Founding According to the
Salahsilah Raja-Raja Brunei (Bruneian Royal Annals), the state was established following the demise of Sultan
Muhammad Hasan of Brunei who ruled between 1582 and 1598. The death of the Sultan saw the
enthronement of
Abdul Jalilul Akbar, the eldest prince of Muhammad Hasan as the Sultan of Brunei. However, the crowning of Abdul Jalil Akbar was objected by
Pengiran Muda Tengah, claiming that the status of Abdul Jalilul was invalid as the elder prince was born before their father become the sultan, in contrast to the Pengiran who was born after his father's ascension to the throne, hence he believed that he had the superior right to inherit the kingdom. Already anticipating this dispute, the newly crowned Sultan of Brunei appointed the Pengiran Muda Tengah as the Sultan of
Sarawak, a frontier territory far from the administrative centre of the Bruneian empire. Sultan Tengah constructed a
fortified palace in
Sungai Bedil,
Santubong in 1599,
Sarawak–Johore relation Not long after the establishment of the sultanate of Sarawak, Sultan Tengah was on a trip to Pahang, (then an autonomous-kingdom in Johor) to visit his aunt, Based on the narration of the
Sultanate of Sambas, Sultan Tengah was ordered to leave Johor because of his refusal to marry Princess Cik Zohra upon the request of his aunt, The Queen Consort of Pahang.
Sarawak–Sukadana union The royal entourage was hit by a major storm during their return voyage from Johore to
Borneo. The vessel was blow off course and arrived on the shores of the
Sukadana Kingdom. The polity of Sukadana was ruled by a
Javanese Hindu king, Penambahan Giri Mustika, he was later known as Sultan Muhammad Saifuddin after his conversion to Islam by Sheikh Shamsuddin, a missionary from
Mecca. It was also during his time in Sukadana that Sultan Tengah began his religious studies under the guidance of Sheikh Shamsuddin. The Sultan later married to Ratu Surya Kesuma, sister of the reigning monarch. He also briefly settled in Sukadana and requested permission to carry out missionary activities on the local populace. Following the death of Ratu Sapundak, the throne of Sambas was succeeded by Pengiran Prabu Kenchana who appointed Radin Sulaiman as one of his advisers. Historical records noted that Ratu Sapundak had desired to appoint Sultan Tengah as his successor due to his expertise in governance and administration, although his request was highly objected by the members of the Sambas aristocracy due to their religious differences, with the members of the Sambas nobility being predominantly Hindu. However, this would change in 1631, when Radin Sulaiman rose to the crown of Sambas, with the regnal name of Sri Paduka al-Sultan Tuanku Muhammad Safiuddin I, the first Muslim ruler of the Sambas Kingdom.
Sarawak–Matan union By 1630, the Sultan had departed to
Matan. There, he married a local princess that gave birth to a son, Pengiran Mangku Negara, who later became the Sultan of Matan. A few years later, he decided to return to Sarawak. == Reunion with the Bruneian empire ==