	13 September 2010	Tengku Muhammad Faiz Petra, Tengku Mahkota (brother)
Negeri Sembilan	Yang di-Pertuan Besar	elective monarchy	Tuanku Muhriz	14 January 1948	64 y.	29 December 2008	Tunku Ali Redhauddin, Tunku Besar Sri Menanti (must be elected by Four Ruling Chieftains)
Pahang	Sultan	agnatic primogeniture	Sultan Ahmad Shah	14 October 1930	81 y.	7 May 1974	Tengku Abdullah, Tengku Mahkota (eldest son)
Perak	Sultan	agnatic primogeniture	Sultan Azlan Shah	19 April 1928	83 y.	3 February 1984	Raja Nazrin Shah, Raja Muda (eldest son)
Perlis	Raja	agnatic primogeniture	Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin	17 May 1943	68 y.	17 April 2000	Tuanku Syed Faizuddin, Raja Muda (eldest son)
Selangor	Sultan	agnatic primogeniture	Sultan Sharafuddin	24 December 1945	66 y.	21 November 2001	Tengku Amir Shah, Raja Muda (eldest son)
Terengganu	Sultan	agnatic primogeniture	Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin	22 January 1962	50 y.	15 May 1998	Tengku Muhammad Ismail, Raja Muda (eldest son)

Consorts

The title of the consort of a monarch is not generally fixed and not automatically obtained by courtesy. A consort may only use a title if it is granted to her either by order of the ruler or during a coronation ceremony. The consorts of different states have different titles, some do not even receive one. The title of a consort in a state may also change depending on the ruler. For instance, the wife of Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin of Terengganu was known as the Tengku Ampuan Besar, while the wife of his grandson Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin is known as the Sultanah (formerly Permaisuri).

Titles of consorts usually take the form Cik Puan, Raja Perempuan, Sultanah, Tengku Ampuan, Raja Permaisuri, Tengku Permaisuri, or Permaisuri.

List of consorts

State	Monarch	Consort	Title	Tenure
Malaysia	Yang di-Pertuan Agong	Sultanah Haminah	Raja Permaisuri Agong	13 December 2011 – present
Johor	Sultan	Raja Zarith Sofia	none	22 January 2010 – present
Kedah	Sultan	Sultanah Haminah	Che Puan	1975 – 9 January 2004
			Sultanah	9 January 2004 – present
Kelantan	Sultan	none (present Sultan is divorced)	– Previous consort was known as Raja Perempuan	–
Negeri Sembilan	Yang di-Pertuan Besar	Tuanku Aishah Rohani	Tuanku Ampuan Besar	29 December 2008 – present
Pahang	Sultan	Kalsom	Cik Puan	14 March 1991 – 30 September 1992
			Sultanah	30 September 1992
Perak	Sultan	Tuanku Bainun	Raja Permaisuri	3 February 1984 – present
Perlis	Raja	Tengku Fauziah	Raja Perempuan	14 July 2000 – present
Selangor	Sultan	none (present Sultan is divorced)	– Previous consort was known as Tengku Permaisuri	–
Terengganu	Sultan	Tuanku Nur Zahirah	Permaisuri	19 July 1998 – 5 June 2006
			Sultanah	5 June 2006 – present

Royal Capitals

The royal capitals are the cities and towns where the official residences of the rulers are situated. In some states, the royal capital is different from the administrative capital.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong resides in Kuala Lumpur.

States	Royal capital	Ruler title
Johor	Johor Bahru (Pasir Pelangi)	Sultan
Kedah	Alor Setar (Anak Bukit)	Sultan
Kelantan	Kota Bharu	Sultan
Negeri Sembilan	Seri Menanti	Yamtuan Besar (Yang di-Pertuan Besar)
Pahang	Pekan	Sultan
Perak	Kuala Kangsar	Sultan
Perlis	Arau	Raja
Selangor	Klang	Sultan
Terengganu	Kuala Terengganu	Sultan