Negeri Sembilan Royal Family

Assalamualaikum and Peace be upon all of you.
Welcome to my blog.

The Malaysian Royal Segment for this month will cover about Negeri Sembilan Royal Family and also the last post for the topic. The system of Negeri Sembilan royal is differs from the other state where the ruler is not automatically installed from the line of succession, instead, he is elected by the Royal Election Council name the Council of Undang that consist of 4 noble Undangs. It is also the only Royal Family that a subject to the Adat Perpatih. (Perpatih Custom’s is where woman has more authority than man).


The ruler of Negeri Sembilan is styled as HRH Yang Dipertuan Besar (literally Great Ruler of Negeri Sembilan). The current ruler of Negeri Sembilan is HRH Tuanku Muhriz Ibni Al-Marhum Tuanku Munawir. He is the 11th Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan. His reign started since December 2008.


The consort to the Yang Dipertuan Besar id styled as HRH Tengku Ampuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan (Great Queen of Negeri Sembilan). The current holder is HRH Tuanku Aishah Rohani binti Tengku Mahmud.


HISTORY

Negri Sembilan (nine states) is a federation of states on the West coast of peninsular Malaysia. Immigrants from Minangkabau in Sumatra peopled the state during the late seventeenth and early e ighteenth centuries. An ancient people, who once adhered strictly to Buddhist teachings, their laws of inheritance and government differ substantially from Muslim norms. Property, nobility and titles are all heritable through the female line. Government is decentralised, with rulers selected by the great nobles or regional magnates.

In the last quarter of the eighteenth century, the Minangkabau immigrants in Malaya petitioned their sovereign in Sumatra to send them a prince to establish government over them. The Minangkabau ruler, Sultan 'Abdu'l Jalil, obliged by delegating his relative near, Raja Melawar.

Arriving to find that a certain Raja Khatib had established himself as ruler, Melawar was forced to compromise with the lesser chiefs in order to secure his position. He defeated and expelled Raja Khitab with their help in 1728. Raja Khatib fled to Nanning with his principal followers, but was enticed by the Dutch authorities to go to Malacca, where he was imprisoned and then expelled to Siak under the care of Raja Ketchil. Meanwhile, Raja Melawar married the daughter of the Penghulu of Ulu Muar and received the area around Sri Menanti as his personal domain. He was then formally invited to assume the position of supreme ruler of the nine states. The Sultan of Johor, paramount sovereign of the peninsular, confirmed his position by granting the personal title of Sultan and recognising him as Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negri Sembilan (he who is supreme lord of the nine states). He was so installed at Penajis in 1730.

After Raja Melawar's death, a series of disputes arose over the succession. For a considerable period the local nobles applied to the Minangkabau ruler in Sumatra for their ruler. However, competing interests supported different candidates, often resulting in instability and civil war. This pattern continued until a convention of choosing the rulers from the family of Raja 'Ali [Raja Lenggang Laut], became established during the middle of the nineteenth century.

Although the number of states within Negri Sembilan has fluctuated over the years, the federation now consists of six states, Jelebu, Johol, Linggi, Rembau, Sri Menanti, Sungai Ujong and Tampin. The rulers are known collectively as the Undang Laut. All, save Sri Menanti and Tampin, are themselves, selected by the great nobles of their states. They all take part in the selection of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar.


ROYAL FAMILY


Tuanku Muhriz married to Tuanku Aishah Rohani and their marriage is blessed with three sons.

1. Tunku Ali Redhauddin (1977)
2. Tunku Zainal Abidin (1982)
3. Tunku Alif Hussain Saiffudin al-Amin (1984)

PALACE


The official palace for the Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan is the Istana Besar Seri Menanti (Grand Palace of Seri Menanti).

INHERITANCE


Selection for life by the four great Undang Luat (the Dato' Klana Petra Sri Jaya of Sungai Ujong, the Dato' Mendelika Mantri Akhir Zaman of Jelebu, the Dato' Johan Pahlawan Lela Perkasa Setiawan' of Johol, and the Dato' of Rembau) from amongst the Putera Yang Empata (or four Royal princes). These four princes are the Tengku Besar of Sri Menanti, Tunku Laksamana, Tunku Panglima Besar and Tunku Muda of Serting. They are appointed to these titles, for life, from amongst the senior members of the Sri Menanti dynasty, by the reigning Yang di-Pertuan Besar.

**The four Inheritance Princes

1. Tunku Ali Redhauddin, Tengku Besar of Sri Menanti
2. Tunku Naquiyuddin, Tengku Laksamana
3. Tunku Imran, Tengku Muda Serting
4. Tunku Nazaruddin, Tengku Panglima Besar

GALERIA


Some of the pictures of the royal family :-

During the coronation ceremony

The opening ceremony of State Assembly,

Personal pictures of respectives Royal Family,

Tuanku Muhriz

Tuanku Aishah Rohani

Princes of Negeri Sembilan, Tunku Ali Redhauddin (right) and Tunku Zainal Abidin (left)