Kedah Sultanate

Sultanate of Kedah
كسلطانن قدح
Kesultanan Kedah
330–1136 (Old Kedah)
1136–1821
1842-1945
1948–present
Anthem: Allah Selamatkan Sultan Mahkota
God Save the Crowned Sultan (since 1937)
Kedah in present-day Malaysia
Kedah in present-day Malaysia
StatusOld Kedah
(330–1136)
Independent Sultanate
(1136–1821)
State of Siam (1821–1909)
Protectorate of the United Kingdom (1909–1941; 1945–1946)
CapitalAlor Setar
Anak Bukit
Common languages
Religion
Sunni Islam
GovernmentAbsolute monarchy
(1136-1941; 1945-1946; 1948-1957)
Parliamentary constitutional monarchy within Malaysia
(since 1957)
Sultan 
• 1136–1179
Mudzaffar Shah I (first)
• 2017–present
Sallehuddin
Advisor 
• 1909–1915; 1918–1919
George Maxwell
LegislatureNone (rule by decree)
(1136-1905)
Kedah State Council
(1905-1941; 1945-1946; 1948-1959)
Kedah State Legislative Assembly
Historical eraEarly modern period
• Conversion to Islam
1136 (1136)
1735
• Annexed by Siam
November 1821
9 July 1909
16 February 1942
18 October 1943
• Japanese surrender; returned to United Kingdom
14 August 1945
• Added into Malayan Union
31 March 1946
Population
• 1931
429,691[1]
CurrencyNative gold and silver coins
Straits dollar (until 1939)
Malayan dollar (until 1953)
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Kedah Kingdom
Srivijaya
Syburi
Malayan Union
Kedah
Rattanakosin Kingdom
Today part ofMalaysia
1 Remains as capital until today
2 Malay using Jawi (Arabic) script

The Kedah Sultanate (كسلطانن قدح) is a Muslim dynasty located in the Malay Peninsula. It was originally an independent state, but became a British protectorate in 1909. Its monarchy was abolished after it was added to the Malayan Union but was restored and added to the Malayan Union's successor, the Federation of Malaya.

The information regarding the formation of this sultanate and the history before and after its creation comes from the "Kedah Annals". The annals were written in the 18th century, over a millennium after the formation of the supposed Kedah Kingdom. It describes the first king of Kedah as arriving on the shores of Kedah as a result of an attack by a mythical gigantic beast. It states that the nation was founded by the offspring of Alexander the Great. However, Thai chronicles mention that Kedah was a Thai city like Nakhon Si Thammarat and was a part of the Siamese kingdom but later was changed into a Malay state after invasion by Muslim kingdoms until today.[2]

The Kedah Annals provides unreliable information on the sultans of Kedah, listing the first sultan of Kedah as Sultan Mudzafar Shah I in 1136, while an Acehnese account gives the conversion to Islam on 1474. Although not impossible, the year 1136 is also unlikely since it pre-dates the Terengganu Inscription Stone by almost three centuries. Claims made by the Kedah Annals also directly contradict the fact that the Buddhist Srivijaya kingdom was in direct control of Kedah at the time Sultan Mudzafar Shah I allegedly converted the region to a sultanate. Kedah may have remained Hindu-Buddhist until the 15th century.[3]

  1. ^ "Census population by state, Peninsular Malaysia, 1901–2010". Economic History Malaya. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  2. ^ Rajanubhab, Damrong. "The royal chronicle in Rama II of Rattanakosin era". Vajirayana Digital Library (in Thai).
  3. ^ Dokras, Dr Uday (January 2020). "The spread of Hindu Culture and Religion by Trade routes to far East (Not including Cambodia, Indonesia or Thailand". Indo Nordic Author's Collective.