1. History

The history of the Sultanate of Serdang, located in East Sumatra, is a complicated and volatile one. The establishment of this sultanate cannot rule of the heyday of the Sultanate of Aceh. The history of the Sultanate of Serdang should begin with Tuanku Sri Paduka Gocah Pahlawan. He was a brave figure known as the Army Commander-In-Chief (Panglima Besar Tentara) and Commander of Aceh Armada (Panglima Armada Aceh). Carrying the banners of the Sultanate of Aceh under the aegis of Sultan Iskandar Muda, Tuanku Sri Paduka Gocah Pahlawan led the conquest operations of the lands along the West and East Coast of Sumatra and reached Johor and Pahang. There were some who said that Tuanku Sri Paduka Gocah Pahlawan who was entitled Laksamana Kuda Bintan was none but Laksamana Malem Dagang who led the Aceh fleet fought against the Portuguese (1629) and conquered Pahang (1617), Kedah (1620), Nias (1624) and more (Tuanku Luckman Sinar Basarshah II, 2007 b:4).

In 1632, Sultan Iskandar Muda authorized Tuanku Sri Paduka Gocah Pahlawan the vice of Aceh Sultan or the representative of the country due to his merit and service to the Sultanate of Aceh. He then led Haru, or later known as East Sumatera (Basarshah II, 2003:2). Haru was in fact an independent kingdom conquered by the Sultanate of Aceh under the command of Tuanku Sri Paduka Gocah Pahlawan. He was the ancestor of the kings in Haru, an area which later changed into Deli and Serdang. The name Haru itself first emerged in the travel journal of a Chinese wanderer who stopped by in Sumatra at around the 13^th century. It was stated in the journal that Haru sent a mission to China in 1282 AD when China was ruled by the Mongolian Empire under Kubilai Khan leadership. In addition, the name Haru was also written in Pararaton chronicle in the fragment on Pamalayu Expedition, which explained about Majapahit struggle to conquer Malay starting from the 13^th century. Haru was recorded as one of the main countries in Sumatera besides Lamuri, Lamuri, Samudera, Barlak (Perlak), and Dalmyan (Temiang). Negarakertagama by the legendary Mpu Prapanca also treated the existence of Haru by stating that, in addition to Pane, Majapahit also conquered Kompai and Haru.

Other data on the existence of Haru Kingdom was written by another Chinese wanderer named Fei Sin in 1436 AD Haru was situated in front of Sembilan Island. When the wind was fine, Fei Si wrote, sailing boat from Malacca could reach Haru in three days and nights. Fei Sin’s information was supported by a journal from the Ming Dynasty which told that in the time of Emperor Yung Lo, the third ruler of the Ming Dynasty who ruled since 1402, Sultan Husin from Haru sent his mission to China. In 1424, conversely, Emperor Yung Lo delegated Admiral Cheng Ho to visit the countries in the Indonesian Archipelago, not to mention Haru. The kinship between Haru Kingdom and the Chinese Empire became more harmonious since Tuanku Alamsyah, Sultan Husin’s successor, also sent his mission to China, successively in 1419, 1421, and 1423 AD (Basarshah II, 2007 b:5).

In the following periods, Haru Kingdom, together with the other smaller kingdoms, fought against the Sultanate of Aceh which came up as a new power at around Strait of Malacca. Haru went on launching its resistance against Aceh domination until this kingdom was defeated by Aceh in the time of Sultan Iskandar Muda who brought Tuanku Sri Paduka Gocah Pahlawan as the most successful war lord at that time. In 1632, the ruler of the Sultanate of Aceh handed Haru to Tuanku Sri Paduka Gocah Pahlawan as the vice of Aceh Sultan. This was the beginning of the history of Deli Kingdom and Serdang Kingdom. The occupation upon this ex-territory of Haru Kingdom was authorized to the Sultanate of Aceh for the sake of these missions:

1. To destroy the remaining resistance of Haru Kingdom
2. To spread Islamic missions to the  hinterlands.
3. To organize the administration which became a part of Aceh Empire (Basarshah II, n.d.: 49).

