Omar Ali Saifuddin II
Omar Ali Saifuddin II
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Omar Ali Saifuddin II

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Omar Ali Saifuddin II

Omar Ali Saifuddin II (died 18 November 1852) was the 23rd Sultan of Brunei from 1828 until his death in 1852. During his reign, Western powers such as the United Kingdom and the United States visited the country. His reign saw the British adventurer James Brooke becoming the White Rajah of Sarawak.

When his father, Sultan Muhammad Jamalul Alam I, died in 1804, he was still a minor followed by a physical deformity of an extra thumb on his right hand. Therefore, his grandfather, Paduka Seri Bega'wan Muhammad Tajuddin ascended the throne for the second time. Due to the advanced age of Sultan Muhammad Tajuddin, his younger brother, Pengiran Di-Gadong Pengiran Muda Muhammad Kanzul Alam acted as regent. When Muhammad Tajuddin died in 1807, the regent became the sultan of Brunei and was known as Sultan Muhammad Kanzul Alam. Kanzul Alam then appointed his own son, Pengiran Muda Muhammad Alam as heir to the throne of Brunei.

In 1825, when Pengiran Muda Omar Ali Saifuddin had come of age, he asserted his claim to the throne. Pengiran Muda Omar Ali Saifuddin was supported by most nobles as he was the rightful heir according to Brunei's royal traditions. The Kris Si Naga was in the possession of his mother, thus strengthened his claim. To end the succession crisis, Muhammad Alam stepped down from the throne and was sentenced to death. In 1828, Pengiran Muda Omar Ali Saifuddin ascended the throne as the 23rd Sultan of Brunei, taking the title Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin II.

After his succession to the throne, he appointed his uncle Pengiran Muda Hashim as the Bendahara (Prime Minister) as a sign of compassion to heal their family relations after the Second Civil War. Pengiran Bendahara Pengiran Muda Hashim was also the late Sultan Muhammad Alam and Queen Noralam's brother.

During Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin II's reign, he tried to establish absolute control over the economic importance of Kuching. Before this, only the Pengirans who acted on behalf of the Sultan, were in charge of collecting taxes and revenues from the local people. Especially after the discovery of antimony ore in Kuching, the Sultan became more ambitious in gaining control of Kuching's economy. The Governor of Sarawak at that time, Pengiran Indera Mahkota, also used forced labour to run the antimony mines. A disturbance occurred in Sarawak where an uprising against Brunei rule led by Datu Patinggi Ali, who was one of the ruling chiefs in Kuching. Due to the worsened situation in Sarawak, Pengiran Muda Hashim was ordered to restore order in the area.

At the time of chaotic situation in Kuching, a British explorer, James Brooke, came on his schooner Royalist looking for trade opportunities in 1839. Brooke came to Kuching from Singapore as he had heard about Kuching's economic potentials. Also, at this time, Brooke met Pengiran Muda Hashim, who was the uncle of Omar Ali Saifuddin, and the two became close friends. Pengiran Muda Hashim asked for Brooke's assistance to help him to suppress the disturbances in Kuching, in return, Pengiran Muda Hashim ensured the appointment of Brooke as the new Governor, after the Governor Raja Pengiran Indera Mahkota had been deposed.

Muda Hashim later appointed James as the temporary governor in 1841 and in 1842, he sailed to Brunei to be given the title of Tuan Besar (Great Lord) and again appointed as the representative in charge of affairs in Old Sarawak by the Sultan. After the disturbances in Sarawak successfully quelled, Brooke met Pengiran Muda Hashim in Kuching to ensure his promises were kept. Pengiran Muda Hashim agreed to honour his promise. In 1842, Omar Ali Saifuddin reluctantly confirmed the appointment of James Brooke as the Governor of Sarawak in a treaty. The treaty officially recognised James Brooke as the Raja of Sarawak and the Sultan had to cede Kuching to James Brooke.

For a yearly payment of $2,500, Brooke obtained the rich in antimony region of Sarawak in July 1842. This meant that Brooke seized control of half of Brunei during this period. Following Sarawak's formal transfer to him in 1847 from Omar Ali Saifuddin, Brooke extended its boundaries (from one location to another), typically at Brunei's cost. The cession of Kuching to Brooke marked the beginning of further cessation of territories to the Brooke family and later, the British North Borneo Company (BNBC).

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