The beginning
The Sultanate of Aceh was founded by Sultan Ali Mughayat Shah in 1496. At first this kingdom stood on the territory of Lamuri Kingdom, then subdued and united some of the surrounding kingdoms including Daya, Pedir, Lidie, Nakur. Then in 1524 Pasai region has become part of the sovereignty of the Sultanate of Aceh followed by Aru.
In 1528, Ali Mughayat Shah was replaced by his eldest son Salahuddin, who came to power until 1537. Then Salahuddin was succeeded by Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah al-Kahar who ruled until 1571.
Heyday
Although the Sultan is considered the supreme ruler, but in fact always controlled by orangkaya or hulubalang. Hikayat Aceh said the forcibly descended Sultan among them Sultan Sri Alam was overthrown in 1579 because of his already over-brave nature in handing out royal treasures to his followers. His successor Sultan Zainal Abidin was killed a few months later because of his cruelty and because of his addiction to hunting and animal fighting. Kings and Orangkaya offered the crown to Alaiddin Riayat Shah Sayyid al-Mukamil of Darul Kamal Dynasty in 1589. He immediately ended the period of instability by annihilating the opposing riches while strengthening his position as the sole ruler of the Aceh Sultanate whose impact was felt on the next sultan. [4]
The sultanate of Aceh experienced the greatest expansion and influence during the reign of Sultan Iskandar Muda (1607 - 1636) or Sultan Meukuta Alam. At the time of his leadership, Aceh conquered Pahang which is the main tin source. In 1629, the Aceh Sultanate attacked the Portuguese in Melaka with a fleet of 500 warships and 60,000 sea troops. This attack is in an effort to expand Aceh's dominance over the Malacca Strait and the Malay Peninsula. Unfortunately this expedition failed, although in the same year Aceh occupied Kedah and brought much of its population to Aceh. [5]
At the time of Sultan Alaidin Righayat Shah Sayed al-Mukammil (grandfather Sultan Iskandar Muda) was brought a diplomatic mission to the Netherlands in 1602 with the leadership of Tuanku Abdul Hamid. The Sultan also sent many letters to various world leaders such as the Sultan of Turkey Selim II, Prince Maurit van Nassau, and Queen Elizabeth I. All this was done to strengthen the position of Aceh's power.
Deterioration
The decline of Aceh is caused by several factors, among which are the strengthening of Dutch power on the island of Sumatra and the Malacca Strait, marked by the fall of Minangkabau, Siak, Tiku, Tapanuli, Mandailing, Deli, Barus (1840) and Bengkulu into the Dutch colonial pockets. Another important factor is the seizure of power among the inheritors of the emperor's throne.
Diplomat Aceh in Penang. Sit: Teuku Kadi Malikul Adil (left) and Teuku Imeum Lueng Bata (right). Around the 1870s
This can be traced earlier after the departure of Sultan Iskandar Tsani until a series of events later, where the nobles want to reduce the tight control of the Sultan's power by lifting Iskandar Tsani widow into Sultanah. Some sources mention that the fear of the return of the tyrant king (Sultan Iskandar Muda) which underlies the appointment of the queen.
Since that time of peace was felt in Aceh, the Ulèëbalang were free to trade with foreign merchants without having to pass through the sultan's port of the capital. Pepper became the main crop cultivated throughout the coast of Aceh to become the world's main supplier of pepper until the late 19th century. But some elements of society, especially from the wujudiyah want the ruler later is a man with the title of Sultan. They claim that the legitimate heirs still live and live with them in the interior. Civil war broke out, mosque, burned, Bandar Bandar Aceh city in the noise and non-threatening. Following this dispute, Kadhi Malikul Adil (a kind of great mufti) Tgk. Syech Abdurrauf As-Sinkily undertook various reforms, especially regarding the distribution of power with the formation of three sagoe. This resulted in the power of the sultans / sultans very weak with only full power in the area of Bibeueh (direct power) alone.
The civil war in the struggle for power played a major role in the weakening of the Aceh Sultanate. At the time of Sultan Alauddin Jauhar Alamsyah (1795-1824), a descendant of the Sultan who was exiled Sayyid Hussain claimed the crown of the empire by appointing his son to Sultan Saif Al-Alam. The civil war broke out again but thanks to the help of Raffles and Koh Lay Huan, a merchant from Penang Jauhar (who speaks French, English and Spanish) is restored. Not until there, the civil war again occurred in a power struggle between Tuanku Sulaiman with Tuanku Ibrahim who later will be the title of Sultan Mansur Syah (1857-1870).
Sultan Mansyur Shah tried his best to reinforce the already fragile sultanate. He succeeded in subjugating the pepper kings to deposit tribute to the sultan, a thing the previous sultan could not do before. To strengthen the defense of the eastern region, the sultan sent a fleet in 1854 led by Admiral Tuanku Usen with a force of 200 boats. This expedition was to convince Aceh's power of Deli, Langkat and Serdang.Unfortunately, in 1865 Aceh left the area with the conquest of Kampai Island fortress. [6]
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Surat Sultan Aceh Ibrahim Mansur Syah To the President of France
The Sultan also sought to form alliances with outsiders in an attempt to stem the Dutch aggression. He sent messengers back to Istanbul as an insertion of the status of Aceh as an Ottoman Turkish vassal and sent some relief funds to the Crimean War. In return, Sultan Abdul Majid I sent some combat gear for Aceh. Not only with Turkey, the sultan also attempted to form an alliance with France by sending letters to the French King Louis Philippe I and the President of the Second French Republic (1849). However, this petition was not taken seriously. [4]
The decline continues with the rise of the weak young Sultan Mahmudsyah to the tapuk of power. A series of diplomatic efforts to Istanbul led by Teuku Paya Bakong and Habib Abdurrahman Az-zahier to counter the expansion of the Dutch failed. Upon returning to the capital, Habib competed with an Indian Teuku Panglima Maharaja Tibang Muhammad to establish influence in the Aceh government. Moderates tend to support Habib but the sultan actually protects Panglima Tibang who is suspected of conspiring with the Dutch when negotiating in Riau. [6]
At the end of November 1871, the so-called Sumatran Treaty was mentioned, which clearly stated that "the British are obliged to disengage from any demonstration of expansion of Dutch power in any part of Sumatra The restrictions on the 1824 London Treaty on Aceh are annulled." Since then, efforts to invade Aceh have been increasingly voiced, both from the Netherlands and Batavia. The Ulee Balang Aceh and Sultan's special envoy were assigned to seek help to Turkey's old allies. But the current conditions were not possible because Turkey at that time had just fought with Russia in the Crimea. Relief efforts are also aimed at Italy, France to America but nil. The Eight councils set up in Penang to gain British sympathy also can not do anything about it. For this reason, the Dutch established themselves to surrender the capital. In March 1873, Dutch troops landed on the Meuraksa Mirror Beach marking the beginning of the Dutch invasion of Aceh.
The Dutch War
The Aceh-Dutch War or abbreviated Aceh War was the war of the Aceh Sultanate against the Dutch from 1873 to 1904. The Aceh Sultanate surrendered in January 1904, but the Acehnese resistance with guerrilla warfare continued.
On 26 March 1873 the Dutch declared war on Aceh, and began firing a cannon fire on the Aceh coast from the warship Citadel van Antwerpen. On April 5, 1873, the Dutch landed at Pante Ceureumen under the leadership of Johan Harmen Rudolf Köhler, and immediately mastered the Great Mosque of Baiturrahman. Köhler then carried 3,198 soldiers. A total of 168 of them were officers
