The Bendahara dynasty (Malay: Wangsa Bendahara, Jawi:وڠسا بندهار‎) is the current ruling dynasty of Pahang, Terengganu and Johor – constituent states of Malaysia. The royal house were of noble origin, holding the hereditary position of bendahara (the highest rank in Malay nobility) in the courts of Singapura, Malacca and Old Johor since at least the end of the 13th century.

The ascendancy of the family as a royal house began in the late 17th century, when the last ruler of Johor from the Malacca dynasty, Mahmud Shah II died without a male heir. In 1699, the reigning bendahara at that time, Tun Abdul Jalil was proclaimed Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah IV of Johor, beginning the consolidation of Bendahara rule in the sultanate, with different family members holding both the titles of sultan and bendahara, and later the title of temenggong.

At the same time, Pahang was established as the special province, with successive bendaharas ruling the state as their personal fief. In 1770, following the gradual dissolution of the Johor Empire, the state of Pahang was transformed into an autonomous kingdom under the grandson of Abdul Jalil IV, Tun Abdul Majid, whose descendants continue to rule Pahang. Another break-away state, the Riau-Lingga Sultanate was ruled by the descendants of Abdul Rahman Muazzam Shah, a great-great-grandson of Abdul Jalil IV, until its dissolution in 1911. A cadet branch, the House of Temenggong, has been ruling modern Johor, through the descendants of Temenggong Abdul Jamal, another grandson of Abdul Jalil IV.

Another branch, the royal house of Terengganu represents one of the junior male lines of the Bendahara dynasty. In 1717, Tun Zainal Abidin, the younger brother of Abdul Jalil IV established control over Terengganu with the title of Maharaja. He secured the recognition as the first sultan of the state from his nephew Sultan Sulaiman Badrul Alam Shah of Johor in 1725.

In the classical Malacca 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. 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 the Malacca Sultanate, who excelled in both war and diplomacy. Another notable bendahara was Tun Sri Lanang of the Johor Sultanate who was an important figure in the compilation of the Malay Annals.

The consolidation of Bendahara rule in the Johor Empire originated in the late 17th century. When Mahmud Shah II died in 1699 without a male heir, Bendahara Tun Abdul Jalil became the next Sultan of Johor and assumed the title Abdul Jalil Shah IV. His appointment was accepted by Johorean chiefs based on the understanding that the bendaharas would succeed to the throne if the sultan died without heirs. During his reign, 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 Terengganu with the title of Maharaja. He secured recognition as the first Sultan of Trengganu from his nephew Sultan Sulaiman Badrul Alam Shah of Johor in 1725. Meanwhile, in Pahang, self-rule was established during the reign of Tun Abdul Majid when the state's status was changed from a tanah pegangan (provincial state) to tanah kurnia (fiefdom), 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 over time.

During the reign of Mahmud Shah III, the great-grandson of Abdul Jalil IV, the Sultan's power was effectively reduced to the capital in Daik, Lingga. While the rest of the empire was administered by three powerful ministers, the Bendahara in Pahang, the Temenggong in Johor and Singapore, and the Yamtuan Muda in Riau. After the death of Mahmud Shah III, the empire became further divided when a succession dispute among his two sons, gave rise to two centers of power, one in Riau-Lingga, under Abdul Rahman Muazzam Shah who was supported by the Bugis nobility and the Dutch, and the other in the Johorean mainland, under Hussein Shah who was supported by the Temenggung family and the British.