In 1632 AD, Tuanku Sri Paduka Gocah Pahlawan married to Puteri Nan Baluan Beru Surbakti, the sister of Datuk Imam Surbakti the ruler of Sunggal Kingdom. Sunggal Kingdom is another small administration in Urung Karo in Deli. The acknowledgement of the small kingdoms in this region to Tuanku Sri Paduka Gocah Pahlawan caused Deli administration under the aegis of Aceh to become more stable. After Tuanku Sri Paduka Gocah Pahlawan passed away in 1641 AD, the authority of Deli was handed to his son, Tuanku Panglima Perunggit (1614 - 1700 M) who was then entitled Panglima Deli.

The Palace of the Sultan of Serdang
Source: http://perbaungan.blogspot.com/

When the greatness of the Sultanate of Aceh weakened as Sultan Iskandar Muda passed away and Aceh administration was run by female kings, in 1669 AD, Panglima Perunggit proclaimed Deli independence over Aceh governance. As a legitimation, under the command of Panglima Perunggit, Deli established a relationship with the Dutch in Malacca. Tuanku Panglima Perunggit or Panglima Deli died in 1700 AD. The successor of Tuanku Panglima Perunggit was the crown prince Tuanku Panglima Paderap who ruled until 1720 AD. After the death of Tuanku Panglima Paderap, Deli underwent schism. In addition to the beginning of Siak Kingdom power in East Sumatra, the threat which shaked Deli was also the power grab among Tuanku Panglima Paderap’s children. There are several versions about this, and there are some who believed that Tuanku Panglima Paderap had four children:

1. Tuanku Jalaludin Kejuruan Metar
2. Tuanku Panglima Pasutan
3. Kejeruan Santun
4. Tuanku Umar Johan Alamsyah Kejeruan Junjongan (Basarshah II, n.d.: 52)

The civil war over Deli authority broke in 1723. Tuanku Umar Johan Alamsyah entitled Kejeruan Junjongan considered himself reserve the right over Deli throne given that he was the queen’s son, however, he failed it. In a battle againsts his second elder brother namely Tuanku Panglima Pasutan, Tuanku Umar Johan Alamsyah entitled Kejeruan Junjongan was defeated. He and his mother namely Tuanku Puan Sampali, the queen of Tuanku Panglima Paderap, had to step aside and moved before they finally established Kampung Besar (Serdang). The victory he gained over his little brother made Tuanku Panglima Pasutan the ruler of Deli.

In the document of Tengku Luckman Sinar Basarshah II, who now performs the mandate as Sultan Pemangku Adat Kesultanan Negeri Serdang or the VIII Sultan of Serdang, it is mentioned that according to the correct Malay tradition, the one who has the right to take over for Tuanku Panglima Paderap as the ruler of Deli Kingdom was Tuanku Umar Johan as the queen’s son. However, Tuanku Umar Johan was purged by his brother for his being underage. Upon the treatment received by Tuanku Umar Johan, two noble figures in Deli, King Urung Sunggal, King Urung Senembah and King Urung Batak Timur, who settled in a region of Serdang called Hulu in Tanjong Merawa, and a man of note from Aceh (Kejeruan Lumu) named Tuanku Umar Johan the first king of Serdang in 1723 AD (Basarshah II, n.d.: 55).

The first Sultan of Serdang, Tuanku Umar Johan, had three sons namely Tuanku Malim, Tuanku Ainan Johan Alamsyah, and Tuanku Sabjana who was better known as Pangeran Kampung Kelambir. Since Tuanku Malim refused to become his father successor, then the one to ascend the throne of the Sultanate of Serdang after Tuanku Umar Johan passed away was Tuanku Ainan Johan Alamsyah (1767-1817). Sultan Ainan Johan Alamsyah married to Tuanku Puan Sri Alam from Perbaungan Kingdom, which later merged into the Sultanate of Serdang. Previously, another descendant of Panglima Paderap (the last king of Deli) namely Tuanku Tawar (Arifin) entitled Kejuruan Santun, who set up a kingdom in Denai which expanded to Serbajadi, had already merged into the Sulatanate Serdang in the time of the first government of Sultanate of Serdang.

