Sultan of Acheh, reigned 1726-1735, and founder of the dynasty that has held the title of Sultan of Acheh down to the present day, though occasionally displaced by Arab rivals. Tradition assigns him Bugis origin. He was harassed throughout his reign by the Arab pretender Poteu Jeumaloy; when Ahmat died, Jeumaloy attempted to seize power but was eventually expelled by the energy of Ahmat’s youngest son, Pochut Muhamat.
Expanded account from The Achehnese, Vol. I — Amat Shah Juhan
Amat Shah Juhan, also known by his formal regnal name Sultan Ahmat Shah or Alaedin Ahmat Shah, was the first prince of the latest — i.e. the present, traditionally Bugis-origin — dynasty of Acheh, ruling from 1723 (or 1726) to 1735. He is one of the four sultans whose names are inscribed on most Achehnese ninefold seals and is invoked in the formal letters patent issued by later sultans of the same dynasty.
The “latest dynasty” of Acheh
The line of kings to which Amat Shah Juhan belonged has ruled Acheh, with some interruptions, since 1723, and is according to tradition of Bugis origin. His accession marks the beginning of the so-called Bugis dynasty that displaced the older royal house and supplied the princes whose names were thenceforth placed on the chab sikureu’eng — the ninefold seal used on the most solemn royal documents.
Edicts and letters patent
Snouck Hurgronje records that among the sarakata (royal edicts) he obtained in Acheh — supplementary to those published by Van Langen — were “certain undated edicts of Sapiatodin, Amat Shah Juhan (the first prince of the latest dynasty) and Badrudin Asem (Hashim)”. These dealt with commercial and port regulations affecting different nationalities and different kinds of merchandise, the collection and distribution of taxes, and even contained detailed customs-tariffs. Though undated, they are identical in spirit and intention with those published by Van Langen and reflect the continuing preoccupations of Achehnese royal legislation with the trade of the seaport town.
Place on the ninefold seal
On the ninefold seal of the pretender Sultan Muhamat Dawot (drawn up in 1879), Amat Shah Juhan appears as “Sultan Ahmat Shah, the first prince of the present dynasty 1723 or 1726–1735”. His name is followed by that of Sultan Juhan Shah (1735–1760), who is identified in Snouck Hurgronje’s other discussion of the sarakata as Alaedin Juhan, the second prince of the same dynasty. The four sultans whose names recur on most ninefold seals — Sultan Sayyidi al-Mukamnal (Alauddin al-Qahar), Meukuta Alam, Tajul-alam, and Sultan Ahmat Shah — are those “to whom the former prosperity of Acheh and her adat-institutions are generally ascribed”. The remaining names vary according to the taste of each sultan, who decided for himself the contents of his seal.
Invocation in letters patent
In the formal letters patent given by the pretender sultans to their chiefs — such as the document bestowed upon Panglima Meuseugit Raya on 4 Rabi’ al-Awwal 1307 H (1889) — the “blessing of the mediation” of a fixed series of former monarchs is invoked. Among them appears “His late Majesty Alaedin Ahmat Shah”, together with Meukuta Alam Iskandar Muda, Tajul-alam Sapiatodin, Alaedin Mahmut Shah, Alaedin Muhamat Shah, Alaedin Jauhar al-Alam Shah and Alaedin Manso Shah. The formula underscores the place of Amat Shah Juhan in the canonical memory of the dynasty he founded.
Expanded account from The Achehnese, Vol. I — Sultan Ahmat Shah
Sultan Ahmat Shah (also styled Alaedin Ahmat Shah) was the first prince of the present Bugis-origin dynasty of Acheh, and reigned from 1723 or 1726 until 1735. His name is preserved on the chab sikureu’eng, the ninefold seal placed at the head of sultans’ edicts, and his mediation (afwah, “mouths”) is invoked in the preamble of those documents.
The ninefold seal, as described by C. Snouck Hurgronje, consists of one large central circle bearing the name of the reigning sultan, surrounded by eight smaller circles each containing the name of a celebrated predecessor. The choice of the eight names rests with the reigning sultan, but four names recur on virtually all such seals — those of the rulers to whom the former prosperity of Acheh and her adat-institutions were generally ascribed. These four fixed names are Sultan Sayyidi al-Mukamnal (Alaedin al-Qahhar), Sultan Meukuta Alam (Iskandar Muda), Sultan Tajul-alam (Sapiatodin), and Sultan Ahmat Shah.
