Bendahara dynasty

In classical Melaka and Johor Sultanates, a Bendahara was the most important and highest administrative position, serving as the chief of all ministers. As an adviser to the Sultan, a Bendahara was appointed by the Sultan and dismissible only by the Sultan himself. The position is hereditary and candidates were selected from the male descendants of the Bendahara family. The most notable of the Bendaharas was Tun Perak of Melaka Sultanate, who excelled in both war and diplomacy. Another notable Bendahara was Tun Sri Lanang of Johor Sultanate who was an important figure in the compilation of the Malay Annals.

The consolidation of Bendahara rule in the Johor Empire originated from the late 17th century, under Tun Habib Abdul Majid. When Mahmud Shah II died in 1699 without a male heir, Bendahara Tun Abdul Jalil, the eldest son of Tun Habib Abdul Majid, became the next Sultan of Johor and assumed the title Abdul Jalil Shah IV. His appointment was accepted by Johor chiefs based on the understanding that the Bendaharas would succeed to the throne if the Sultan died without heirs. During his reign, the eastern state of Pahang was established as a special province of the Bendahara family and ruled directly by the successive Bendaharas of the empire.

In 1717, Zainal Abidin, the younger brother of the Abdul Jalil Shah IV, established control over the eastern state of Terengganu with the title of Maharaja. He secured recognition as the first Sultan of Trengganu from his nephew Sulaiman Badrul Alam Shah of Johor in 1725. Meanwhile, in Pahang, a self-rule was established during the reign of Tun Abdul Majid when the state's status was changed from a tanah pegangan (a fief) to tanah kurnia ('granted land'),[1] thus the ruling Bendahara acquired the title Raja ('king') in Pahang. The allegiance of the Raja Bendahara to the Sultan however, continued, though it weakened in time.[2]

The current ruling house of Bendahara are the patrilineal descendants of the Hadhrami al-Aydrus clan, an offshoot of Ba 'Alawi sada, that trace their lineage to al-Imam Ahmad al-Muhajir bin Isa ar-Rumi, a descendant of Shia imam Ja'far as-Sadiq, who in turn, a direct descendant of Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. In the late 16th century, a descendant of the al-Aydrus clan, Abdullah ibn Shaykh al-Aydarus was among the earliest Arab settlers who served a religious leader in Aceh. The sultan of Aceh at that time, Alauddin Mansur Syah, who is the patrilineal descendant of the Melaka-Perak ruling house, persuaded Abdullah to marry his daughter, and his son Sayyid Zaynal Abidin was born out of this union. Abdullah's son Zaynal Abidin also became a religious leader and migrated to Johor, where he married Tun Kaishi, the granddaughter of Tun Sri Lanang by his son, Tun Jenal. It was from this union, the father of Tun Habib Abdul Majid was born. Therefore, in addition to the Hadhrami descent, the modern Bendahara dynasty are also the matrilineal descendants of the old Bendahara lineage and the old Melaka ruling house.

• B.S.M - Bendahara Seri Maharaja
• B.S.N.D - Bendahara Seri Nara Diraja
• B.S.R - Bendahara Sewa Raja
• B.P.R - Bendahara Paduka Raja
• B.P.T - Bendahara Paduka Tuan
• B.P.M - Bendahara Paduka Maharaja
• T.P.T - Temenggung Paduka Tuan
• T.S.M - Temenggung Seri Maharaja
• T.P.R - Temenggung Paduka Raja

• Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid (2011), The Encyclopedia of Malaysia, 16 - The Rulers of Malaysia, Editions Didier Millet, ISBN 978-981-3018-54-9
• Andaya, Barbara Watson; Andaya, Leonard Yuzon (1984), A History of Malaysia, London: Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN 978-0-312-38121-9
• Barnard, Timothy P. (2004), Contesting Malayness: Malay identity across boundaries, Singapore: Singapore University press, ISBN 9971-69-279-1
• Benjamin, Geoffrey, Issues in the Ethnohistory of Pahang, Lembaga Muzium Negeri Pahang (Museum Authority of Pahang)
• Hood Salleh (2011), The Encyclopedia of Malaysia, 12 - Peoples and Traditions, Editions Didier Millet, ISBN 978-981-3018-53-2
• Linehan, William (1973), History of Pahang, Malaysian Branch Of The Royal Asiatic Society, Kuala Lumpur, ISBN 978-0710-101-37-2
• Milner, Anthony (2010), The Malays (The Peoples of South-East Asia and the Pacific), Wiley-Blackwell, ISBN 978-1444-339-03-1
• (Tun) Suzana (Tun) Othman (2002), Institusi Bendahara: Permata Melayu yang Hilang: Dinasti Bendahara Johor-Pahang (The Bendahara Institution: The Lost Malay Jewel: The Dynasty of Bendahara of Johor-Pahang), Pustaka BSM Enterprise, ISBN 983-40566-6-4