Bendahara War in Pahang (Pahang Civil War)

Pahang Civil War took place in the east coast states of Pahang and Terengganu between 1858 and 1863. When the Johore Empire crumbled in the early nineteenth century, Bendahara Ali taken control in Pahang, just as the Temenggong has in the state of Johor.

He ruled Pahang until 1857, and established close commercial ties with Singapore and its merchant community. After his death, his two sons, Tun Mutahir and Wan Ahmad, disputed the intentions of their father’s legacy.

The Pahang Civil War really included two conflicts: a fight or the succession, between Tun Mutahir and Wan Ahmad and a final attempts by a successor of the Riau half of the Johore Empire to recover a mainland province.

Wan Ahmad

The latter was Wan Mahmud (deposed Sultan of Lingga), who assisted Wan Ahmad. Siam saw opportunities of extending her influence and backed Mahmud, Wan Ahmad and their ally the Sultan of Terengganu. Tun Mutahir, the elder son, received the backing of Abu Bakar of Johor, who because of his close ties with Singapore’s business community, convinced many of them that Britain’s commercial interest lay with Tun Mutahir.

Both sides, whose outside supporters had ulterior motives, engaged chiefly in raids and ambushes with occasional battles near fortifications. Siamese vessels sent to assist Wan Ahmad in 1862 were routed by a British warship.

Despite military assistance from Johore, Mutahir could not defeat Wan Ahmad. The latter, supported by powerful Pahang, chiefs, gained prestige from his links with ex-Sultan Mahmud of Riau and the memories of ancient loyalties this partnership invoked.

Wan Ahmad’s third invasion from his Terengganu base was successful and in 1863 he became the ruler of Pahang, and he tried to cultivate good relations with the British.
Bendahara War in Pahang (Pahang Civil War)