Aceh Kingdom

1. The History

Aceh Darussalam kingdom was established when Samudra Pasai Kingdom was on the road to ruin. As noted in history, the domination of Samudera Pasai begun to disappear due to the attack of Majapahit in 1360 C.E. Ever since, Samudra Pasai had lost its control over their territories gradually before completely been occupied. Immediately before the end of the 14^th century, Aceh kingdom established and was ruled first by Sultan Ali Mughayat Syah. The coronation of the Sultan was held in Ahad (Sunday) Jumadil Awal (the 7^th of Islamic month) 1^st, 913 Hijriyah (1511 C.E). In the subsequent year, Mughayat expanded territory outward by conquering Pasai and became the only dominant and influencing power in the region. It can be said, hence, that the Aceh Kingdom was a continuance of Samudra Pasai to regain and to uphold the glory of Aceh culture.

Under the rule of Ali Mughayat Syah, Aceh kingdom territory encompassed small area in Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar. The territory expanded and stretched all over Aceh when Mughayat Syah, son of Ali Mughayat Syah, occupied the throne of the kingdom. Several measures, including occupation over Pasai, had been taken to strengthen Aceh kingdom position and to unify Aceh region under his authority. In 1511 C.E, several small kingdoms in Aceh region and seashore of eastern Sumatra such as Peurelak (in east Aceh), Pedir (in Pidie), Daya (southwest Aceh), and Aru (in north Sumatera) had been under control of Portuguese colonialism. Mughayat Syah, one of the Aceh Kings opposed to Portuguese, attempted to obstruct the Portuguese influence and to prevent them from gaining a foothold in the region by integrating those small kingdoms into Aceh Kingdom territory. Afterwards, the Aceh Kingdom, called later on as Aceh Darussalam, became the big Kingdom with vast territory in the region.

Mughayat attempt, mostly by sending out military expedition, to reassert power over Aceh ran smoothly. Portuguese military power waned gradually as Aceh forces aggressively and successfully attacked them. The Portuguese forces underwent bitter shellacking in every areas where they waged war: in Daya, Pidie, and Pasai. An outstanding victory was in Pasai when Aceh successfully occupied Portuguese castle. The continuous victory brought numerous benefits for Aceh forces, especially in military armament, as the enemies dropped and ceded their weapons in every battle. These weapons, in turn, were utilized to attack the Portuguese.

When Portuguese castle became under Aceh forces, Portuguese forces run away to Peurelak. However, Mughayat did not reduce his courage by giving Portuguese an opportunity to escape. Instead, he continued the battle to Peurelak, Aru, and Malacca where the enemies hided. In Malacca, Aceh sent out numerous forces to fight and conquer Malacca. Eventually, Portuguese escaped to Goa, India. Then, Aceh continued the military expedition to conquer Johor, Pahang, and Pattani. With the success of forces, the territory of the Aceh Kingdom encompassed almost all Sumatra Island, parts of Malay Peninsula and Pattani.

Despite the short period of Mughayat Syah‘s rule (1496-1528 C.E) he successfully established the strong and powerful Kingdom. He laid down several main principles for foreign affairs politics: (1) Self-generating economic activities (intended to avoid becoming dependent on others), (2) Establishing strong brotherhood and relationship with other Islamic Kingdoms in Nusantara (Malay archipelago), (3) Taking side from west colonialists, (4) accepting experts from outside, (5) and conducting Da‘wah (Islamic promulgation) to all over Nusantara. Following the death of Mughayat Syah, these basic principles were still implemented by his successors.

In history, the kingdom reached its glorious period under the rule of Sultan Iskandar Muda Johan Pahlawan Meukuta Alam (1590-1636 C.E). It was depicted that Aceh constituted one of flourishing central trades in Southeast Asia. The Aceh Kingdom politically had established diplomatic relationship with Ottoman Empire in Turkey, England, and Dutch. In the period of Iskandar Muda, Aceh had ever sent envoys to Ottoman Empire with lot of presents. Ottoman Caliph accepted the envoys, and for return, presented gifts: Gun and a military advisor to support Aceh military forces.