The first son of Sultan Ainan Johan Alamsyah, Tuanku Zainal Abidin, was killed in a war in Langkat. Therefore, Tuanku Sultan Thaf Sinar Basarshah, the second son of Sultan Ainan Johan Alamsyah was made the successor. Sultan Thaf Sinar Basarshah who was then bestowed a noble title as Sultan Besar Serdang ruled in 1817-1850 AD. During his government, the Sultanate of Serdang reached its victory and became a prosperous country for its trading. The Sultanate of Serdang was so glorious that it was well-known by other countries, even to those in Malay Peninsula. Many other kingdoms such as Padang, Bedagai, and Senembah had once requested millitary aid from the Sultanate of Serdang.

The Sultanate of Serdang family

The successor of Sultan Thaf Sinar Basarshah was his eldest son namely Sultan Basyaruddin Syaiful Alamsyah (1819-1880). The leadership of Sultan Basyaruddin Syaiful Alamsyah gained letigimation from Aceh Sultan, Ibrahim Mansyur Syah, in form of Mahor Cap Sembilan recognition. In 1854, when Aceh sent 200 ships on the war expedition to punish Deli and Langkat, Serdang stood for Aceh. In running his administration, Sultan Basyaruddin Syaiful Alamsyah was supported by several noble people, viziers and the conquered kings. Sultan Basyaruddin Syaiful Alamsyah government was full of wars, either from the inside or the outside. Not only did Serdang have conflict in territory expansion, it also faced Dutch colonization in Serdang from 1862. However, Dutch hegemony was so strong that Serdang surrendered and gained Dutch recognition as written in Acte van Erkenning dated August 16, 1862 (Basarshah II, n.d.:64).

When Sultan Basyaruddin Syaiful Alamsyah passed away in Muharram 7, 1279 Hijri or in December 1880, the crown prince Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah was much too young that the administration of the Sultanate of Serdang was authorized to Tengku Raja Muda Mustafa (Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah’s uncle) temporarily until Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah was ready to lead the country. The legal recognition from the Dutch to the coronation of the new king of Serdang was given through the Acte van Verband on January 29, 1887. During Sultan Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah leadership, the dispute between Serdang and Deli became tighter, although several solutions had been made to reduce the conflict; some of them were through marriage and kinship. Sultan Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah government ran for quite a period, since the Dutch colonized in 1886 until Indonesian post-independence in 1946. Short after Indonesia proclaimed its independence on August 17, 1945, in December 1945 the Sultanate of Serdang, under Sultan Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah leadership, proclaimed its support to the establishment of the sovereign Republic of Indonesia.

Later in 1946, East Sumatera territory, including Serdang was in a tense situation. On March 3, 1946, there was the “Social Revolution”, a quivering event when the kings in Tanah Karo were arrested by the communists. The left-wingers considered the kings and the nobles as traitors because they used to serve the Dutch. According to Kronik Mahkota Kesultanan Serdang (2003) written by Pemangku Adat Kesultanan Serdang Tuanku Luckman Sinar Basarshah II, some of the arrested kings in East Sumatera, such that in Simalungun, were killed and their kingdoms were looted. In Langkat, the Sultan was arrested and some nobles were killed including the man of letters Tengku Amir Hamzah. In Asahan, Sultan Saibun escaped and sought protection to the Japanese army camp and was then handed over to the Indonesian Army in Siantar. In Batubara and Labuhan Batu, likewise, kings and nobles were murdered and treasures were looted (Basarshah II, 2003:63).

