Sultan of Johor

Sultan of Johor
Sultan and Yang-di Pertuan of the State of Johor, The Abode of Dignity and its dependencies Duli Yang Maha Mulia Sultan Yang di-Pertuan bagi Negeri dan Jajahan Takluk Johor Darul Takzim ‏سلطان يڠ دڤرتوان باڬي نڬري دان ججهن تعلوق جوهر دارالتعظيم‎
State
Incumbent
Sultan Ibrahim since 23 January 2010 23 March 2015 (Coronation)
Details
Style	His Majesty
Heir apparent	Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim Ismail
First monarch	Alauddin Riayat Shah II
Formation	1528; 497 years ago (1528)
Residence	Istana Bukit Serene, Johor Bahru
Website	royal.johor.my

The Sultan of Johor (Malay: Sultan Johor; Jawi: ‏سلطان جوهر‎‎) is a hereditary seat and the sovereign ruler of the Malaysian state of Johor. In the past, the sultan held absolute power over the state and was advised by a bendahara. Currently, the role of bendahara has been taken over by first minister (Malay: Menteri Besar) with the constitutional monarchy system via Johor State Constitution. The sultan is the constitutional head of state of Johor. The sultan has his own independent military force, the Royal Johor Military Force (Malay: Askar Timbalan Setia Negeri Johor). The sultan is also the Head of Islam in Johor.^[1]

The first sultan of Johor was Alauddin Riayat Shah II, who reigned from 1528 to 1564. He was the son of the last sultan of Malacca, Mahmud Shah. The descendants of the Sultanate of Malacca ruled Johor until the death of Sultan Mahmud II in 1699, when the throne was taken over by Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah IV, marking the start of the House of Bendahara's rule over Johor. Abdul Jalil Shah IV had been a bendahara before the death of Mahmud II.

Sultan Ali ruled Johor from 1835 to 1855, following the death of his father, Sultan Hussein, who had nominally ruled from 1819. Like his father, Sultan Ali held only symbolic authority. Both were recognised by the British primarily for diplomatic convenience, but they played little role in the actual administration of Johor. Real political and economic control increasingly came under the influence of Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim and the British colonial authorities, who sought to establish indirect rule in the Malay Peninsula as part of their growing presence in British Malaya.^[2]

Internally, Johor experienced a significant shift in political power. Daeng Ibrahim strengthened his position through control of trade routes, the development of plantations and cooperation with British officials. His alignment with British interests enabled him to gradually marginalise Sultan Ali. The British, aiming for administrative efficiency and regional stability, supported Daeng Ibrahim's consolidation of power. In 1855, this culminated in an agreement endorsed by the British, under which Sultan Ali ceded political control to Daeng Ibrahim in exchange for a pension, a keep in Kesang and recognition of his ceremonial title.^[3]

This marked the rise of the House of Temenggong and the effective end of the old Sultanate's political relevance in Johor. Following Sultan Ali's removal from power in 1855, the position of Sultan of Johor was effectively de-established. Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim ruled Johor as its de facto sovereign without assuming the title of sultan.^[2] His authority continued until his death in 1862, after which his son, Abu Bakar, succeeded him. Initially retaining the title of Temenggong of Johor, Abu Bakar ruled Johor until 1868, when he formally adopted the title of "Maharaja" to reflect his enhanced status and administrative reforms.^[3]

In 1885, Abu Bakar sought and obtained official recognition from the British to adopt the title of "sultan", thereby restoring the historical Sultanate under the new ruling lineage. This recognition marked the formal re-establishment of the Sultanate of Johor under the House of Temenggong.^[4] Abu Bakar subsequently reigned as sultan from 1886 until his death in 1895, becoming the first modern sultan of the current ruling dynasty.^[2][5][6]

The current Sultan of Johor is Ibrahim Ismail Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar Al-Haj, who was proclaimed as the 23rd sultan of Johor on 23 January 2010 and crowned on 23 March 2015 at the Istana Besar, Johor Bahru. His father, Sultan Iskandar Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail Al-Khalidi, a great-grandson of Sultan Abu Bakar died on 22 January 2010; the death was announced that night. Ibrahim Ismail, the Tunku Mahkota of Johor (Crown Prince of Johor), was appointed as the Pemangku Raja (Regent) of Johor on the same day. The funeral was held on 23 January after the proclamation of Sultan Ibrahim Ismail.

• Johor Sultanate
• Monarchies of Malaysia
• Family tree of Johorean monarchs
• Family tree of Malaysian monarchs

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Monarchs of Johor.

• Nesalamar Nadarajah, Johore and the Origins of British Control, 1895–1914, Arenabuku, 2000, ISBN 967-970-318-5
• T. Wignesan, "A Peranakan's View of the fin de siècle monde malais – Na Tian Piet's Endearing syair of Epic Proportions" [partial tranls. with introduction and notes to Na Tian Piet's "Sha'er of the late Sultan Abu Bakar (of Johor)"]in The Gombak Review, Vol. 4,N° 2 (International Islamic University Malaysia), Kuala Lumpur, 1999, pp. 101–121.
• T. Wignesan. Sporadic Striving amid Echoed Voices, Mirrored Images and Stereotypic Posturing in Malaysian-Singaporean Literatures. Allahabad: Cyberwit.net, 2008, pp. 196–218. ISBN 978-81-8253-120-8