In addition, Aceh also had established a harmonious relationship with French. At the time, French had ever sent envoys to Aceh bringing a precious mirror. However, the mirror broke during the voyage to Aceh. The present, mirror, was germane to one of Sultan hobbies in collecting antiquity and priceless objects. It was noted in history that Sultan Iskandar Muda was the only Malay King who possessed Balee Ceureumeen (glassy public hall) in his astonishing palace, Dalam Darud Dunya Palace. The French envoys depicted that the palace measured 2 km. Within the palace, there was a room called Medan Khayali and Medan Khaerani which could accommodate 300 elephant armies. There was also Stream of Krueng River, which had been moved from its original location.

Before the rule of Sultan Iskandar Muda, peaceful relation with Queen Elizabeth I, and her successor King James from British had also been established. The queen even had sent envoy, Sir James Lancester, bringing priceless jewellery and letter that contain asking permission for anchoring the British trade ships in the Aceh region. Aceh Sultan replied the request positively by sending gifts and message written by gold ink. In addition, the envoy, Sir James Lancester, was honoured a title Orang Kaya Putih. Below are some passages Sultan letter to Queen Elizabeth in 1585 C.E:

I am the mighty ruler of the Regions below the wind, who holds sway over the land of Aceh and over the land of Sumatra and over all the lands tributary to Aceh, which stretch from the sunrise to the sunset.

When King James ruled British, he had sent a weapon as a gift to the Sultan of Aceh. The relationship between these two Kingdoms deteriorated in the 18^th century due to greediness of British imperialists to overrule Southeast Asia region. Besides British, Aceh also had strong relation with the Dutch. This could be seen from Aceh envoy Tuanku Abdul Hamid who was sent to Dutch during the period of Prince Maurits, founder of Orange Dynasty. In the visit, Abdul Hamid died and was buried in graveyard of church. The burial ceremony was attended by official Kingdoms. In present time, beside the grave, there is an inscription officially was announced by Bernhard Prince, husband of Queen Juliana.

Following the period of Iskandar Muda (died in 1636 C.E), Sultan Iskandar Thani Ala‘ al-Din Mughayat Syah (1636-1641 C.E) ascended the throne of Aceh Sultanate. During his period, Aceh still remained in the glorious period. Sri Ratu Safi al-Din Taj al-Alam (1641-1675 C.E), the daughter of Iskandar Muda and princes of Iskandar Thani, was installed as the next Sultan (Queen). Aceh was headed by four Queens until 1699 C.E. During those rulers, Aceh Sultanate begun to lose its dominance power. It was so due to several factors. One of the factors was internal conflict in Aceh regarding the women leadership in the Sultanate. Ulama (Muslim intellectual) Wujudiyah refuted to accept women as their leader. They viewed that woman could not be a leader for men. Hence, some conspiracies, justified by Ulama, between Hulubalang (military commandant) and businessmen were formulated. The conspiracy forced Queen Kamalat Syah to descend from her throne. From that moment, the era of Sultanate in Aceh ended.

Entering the second half of the 18^th century, Aceh was involved in conflict with the Dutch and British. The conflict escalated in the 19^th century. Several territories in Malay Peninsula such as Kedah and Pinang Island, which were tributary to Aceh, were seized by British in the end of 18^th century. On the British approval in 1871 C.E, the Dutch prepared military attack to subjugate the Aceh territory. In March 26, 1873 C.E, the Dutch officially proclaimed war against Aceh. In the war, however, the Dutch failed in seizing the Aceh territory. The same was true in the subsequent war in 1883, 1892, and 1893 C.E.

This continues shellacking inspired the Dutch forces to pull out from the region. However, Snouck Hurgronye, a Dutch scholar from Leiden University, suggested the Dutch government to alter the war strategy from attacking Sultan to Ulama. According to his analytical notion, instead of Sultan spirit, most of Aceh struggles relied on Ulama‘s. Therefore, to paralyze Aceh struggle, Ulama should be the primary focus of attack. Realizing the importance of Ulama, the Dutch government begun attacking bases of Ulama by burning several mosques and madrasah (Islamic School)

As been predicted, the Dutch successfully achieved the target: subjugating the Aceh Sultanate. J.B. van Heutsz, military commandant, was installed as Aceh governor. Before completely being conquered in 1904 C.E, the Aceh Kingdom ended when Sultan M Dawud surrendered to the Dutch authority in year before. However, it could be said that Aceh was not subjugated totally under the Dutch as several small movements against colonialism still occurred. During these movements, which was headed by local leaders, four Dutch generals died namely General Major J.H.R Kohler, General Major J.L.J.H. Pel, Demmeni, and General J.J.K. De Moulin.