Still in Tuanku Luckman Sinar Basarshah II’s document, the situation in Serdang was slightly different from that of the other kingdoms. Due to the positive support of Sultan Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah for the activists and the hatred toward the Dutch since the colonization era, not to mention Serdang Sultanate full support for the establishment of the Republic of Indonesia since 1945, there was no arrest, assasination and looting in Serdang. Sultan Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah did not depend on the Ally because there were many of his relatives and Serdang nobles were suggested to occupy some positions in the Indonesian army organization as well as Islamic and nationalistic political parties. Therefore, when the “Social Revolution” broke on March 3, 1946, a negotiation was arranged between Kapten Tengku Nurdin (Commander of Battalion III of Indonesian Army in Medan) and Tengku Mahkota Serdang and the custom leaders of the Sultanate of Serdang. The negotiation decided that the Sultanate of Serdang handed over its governance to the Indonesian Army as the representative of the government of the Republic of Indonesia (Basarshah II, 2003:64).

As a follow up of the agreement, on March 4, 1946, Prosecutor Tengku Mahmuddin and Registrar Tengku Dhaifah were sent on behalf the Sultanate of Serdang to officially hand over the administration to the Indonesian Army on behalf the government of the Republic of Indonesia and was unified by the Indonesian National Commitee in Serdang and several numbers of mass organizations and other political organizations in Kerapatan office in Perbaungan. The transfer of power which began on March 4, 1946 throughout all regions of Serdang was a unique event and was the first in Indonesia. Since then, the Sultanate of Serdang merged into the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia as a manifestation of its commitment to the Indonesian independence and sovereignty.

On October 13, 1946, Sultan Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah died at his 80 and was buried with military ceremony in the graveyard of the kings next to the great mosque in Perbaungan which was included in the administrative region of Serdang. The VI holder of Serdang throne after Sultan Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah was Tengku Putera Mahkota Rajih Anwar. However, due to the unstable political situation and security in Serdang and East Sumatra in general, the coronation of Tuanku Tengku Putera Mahkota Rajih Anwar was only as the custom chief. Besides, Tengku Putera Mahkota Rajih Anwar himself refused to be coronized the Sultan of Serdang due to his trauma with series of tragic events or the “Social Revolution” in 1946. Tengku Putera Mahkota Rajih Anwar died in Medan on December 28, 1960 and was burried in Perbaungan.

Serdang did not have an custom chief afterwards and this situation stayed for about 35 years. Until finally on November 30, 1996, Kerapatan Adat Negeri Serdang held a meeting and decided that Pemangku Adat Serdang was selected and decided from the living descendants of the late Sultan Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah. The meeting then decided that Tuanku Abunawar Sinar Syariful Alam Al-Haj, the third son of Sultan Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah and the fourth throne holder of the Sultanate of Serdang as the Pemangku Adat Negeri Serdang and Ketua Kerapatan Adat Negeri Serdang. The coronation was held in a costumary ceremony at Gedong Juang 45 at Perbaungan on January 5, 1997.

However, the resurgence of the Sultanate of Serdang cannot rule of the pressure of the state political situation. The sultanate institution was viewed only from political perspective. The existence of the Sultanate of Serdang was no longer acknowledged as a representation of cultural attitude and the tradition. Thus, the sultanate activities were limited on costumary activities only. The costumary events were also “directed” not to become the separator between the people and their cultural root, particularly the cultural elements which were related to the sultanate traditions, especially those in East Sumatra (Basarshah II, 2003:71). Tuanku Abunawar Sinar Syariful Alam Al-Haj passed away on January 28, 2001 from sickness and was burried in Makam Raja Diraja located next to the Great Mosque of Perbaungan.

