The Sultanate of Deli (Indonesian: Kesultanan Deli Darul Maimoon; Jawi: ) was a state in east Sumatra. It was founded in 1632 when a commander of the Aceh Sultanate, Gocah Pahlawan, conquered the area during the reign of Iskandar Muda. A tributary kingdom from 1630, it was controlled by various sultanates until 1814, when it became independent and broke away from the Sultanate of Siak. Dutch intervention in the mid-19th century resulted in a 1862 contract with the Dutch East Indies, which helped to recognise Deli's formal independence from Aceh and Siak. After Indonesian independence, the sultanate ceased to hold formal political authority. However, the sultanate remains a lasting symbol of the history of Medan.
History
The history of the Sultanate of Deli and also the Sultanate of Serdang are closely related to the heyday of the Sultanate of Aceh during the administration of Sultan Iskandar Muda (1607–1636). Aceh started its expansion in 1612 by invading the cities along the East Coast of Sumatra.Denys Lombard, 2007:134 Deli harbour was conquered in six weeks, while the Kingdom of Aru surrendered in early 1613. The Kingdom of Aru, located in East Sumatra, was called the Kingdom of Haru, in some works such as those of Tuanku Luckman Sinar Basarshah II who frequently wrote about the history of the kingdoms of East Sumatra.
Aceh's conquest was led by Muhammad Dalik who assumed a title as Sri Paduka Tuanku Gocah Pahlawan. This Acehnese commander was a descendant of Amir Muhammad Badar ud-din Khan, a nobleman from India who married Princess Chandra Dewi, daughter of the Sultan of Samudera Pasai. Gocah Pahlawan nicknamed Laksamana Kuda Bintan (Admiral Horse of Bintan) was also believed to have led Acehnese troops against the Portuguese in 1629 and to have then conquered Pahang (1617), Kedah (1620), and Nias (1624), as well as some other areas.(Tengku Luckman Sinar, 2007:4)
Gocah Pahlawan, founder of the Sultanate of Deli Sultan Iskandar Muda granted Aru territory to Gocah Pahlawan. In 1632, Gocah Pahlawan was appointed the vice of Sultan Iskandar Muda to rule the former territory of Aru.Tuanku Luckman Sinar Basarshah II, 2003:2 Acehnese interests in the occupation of the former Kingdom of Aru territory were. To destroy the remaining resistance of the Kingdom of Aru which was aided by Portuguese; Spread the teachings of Islam into interior areas, and Establish rule that was part of the Aceh Darussalam.Basarshah II, nd: 49
Shortly after being appointed ruler of Aru territory representing the Sultan of Aceh, Gocah Pahlawan was appointed by the four kings of the Batak Karo urung (country) as a Datuk Tunggal or Ulon Janji, which was a position with an authority equivalent to the position of prime minister or grand vizier.Basarshah II, nd: 50 In the coronation, an oath to obey was pronounced by the Orang-orang Besar (nobility) and people for Gocah Pahlawan. At the same time, Lembaga Datuk Berempat was also established that served as an advisory council for the government of Gocah Pahlawan. The four Batak Karo kings became members of this institution.
The four kings of Batak Karo were the leaders of the four kingdoms in the Batak Karo region that had accepted the teaching of Islam and conquered by the Sultanate of Aceh in the conquest led by Gocah Pahlawan. One of the four Batak Karo kings is King Undo Sunggal who is also father-in-law of Gocah Pahlawan. In 1632, Gocah Pahlawan married King Undo Sunggal's daughter, named Princess Nang Baluan Beru Surbakti.