The Dutch rule had continued for half century and ended by the coming of Japan to Aceh in February 9^th, 1942 C.E. Japan forces landed in Ujing Batee region, Aceh Besar. Their coming was welcomed by local leaders and Acehnese. However, good rapport between Aceh and Japan deteriorated when Japan compelled Acehnese to bend down to rising sun. This occurrence inspired local leader to initiate movements against Japan. Among those leaders was Teungku Abdul Jalil. The domination of colonialism ended when Indonesia gained its independence and Aceh integrated within the Republic of Indonesia.

2. The Kings of the Kingdom

Below are the Sultans who ha eve ruled Aceh Darussalam:

Sultan Ali Mughayat Syah (1496-1528 C.E)
Sultan Salahuddin (1528-1537 C.E).
Sultan Ala‘ al-Din al-Kahhar (1537-1568 C.E).
Sultan Husein Ali Riayat Syah (1568-1575 C.E)
Sultan Muda (1575 C.E)
Sultan Sri Alam (1575-1576 C.E).
Sultan Zain al-Abidin (1576-1577 C.E).
Sultan Ala‘ al-Din Mansur Syah (1577-1589 C.E)
Sultan Buyong (1589-1596 C.E)
Sultan Ala‘ al-Din Riayat Syah Sayyid al-Mukammil (1596-1604 C.E).
Sultan Ali Riayat Syah (1604-1607 C.E)
Sultan Iskandar Muda Johan Pahlawan Meukuta Alam (1607-1636 C.E).
Iskandar Thani (1636-1641 C.E).
Sri Ratu Safi al-Din Taj al-Alam (1641-1675 C.E).
Sri Ratu Naqi al-Din Nur al-Alam (1675-1678 C.E)
Sri Ratu Zaqi al-Din Inayat Syah (1678-1688 C.E)
Sri Ratu Kamalat Syah Zinat al-Din (1688-1699 C.E)
Sultan Badr al-Alam Syarif Hashim Jamal al-Din (1699-1702 C.E)
Sultan Perkasa Alam Syarif Lamtui (1702-1703 C.E)
Sultan Jamal al-Alam Badr al-Munir (1703-1726 C.E)
Sultan Jauhar al-Alam Amin al-Din (1726 C.E)
Sultan Syams al-Alam (1726-1727 C.E)
Sultan Ala‘ al-Din Ahmad Syah (1727-1735 C.E)
Sultan Ala‘ al-Din Johan Syah (1735-1760 C.E)
Sultan Mahmud Syah (1760-1781 C.E)
Sultan Badr al-Din (1781-1785 C.E)
Sultan Sulaiman Syah (1785 C.E -…)
Alauddin Muhammad Daud Syah.
Sultan Ala‘ al-Din Jauhar al-Alam (1795-1815 C.E) and (1818-1824 C.E)
Sultan Syarif Saif al-Alam (1815-1818 C.E)
Sultan Muhammad Syah (1824-1838 C.E)
Sultan Sulaiman Syah (1838-1857 C.E)
Sultan Mansur Syah (1857-1870 C.E)
Sultan Mahmud Syah (1870-1874 C.E)
Sultan Muhammad Daud Syah (1874-1903 C.E)

Note: Sultan Ala‘ al-Din Jauhar al-Alam (the 29^th Sultan) ruled Aceh in two different periods. His period was interspersed with Sultan Syarif Saif al-Alam (1815-1818 C.E)

3. The Kingdom Period

The Aceh Darussalam Sultanate established in the end of the 15^th century and ended in the early of the 20^th century. During those centuries (4 centuries), 35 Sultans and Sultanah hade ever ruled the Sultanate

4. The Kingdom Territory

In its glorious period, the Aceh Darussalam Kingdom encompassed part of Sumatra Island, and part of Malay Peninsula and Pattani.