Tuanku Luckman Sinar Basarshah II
Source: Collection of Tuanku Luckman Sinar Basarshah II

As the successor of the Sultanate of Serdang after the death of Tuanku Abunawar Sinar Syariful Alam Al-Haj was Tuanku Luckman Sinar Basarshah II. Before the corpse of Tuanku Abunawar Sinar Syariful Alam Al-Haj was buried at midnight on January 28, 2001, according to the Malay Customcalled “Raja Mangkat Raja Menanam”, there was a meeting on who would replace Tuanku Abunawar Sinar Syariful Alam Al-Haj and the meeting participants agreed that Tuanku Luckman Sinar Basarshah II (who was entitled Temenggong Mangkunegara Serdang then) would be the next Pemangku Adat Serdang. The coronation ceremony of Tuanku Luckman Sinar Basarshah II as the Pemangku Adat Serdang the VIII was held on June 12, 2002 in Perbaungan and was attended by 6.000 delegations from all Serdang and 2.000 guests from the government of four countries. Tuanku Luckman Sinar Basarshah II who now holds the custom throne of the Sultanate of Negeri Serdang confirms that the Sultanate of Serdang stands hitherto.

2. Lineage of Kings

The following are the names of the sultans who ruled the Sultanate of Serdang:

1. Sultan Umar Johan Alamsyah entitled Kejeruan Junjongan (1723−1767)
2. Sultan Ainan Johan Alamsyah (1767−1817)
3. Sultan Thaf Sinar Basarshah (1817−1850)
4. Sultan Basyaruddin Syaiful Alamsyah (1819−1880)
5. Sultan Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah (1866−1946)

During 1880 – 1886, the administration of the Sultanate of Surdang was held by Tengku Raja Muda Mustafa (Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah’s uncle) as Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah’s vice as he was in his young age.

1. Tengku Putera Mahkota Rajih Anwar (1946−1960).
2. Tuanku Abunawar Sinar Syariful Alam Al-Haj (1997−2001).
3. Tuanku Luckman Sinar Basarshah II (2001− now), crowned in 2002.

Lineage of kings of the Sultanate of Serdang
Source: Collection of Tuanku Luckman Sinar Basarshah II

3. Territory

From its early beginning until nowadays, the territory of the Sultanate of Serdang changed several times due to the social and political situation. In the Colonial era, the Sultanate of Serdang was included in East Sumatra Residence to­gether with several other kingdoms such as Asahan Kingdom, Deli Kingdom, Kualuh and Leidong Kingdom, Langkat Kingdom, Pelalawan Kingdom, and Siak Sri Inderapura Kingdom (Basarshah II, 2006:1). After Indonesian independence in 1945 and the recognition of Indonesian sovereignty in 1949 the Sultanate of Serdang administratively merged into North Sumatra Province since 1950 hitherto.

Looking back at its journey, the change of the Sultanate of Serdang territory from time to time was gained through several ways, some of them were by means of conquest, kinship (marriage) or territory unification by minor kingdoms into the Sultanate of Serdang territory. Based on the data found in the documents by Tuanku Luckman Sinar Basarshah II, some areas which were and are parts of the Sultanate of Serdang territory (collected from various source) are: Percut, Perbaungan, Sungai Ular, Sungai Serdang, Padang, Bedagai, Sinembah, Batak Timur, Negeri Dolok, Batubara (Lima Laras), Serbajadi, Denai, Patumbak, Rantau Panjang, Bandar Labuhan, Lengo Seperang/ Kwala Namu, Pantai Cermin, Pertumbukan/ Galang, Medan Senembah, Tambak Cikur, Rantau Panjang, to Lubuk Pakam (Basarshah II, 2003; Basarshah II, n.d.).

4. Administration System

In the reign of Tuanku Umar Johan Alamsyah entitled Kejeruan Junjongan, the first Sultan of Serdang, the administration of the Sultanate of Serdang was in uncertain condition due to the many conflicts faced. It was in the era of the second Sultan of Serdang, Sultan Ainan Johan Alamsyah (1767-1817), that the sultanate began to arrange a concept to its governance. One of the most important was by forming Lembaga Orang Besar Berempat in Serdang whose members were entitled Wazir Sultan, consisiting of:

1. Pangeran Muda, whose territory was in Sungai Tuan.
2. Datok Maha Menteri, whose territory was in Araskabu.
3. Datok Paduka Raja, whose territory was in Batangkuis.
4. Sri Maharaja, whose territory was in Ramunia.