Gocah Pahlawan died in 1641, and the control over Deli was bequeathed to his son, Tuanku Panglima Perunggit titled Panglima Deli. Meanwhile, Sultan Iskandar Muda had died in 1636 AD in Aceh. The leadership of Sultanate of Aceh was passed to Sultan Iskandar Muda son-in-law, Sultan Iskandar Thani, who was on the throne until 1641.Djoened Marwati Poesponegoro & Nugroho Notosusanto, 1982:70
Aceh was weakened after Sultan Iskandar Thani died, his successor, who was also his wife (and the daughter of Sultan Iskandar Muda) Sultanah Safi al-Din Taj al-Alam. The unstable Aceh was an opportunity for Tuanku Panglima Perunggit. In 1669, Tuanku Panglima Perunggit proclaimed independence from the Sultanate of Aceh and established a connection with the Dutch in Malacca (Basarshah II, nd: 50). Thus, officially the Sultanate of Deli established a sovereign government with the capital in Labuhan, located approximately 20 kilometres from Medan, the capital of North Sumatra province today.
The name of Deli had actually been listed in the archives of the VOC (Dutch East India Company) in Malacca, in the record of April 1641. This was the year when the Dutch seized Malacca from the Portuguese. In that record, it was stated that according to the report of the admiral of Johor, Aceh army had gathered in Kuala Deli. At that time, the Sultanate of Aceh was involved in a conflict with the Sultanate of Johor which previously assisted the Portuguese and then the Dutch.Basarshah II, nd: 51
Another Dutch archive that mentions Deli is a record dated 9 September 1641 containing a letter from Sultanah Safi al-Din Taj al-Alam to the Governor-General Antonio van Diemen (1636–1645) in Batavia. In her letter, the Sultanah stated that the Dutch could trade up to Deli and Besitang. According to the VOC record in October 1644, a ruler titled Tuanku Panglima Deli had sent letters and gifts to the Dutch in Malacca, but the group's envoy had been robbed in Deli near Penaji River, the area of Malacca.Basarshah II, nd: 51
Fragmentation of the royal family
The reigning sultan after Gocah Pahlawan, Tuanku Panglima Perunggit (or Panglima Deli) died in 1700. His successor was Tuanku Panglima Paderap who ruled until 1720. The sultanate was shaken by internal fragmentation shortly after Tuanku Panglima Paderap died. The deceased's children made a fuss about who should be entitled to occupy the position as the next sultan of Deli.
Despite his status as the oldest child, Tuanku Jalaludin Gelar Kejuruan Metar was excluded from the candidates for the throne of the Sultanate of Deli because his eyes were impaired. This situation made Tuanku Panglima Pasutan, second son of the late Tuanku Panglima Paderap, willing to take over the throne despite the fact that the right to assume the next leadership was to Tuanku Umar Johan Alamsyah Gelar Kejeruan Junjongan (fourth son) because he was born from the queen. There was a civil war between the two sons. Meanwhile, Tuanku Tawar (Arifin) Gelar Kejuruan Santun chose to avoid the war between the two brothers and opened a country in Denai which later expanded to Serbajadi.
In the civil war that culminated in 1732, Tuanku Panglima Pasutan beat Tuanku Umar Johan Alamsyah Gelar Kejeruan Junjongan out of the palace. Tuanku Umar Johan Alamsyah Gelar Kejeruan Junjongan was forced with his mother, Tuanku Panglima Sampali (the queen of Tuanku Panglima Paderap), to take refuge until they arrived at a place later called Kampung Besar (Serdang). Therefore, Tuanku Panglima Pasutan freely declared himself as the new Sultan of Deli.
Meanwhile, Tuanku Umar Johan Alamsyah Gelar Kejeruan Junjongan did not relax and got ready to establish the Sultanate of Serdang. This later sultanate came into existence because of the strong supports to Tuanku Umar Johan Alamsyah, especially from two Batak Karo kings, Raja Urung Sunggal and Raja Urung Senembah. In addition, Raja Urung Batak Timur that ruled the upper part of Serdang region in Tanjong Morawa and a high rank man from Aceh named Kejeruan Lumu helped support the establishment of Serdang. Finally, in 1723 Tuanku Umar Johan Alamsyah Gelar Kejeruan Junjongan was crowned as the first sultan as well as the founder of the Sultanate of Serdang (Basarshah II, nd: 55). The third son of the late Tuanku Panglima Paderap, Tuanku Tawar (Arifin) Kejeruan Santun, who had founded the country in Denai, then combined his territory with Serdang.