5. The Kingdom Structure

In the period of Sultan Ala‘ al-Din Mansur Syah (1577-1589 C.E), the Aceh Kingdom had several laws compiled within Kitab Kanun Syarak Kerajaan Aceh. The laws on which all Acehnese were bond were formulated on the basis of Quran (Islamic holy book) and Hadith (A report of the sayings or actions of Muhammad or his companions, together with the tradition of its). Several rules regarding Acehnese daily life, conditions to select kingdom officials and other rules were included in the Kitab. Despite the existence of the Kitab, historical facts show that this Kitab is not appropriate enough to categorize Aceh as a constitutional Kingdom.

In the Aceh Kingdom structure, Sultan was the highest authority than other structural positions. These structural positions managed worldly affairs. Below were the positions:

Uleebalang who headed the government of nanggroe (state),
Pamglima sagoe headed government of Sagi,
Head of Mukim was responsible for governing the mukim which consisted of several gampong (village), and
Keuchiek or geuchiek who headed gampong (village).

Regarding religious affairs, these responsibilities were handled by tengku meunasah, imam mukim, kadli dan several teungku.

6. The Socio-Cultural Life

a. Religion

In national history of Indonesia, Aceh is usually called as Negeri Serambi Mekah (Country of Mecca veranda) since the initial coming and subsequent establishment of Islam to Indonesia was through the western part of Sumatra Island. The Title Serambi Mekah indicates that Islam is the religion on which the majority Acehnese embrace. In addition, Islamic teachings have significant influence on Acehnese daily life. Hence, Ulama constitutes the main pillar of the society. Besides families, Islamic education taught in Dayah and Rangkang (religious school) becomes another main strategy for spreading Islamic teachings. Teungku is a title for those who transfer Islamic teachings in those schools. If the Teungku mastered more integrity, capacity and intellectuality in Islamic teaching, they will receive another title Teungku Chiek. Teungku Meunasah is a religious leader who is responsible for managing religious affairs in villages

In language and literature aspects, the influence of Islam is very evident. Most of well-known Islamic manuscripts in Nusantara originated from Aceh such as Bustanussalatin and Tibyan fi Ma‘rifatil Adyan written by Nuruddin ar-Raniri in the early of the 17^th century; Kitab Tarjuman al-Mustafid which is the first Malay Tafsir (Quranic interpretation) written by Shaikh Abdurrauf Singkel in 1670 C.E; and Tajussalatin written by Hamzah Fansuri. Those manuscripts are the evidence of Aceh role in shaping Islamic intellectual tradition in Nusantara. Besides, there are some literatures which indicate strong influence of Islam on Aceh society such as Hikayat Prang Sabi, Hikayat Malem Diwa, Syair Hamzah Fansuri, Hikayat Raja-Raja Pasai, Sejarah Melayu.

b. Social Structure

Social structure of Acehnese was based on structural position, religious quality, and property possession. Those people who occupied high rank of position in the Kingdom had certain social strata among others. The highest rank of position in the Kingdom was Sultan who supervised local leaders in each region.

Religious quality determined the honour position of a person among society. Some of them claimed to be Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) descendants. They possessed privilege in daily life. The men are titled Sayyed and women titled Syarifah.

Wealth of person also had significant influence on his position in Aceh society. They plaid an important role as they dominate trade with spices and pepper as main commodities.

c. Daily Life

For settling, Aceh people usually build a house called rumoh Aceh. For meeting their needs, they cultivate in the lands. For those people who live in city and seashore, most of them conduct commercial trade. The most popular of traditional Aceh weapon is rencong, L-letter shaped weapon. If the weapon is looked closer, it is similar to word Bismillah (Arabic word meaning ‘in the name of Allah) in calligraphic letter. Other traditional weapons of Aceh are Sikin Panyang, Klewang, and Peudeung oon Teubee

Source:

Reid, Anthony. 1993. Dari Ekspansi hingga Krisis: Jaringan Perdagangan Global Asia Tenggara 1450—1680. Jakarta: Yayasan Obor.
Reid, Anthony. 2005. Asal Mula Konflik Aceh. Jakarta: Yayasan Obor.
A. Rani Usman. 2003. Sejarah Peradaban Aceh. Jakarta: Yayasan Obor.
Wikipedia

Credit photo : www.pdat.co.id

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