Sultan Ainan Johan Alamsyah strengthened the legitimation of Lembaga Orang Besar Berempat based on the natural and animal phenomenon which symbolized the power of the four natural directions (west, east, north, south); the firm animal feet and Tungku Sejarangan’s principle (four supporting stones to cook) which was the principles of consanguity of Malay tradition in East Sumatra. There were four key figures in the wedding ceremony or other big events. In addition, in running the government, the Sultan of Serdang was assisted by Syahbandar (harbormaster) and Temenggong as the security chief and commander-in-chief. Sultan Ainan Johan Alamsyah reign tried to harmonize Islamic Canon Laws and the Customary Law. This referred to the philosophy of a proverb which says “Adat Melayu bersendikan Hukum Syara’ dan Hukum Syara’ bersendikan Kitabullah” (Malay custom is based on the Islamic Canon Law and Islamic Canon Law is based on the Koran) (Basarshah II, n.d.: 56). During this era, the regulations of the kingdom’s custom and tradition were also strictened. Some of them were:

• Adat Sebenar Adat

This custom embraces a law comprehension in accordance with the laws of nature, for instance: fire is hot, water is cold, life and death, day and night, man and woman, and other laws of nature.

• Adat yang Diadatkan

Adat Yang Diadatkan emerged as a result of a consensus between the adat elders and Orang-Orang Besar Kerajaan.

• Adat yang Teradat

It is resulted from a habit which was then followed continually and handed down through generations and becomes a customary usage and finally a customary law. There are some customary sanctions for Adat yang Teradat breakers.

• Adat - Istiadat

This custom is ceremonial and is referred from a stipulation applied to the kingdom. It is dynamic, it changes in accordance with the king succession.

Meanwhile, in the era of Sultan Thaf Sinar Basarshah (1817−1850), the Sultanate Serdang reached its golden age when it reached its rapid advance, especially in commercial. At this time, the application of Malay Custom which was based on Islam was highly respected. The most important thing was Budi yang Mulia (good manners, character, and so on), since high manner showed high civilization of a country. One positive impact of the application of the understanding of the concept was that there were many people in Batak Hulu who converted into Islam. In running the general administration, Sultan Thaf Sinar Basarshah was assisted by several Orang Besar, such as Pangeran Muda Sri Diraja Mattakir as the Raja Muda, Tuanku Ali Usman (entitled Panglima Besar Negeri Serdang) in Sungai Tuan (Kampung Klambir), Tuanku Tunggal (entitled Sri Maharaja) in Kampung Durian, and Datuk Akhirullah entitled Pekerma Raja Tg. Morawa.

During the reign of the next leader Sultan Basyaruddin Syaiful Alamsyah (1819−1880), the existence of the Sultanate of Serdang was interfered by the arrival of the Dutch. To deal with the Dutch influence which was getting stronger in Sumatra East Coast, Serdang under the command of Sultan Basyaruddin Syaiful Alamsyah, stood behind Aceh which continuously offered resistance against the colonizer hegemony. As the result of the support, in 1854, the Sultan of Aceh confered Sultan Basyaruddin Syaiful Alamsyah “Wazir Sultan Aceh” (Vizier of Aceh Sultan) with Mahor Cap Sembilan as his symbol of power (Basarshah II, n.d.:61). Like the previous sultans, Sultan Basyaruddin Syaiful Alamsyah was also assisted by Orang-Orang Besar and Viziers and the kings of the conquered lands. However, the enduring conflict caused the shift of Orang-Orang Besar and Viziers and the kings of the conquered lands. Moreover, outside of this Kingdom Council which consisted of selected Orang-Orang Besar, there was a government institution which took care of the areas which were included in the territory of the Sultanate of Serdang. This institution was known as “Lembaga Orang Besar Berlapan” which consisted of eight functionaries appointed by the Sultan of Serdang to lead the areas outside of the kingdom center.

