Sarawak Uprising of 1836

Antimony ore was discovered in Siniawan and Jambusan in 1823. The Bruneian sultan had appointed Ali as the governor of Sarawak in the 1820s. The Chinese mined antimony ore in Siniawan, while the Malays who resided in the Tonga Tanah used Bidayuh laborers. However, as soon as Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin II Brunei realized that antimony ore and gold had been discovered in the Bau area, the Sultan named Pengiran Indera Mahkota as the new Governor of Sarawak in 1827, replacing Datu Patinggi Ali, allowing Brunei to take control of the antimony mines and commerce. The administrative center of Sarawak was relocated by Pengiran Indera Mahkota in 1826 from Lidah Tanah to Santubong and subsequently to Kuching. It is said that he moved the administrative center to Kuching using the fear of pirates as justification. However, a deliberate measure was taken to lessen Ali's influence and authority. The full control of mining activities and antimony trade in Bau was made feasible by Pengiran Indera Mahkota when they seized power from Ali to govern Sarawak. Mullen, a supporter of Ali, said that Bidayuh and Malays were made to work long hours in the antimony mine. Before Pengiran Indera Mahkota arrived, he had been in charge of them for a considerable time. When he saw the misery of his followers—who were compelled to labor at Pengiran Indera Mahkota's antimony mine—he was reportedly angered. The insistence of Pengiran Indera Mahkota that his followers pay extremely high taxes infuriated Ali even more. Additionally, because Pengiran Indera Mahkota controlled all commercial activity, they could not trade as freely as before. == Forces ==

Brunei Upon hearing of Ali's rebellion the Sultan of Brunei sent his uncle Pengiran Muda Hashim to assist Mahkota in destroying the rebels. Overall Bruneian military command in the duration of the war, under the Sarawak de facto diarchy Mahkota and Muda Hashim. Between late 1836-1840, they had additional men ordered by the Sultan of Brunei to finally quell the rebellion. They also later had the support of James Brooke in the Kota Belidah and Lidah Tanah. Brunei deployed around an estimated around 1,040+ men during the course of the war, excluding James Brooke, of which were made up Malay levies, retinue, retainers and guards. Rebels Ali's forces quickly gathered at Siniawan making fortifcations in Lidah Tanah. Before the Bidayuh joined the rebellion, it was primarily the Bruneian, Sarawakian Malays and Orang Ulu who were in active rebellion. However after the capture of Bau, the rebels was slowly outnumbered by the Bruneian forces. == War ==

Following 10 years of hardship as a slave worker, Ali rallied his supporters from Siniawan to oppose Pengiran Indera Mahkota. They began to resist in 1836. Datu Bandar, Datu Amar, and Datu Temenggong helped Ali. Patinggi Ali, one of Datu's disciples, first constructed defensive fortifications in Siniawan, Lidah Tanah, and other locations—an additional location upstream Bau. They aimed to remove the Bruneian governor and liberate Sarawak from the Sultanate of Brunei's rule. In addition to setting up battle plans, he offered them encouragement and counsel. They put up a fierce fight against Pengiran Indera Makkota. They were still unable to vanquish Pengiran Indera Mahkota despite several battles. Similarly, Ali was defeated by Pengiran Indera Mahkota as well. Brooke and a few other Royalist crew members sailed up the Sarawak River to Siniawan in 1840. The ship was outfitted with contemporary weaponry. There were several conflicts and occasionally discussions with Ali. At last, Brooke was said to have defeated his army at the Lidah Tanah citadel with 600 part-time troops who were Iban, Malay, and Chinese. == Aftermath ==

James was able to put an end to the Datu Patinggi Ali-led uprising with the help of his powerful cannons and skillful military strategies. As a return for his accomplishments, Pengiran Muda Hashim signed a contract on 24 September 1841, giving Brooke the position of Rajah of Sarawak and land from the westernmost point of Sarawak, Tanjung Datu, to the Samarahan river. On 18 September 1842, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin II made this appointment official. In exchange, Brooke agreed to keep Sarawak's traditions and religion intact, to give the Sultan an annual tribute of $2,500, and to refrain from separating Sarawak from Brunei without the Sultan's permission. The Sultan made a serious political error in appointing Brooke, but the Englishman had the support of the Royal Navy. == References ==