The unstable Internal conditions in Deli made the region a target of conquest for a number of neighbouring states that were competing for influences, such as the Sultanate of Siak Sri Indrapura, the Sultanate of Johor, and the Sultanate of Aceh, the latter of which still had plans to reconquer Deli.Dada Meuraxa, 1956:24
The Deli region was considered very profitable, especially because of its natural resources. Known for its perfume, sandalwood, and camphor, the Dutch bought rice, textiles, candles, and horses from Deli.Tengku Luckman Sinar in Rogayah A. Hamid, et al., 2006:435 Due to their economic interests, the Dutch felt the need to maintain good relations with the authorities in Deli.
Tuanku Panglima Pasutan, the fourth Sultan of Deli died in 1761. The government of the Deli was continued by Kanduhid who assumed the title as Panglima Gandar Wahid, but he died in 1805 and was succeeded by Tuanku Amaluddin. Since Deli was still under the influence of the Siak at the time, the coronation of Tuanku Amaluddin as the Sultan of Deli was based on a certificate dated 8 August 1814 issued by the sultan of Siak.Basarshah II, nd: 52 After officially becoming the Sultan of Deli, Tuanku Panglima Amaludin obtained an honorary title as Sultan Panglima Mangedar Alam.
Meuraxa in Sekitar Suku Melaju, Batak, Atjeh, dan Keradjaan Deli (1956) writes that in 1669 the territory of the Deli was captured by the Sultanate of Siak Sri Inderapura from the Sultanate of Aceh Darussalam. However, when the Sultanate of Siak Sri Inderapura was subjected to the Sultanate of Johor, the Deli Sultanate territory was under the control of Johor.
In 1854, Aceh ruled again over the Sultanate of Deli, led by a commander named Teuku Husin. Sultan Osman Perkasa Alam Shah (1850–1858), the Sultan of Deli at the time, was taken to the Palace of Aceh Darussalam. But then Deli was acknowledged again as auspices of the Sultanate of Aceh Darussalam, who was then ruled by Sultan Sulaiman Shah (1838–1857).
Under the Sultanate of Aceh, Deli's territory was defined between the borders of Rokan to the south to the border of Tamiang.Meuraxa, 1956:25
Existence of the Sultanate of Deli
The civil war between the Sultanate of Deli and Serdang ended in the early 20th century after pressure from the Dutch (Rays, 2007:24). The relationship between the Deli and the Dutch went pretty consistent as they needed each other: the Dutch brought different types of natural resources from Deli, while Deli needs security guarantees.
Harmony between Deli and the Dutch East Indies colonial government increasingly stronger during the period when Deli was under the influence of the Sultanate of Siak Sri Inderapura. Throughout August 1862, Elisa Netscher who served as the Resident of Riau, accompanied by the Assistant Resident of Siak and some rulers of the Sultanate of Siak, travelled to countries in East Sumatra. This trip was made at the request of the Sultanate of Siak as several kingdoms in East Sumatra were reluctant to acknowledge Siak's power over those countries, including Deli. The countries in East Sumatra tend to lean closer to Aceh because Siak was considered too weak.
On 21 August 1862, Elisha Netscher and the group entered Kuala Sungai Deli and was greeted by Sultan Mahmud Al Rashid Perkasa Alam Shah. To those guests, the Sultan of Deli proclaimed that the Sultanate of Deli was sever relations with the Sultanate of Siak and would not need to not ask for recognition from anyone. However, Netscher continuously persuaded that the influence of Siak over Deli would not be lost by declaring that "the State of Deli follows Siak and they together are protected by the Dutch East Indies government".Sinar, 2007:28 Since then, the government of Sultanate of Deli was tied in a political contract with the Dutch East Indies colonial government.