Brunei Darussalam is one Asia's
oldest kingdoms, having been in existence for more than 1,500 years and
was an imperial power from the fifteenth to the sixteenth centuries.
Its recorded history spans 600 years. Prior historical references have
been found Chinese and Hindu chronicles of the sixth and seventh centuries
referring to Brunei as "Polo", "Puni" and "Poli". Early writers have also
called it "Brunei" and "Brune".
The early king of Brunei was called Sang Aji, or Reverend Monarch, a title of Sanskrit origin. The Brunei ruling dynasty changed during the early 1360s when Awang Alak Betatar, a prince from a powerful kingdom in western Borneo, ascended the Brunei throne. He became the first Brunei ruler and the present ruler is his descendant.
Awang Alak Betatar was the first Brunei Raja to accept Islam, changing his title and name to Sultan Muhammad Shah (1363-1402) in honour of the Prophet. With Islam, Brunei asserted and expanded its role as an independent and dominant trading power in the region. Its trade and territories grew with the spread of Islam to encompass existing Malay kingdoms in Borneo and the Philippines.
During the early spread of Islam in Brunei, many Arab Muslim missionaries married into Brunei royal family. The most notable was Sharif Ah from Taif, Arabia, who married a daughter of the second sultan, and later ascended the throne as the third Sultan in 1425. His orderly and just rule based on Islam made Brunei Darussalam a respected and powerful country. As a result with the neighbouring kingdoms in the Malay Archipelago, China and the Arabs flourished, and Brunei Darussalam entered an era of peace and tranq uility. Thus the sultanate became known as Negara Brunei Darussalam(Brunei, the Abode of Peace).
Before Brunei became a Muslim Sultanate in the 14th century, Chinese accounts told of the dominance of Muslim traders in the 9th and 10th centuries. In 977, for example, the Brunei Raja (then a Hindu-Buddhist) sent three Muslim traders as Brunei's envoys to the Sung court of China, mainly to represent Brunei in Brunei-China trade. It is believed that there was a community of influential Muslims in Brunei during this period.
The royal genealogy of Brunei's
sultans dates back nearly 600 years when in 1365, Awang Alak Betatar embraced
Islam, married a Johore princess, and assumed the title Sultan Muhammad,
according to early chronicles. A Persian missionary and direct descendant
of the Prophet Muhammad, Sharif Ali, as Brunei's third sultan, further
spread Islam, built mosques, and the first defence barriers at Kota Batu
and across the Brunei river.
Brunei rose to prominence in the 15th and 16th centuries when the country extended throughout Borneo and the whole of the present day Philippines.The first sultan to embrace Islam in Brunei was Sultan Muhammad I who reigned for 39 years in the 14th century. About the year 1478, the sultans in the region were strong enough to free themselves from the influence of Hindu rulers. The stability of the sultans that followed this period firmly rooted Islam in Brunei. In the pre Islamic Brunei the first capital Puni was established in the district of Temburong. Later the capital was moved to Kota Batu where the Brunei Museum now stands. Finally it was established in Bandar Seri Begawan during the reign of Sultan Muhyiddin I in the 17th century. In the past Brunei's wealth was founded on the export of camphor, pepper and gold.
Brunei's golden age centred round two remarkable rulers Sultan Bolkiah and Sultan Hassan. Under their rule the Royal Court developed a splendour and ritual on par with that of anywhere in the world and the territorial and religious influence of the country reached its peak.
However, the thrust of European
influence within the region in the 17th and 18th century saw a marked decline
in the power and territory of Brunei a process which was hastened in the
19th century. The British influence was predominant and Brunei lost much
of its territory to Sarawak under its white raja, James Brooke.
In 1888, Brunei became a British protectorate and in 1906, the British Residential system was introduced in Brunei. In 1959, Brunei resumed full internal sovereignty. Yet Britain remained responsible for defence and foreign affairs. In 1918, Sultan Muhammad Jamulul Alam, the 20th ruler and the great grandfather of the present sultan, was installed as the Yang Di Pertuan.
The year 1929 marked the historic discovery of oil in Seria during the rule of the 27th Sultan of Brunei, Ahmad Tajuddin, who ruled for 26 years from 1924-1950. Brunei History - 2 remained under the Residency Agreement until 1959, when domestic and internal rule was granted by the Constitutional Amendment of the year.
Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien, the
father of the present sultan became the 28th Sultan of Brunei in 1959.
His rule lasted from 1950 to 1967 during which period his vision and prudence
propelled Brunei towards prosperity and modernity. It was a period of transition
but the Sultan was keen to maintain a separate Bruneian identity and opposed
all attempts made to merge Brunei with Sarawak and North Borneo. He fought
many obstacles but fought to restore Brunei to its former glory.
Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien abdicated
in 1967, paving the way for his eldest son , the current sultan to ascend
the throne as the 29th Sultan of Brunei After an alliance of 96 years
with Britain, His Majesty the Sultan Hj Hassanal Bolkiah, proclaimed Brunei
Darussalam a sovereign , independent , democratic Muslim monarchy on January
1st, 1984.