The Last Royal family of Singapore

History isn’t always glorifying but is always worth astonishment. Singapore although never enjoyed a rich history of royal families it is worth noticing that the city of hip culture once had an establishment of the royal families which existed till the late nineties. Surprising is the fact that only a fewer number of people have an account of it while the rest of us live in illusion.
 

One that holds the popular position of the Malay Heritage Centre was not always the same. The heritage center was redeveloped from the original Istana Kampong Glam or the Sultan’s Palace to the new building that stands erect today.

The story travels back to the beginning of the 19th century, when the 18th ruler of Johor, Sultan Hussein Mua’zzam Shah Ibni Mahmud Shah Alam constructed for the first time the original Istana Kampong Glam at Beach Road in 1819 which gave way to the British as a trading post in Singapore. A generation passed and the legacy of the Istana passed on to the eldest son Sultan Ali Iskandar Shan. He as an epitome of modern intellect came up with an Irish designer to build a new design mingling the reflection of English and Malay in 1840. The legacy moved the reign when Sultan Ali passed the Istana to his son Tengku Alam Shah. But by then, the heirs had changed their route, resulting in the decline of the Johor Sultan, due to the arrival of Temenggong.

This local chieftain provided military services asserting influence in state affairs. But the final show of cards happened when he proposed the idea of inheriting the land of Istana to Sultan Ali with the support of the British.

The consequence to which remained partially in favor and partially otherwise. The Sultan had to give up the sultanship and the rule of Johor but could restrict the rights of his Kesang territories at Muar. Either way, it was a short-lived relief, for soon after the death of Sultan Ali, the possession of Kesang territories was in question. An electorate was set, under which Daeng Ibrahim’s son Abu Bakar (1833-1895), secured the place instead of Tengku Alam. a disturbed Tengku Alam raised with a call for civil war, but he was easily squashed by the power of the British.

It was in 1885 that the Temenggong family took over the rule of Johor officially after Abu Bakar proclaimed himself in the position of Sultan.



With a bitter heart, Tengku Alam went back and stayed in the Istana Kampong Glam until he died in 1891. Even after his death, his family fought for the rights of the Istana, which gave the British a chance to take over the land as a state land. It was only due to the Sultan Hussien Ordinance of 1905 that allowed the descendants to live in the estate along with the claiming allowance from the government.

Even in independent Singapore, the descendants were allowed to reside in the Istana with an annual allowance of $250000 to $350000 until the estate was selected for conservation and restoration in 2001.
With this, the descendants of the royal family left Singapore, and are rarely heard off.

Last Updated: 11th August 2022