The next was the regime of Sultan Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah (1866−1946) during which the Sultanate of Serdang conducted some strategic actions due to the stronger pressure of the Dutch. One fundamental policy issued by Sultan Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah was the resistence against the Dutch when in 1891 Serdang Controller as the representative of the Dutch moved Serdang capital from Rantau Panjang to Lubuk Pakam. As the manifestation of the resistance, Sultan Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah refused to move to the new capital determined by the Dutch, instead, he established a new kingdom namely Perbaungan Kingdom (Kraton Kota Galuh) in 1886 and the Great Mosque of Sulaimaniyah. In addition, Sulaimaniyah built shops, fish market and shop complex that created a new small city called Simpang Tiga Perbaungan. This was the city Sultan Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah established as the equal of Serdang’s capital in Dutch version.

Sultan Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah’s resistance against Dutch’s penetration went on when in 1898 he refused the Dutch request to give on to the Dutch Queen. Moreover, Sultan Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah and his comrades chose to have a trip to Japan and China to show that the Sultanate of Serdang did gave a real resistance to the Dutch since, at that time, Japan and China were two Asian countries which bravely opposed Western military power and economic dominance. In his visit to Japan, Sultan Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah had the honor of Tenno Heika Kaisar Meijimutshuhito (Basarshah II, 2003:35). However, his visit to Japan was used by the Dutch to launch a trecherous revenge for his “dissension” by narrowing Serdang territory borders. The Dutch policy of narrowing the territory of the Sultanate of Serdang caused the change in the organization of the Orang Besar. The Dutch omitted some of the governmental positions, including Raja Muda and Wazir Paduka Setia Maharaja.

The coronation of Tuanku Luckman Sinar Basarshah II on June 12, 2002
Source: Collection of Tuanku Luckman Sinar Basarshah II

Sultan Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah ruled in Serdang until his death at the end of 1946. In the same year, before his death, there was the “Social Revolution” and the Sultanate of Serdang decided to merge with the Indonesian Army as the representative of the Republic of Indonesia who has proclaimed itself earlier. The decision was taken based on the firmness to merge into the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. In the era of Sultan Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah, in December 1945, the Sultanate of Serdang declared its support to the establishment of the sovereign Republic of Indonesia.

In the following eras, the custom administration of the Sultanate of Serdang was almost invisible due to the chaotic political situation. Even, the Serdang’s wriggle was in apparent death for almost 35 years because the future successor of Sultan Sulaiman Syariful Alamsyah refused to be inaugurated the Sultan of Serdang due to the ongoing trauma for the events that occured in the years of physical revolution. After being re-enlivened in 1997, the Sultanate of Serdang could not reach its glory like that of the old times due to the political situation in Indonesia under the New Order. The sultanate activities did not give much influence to the survival and the live of Serdang people, instead, it was limited on the customary institution only.

(Iswara NR/Kr/01/07-2009)

Translation by Apri Widiastuti (trns/41/04-10)

Bibliography:

• Basarshah II, Tuanku Luckman Sinar. 2003. Kronik Mahkota Kesultanan Serdang. Medan: Yandira Agung.
• __________. 2005. Adat Budaya Melayu, Jati Diri dan Kepribadian. Medan: Forkala Sumatra Utara.
• __________. 2007 a. Persekutuan Adat dan Kerajaan Bumiputera di Hindia Belanda. Medan: Forkala Sumatra Utara
• __________. 2007 b. Sejarah Medan Tempo Doeloe, Medan: Yayasan Kesultanan Serdang.
• __________. 2008. The History of Medan in The Olden Time. Medan: Yayasan Kesultanan Serdang.
• __________. No date. Bangun dan Runtuhnya Kerajaan Melayu di Sumatera Timur. Medan: no publisher listed.

Photo source:

• Collection of Tuanku Luckman Sinar Basarshah II
• www.perbaungan.blogspot.com
• www.melayuonline.com