Sultan Ahmat Shah’s place in this select group marks the political importance attached to the establishment of the present dynasty, which supplanted the older line of Achehnese rulers in the early eighteenth century. He was succeeded by Sultan Juhan Shah (1735–1760). The dynasty he founded continued to occupy the throne of Acheh, in increasingly attenuated form, down to the reign of Sultan Mansur Shah (1838–1870) and his son Sultan Alaedin Muhamad Daud Shah Juhan, the last sultan recognised by the Achehnese.
In the actual letters patent (sarakata) issued by the later sultans, the blessing of Allah, of the Prophet Mohammad, of the saint Abdul-Qadir Jilani, and of the deceased kings of blessed memory is invoked upon the deed. The preamble of the letters patent given to Panglima Meuseugit Raya on 4 Rabi’ al-Awwal 1307 H (1889) explicitly names Ahmat Shah among the monarchs whose mediation is sought, alongside Sultan Mahmut Shah, Sultan Alaedin Muhamat Shah, Sultan Jauhar Alain Shah, and Sultan Mansur Shah.
See Also
- Acheh
- Alaedin Juhan
- Alaedin Juhan Shah
- Bugis-origin dynasty
- Letters patent with the ninefold seal to Panglima Meuseugit Raya
- Pochut Muhamat
- Poteu Jeumaloy
- Sarakata (royal edicts of Acheh)
- Sarakata with chab sikureu’eng
- Sultan Ahmat Shah
- Sultan Juhan Shah
- Sultan Mansur Shah
- Sultan Meukuta Alam
- Sultan Sayyidi al-Mukamnal
- Sultan Tajul-alam
- Tuanku Muhamat Dawot
Source
The Achehnese, Vol. II, by Dr. C. Snouck Hurgronje, translated by A.W.S. O’Sullivan, indexed by R.J. Wilkinson. Leyden: E.J. Brill, 1906.
The Achehnese, Vol. I, by Dr. C. Snouck Hurgronje, translated by A.W.S. O’Sullivan, indexed by R.J. Wilkinson. Leyden: E.J. Brill, 1906.
Sultan of Acheh, reigned 1726-1735, and founder of the dynasty that has held the title of Sultan of Acheh down to the present day, though occasionally displaced by Arab rivals. Tradition assigns him Bugis origin. He was harassed throughout his reign by the Arab pretender Poteu Jeumaloy; when Ahmat died, Jeumaloy attempted to seize power but was eventually expelled by the energy of Ahmat’s youngest son, Pochut Muhamat.
Expanded account from The Achehnese, Vol. I — Amat Shah Juhan
Amat Shah Juhan, also known by his formal regnal name Sultan Ahmat Shah or Alaedin Ahmat Shah, was the first prince of the latest — i.e. the present, traditionally Bugis-origin — dynasty of Acheh, ruling from 1723 (or 1726) to 1735. He is one of the four sultans whose names are inscribed on most Achehnese ninefold seals and is invoked in the formal letters patent issued by later sultans of the same dynasty.
The “latest dynasty” of Acheh
The line of kings to which Amat Shah Juhan belonged has ruled Acheh, with some interruptions, since 1723, and is according to tradition of Bugis origin. His accession marks the beginning of the so-called Bugis dynasty that displaced the older royal house and supplied the princes whose names were thenceforth placed on the chab sikureu’eng — the ninefold seal used on the most solemn royal documents.
Edicts and letters patent
Snouck Hurgronje records that among the sarakata (royal edicts) he obtained in Acheh — supplementary to those published by Van Langen — were “certain undated edicts of Sapiatodin, Amat Shah Juhan (the first prince of the latest dynasty) and Badrudin Asem (Hashim)”. These dealt with commercial and port regulations affecting different nationalities and different kinds of merchandise, the collection and distribution of taxes, and even contained detailed customs-tariffs. Though undated, they are identical in spirit and intention with those published by Van Langen and reflect the continuing preoccupations of Achehnese royal legislation with the trade of the seaport town.
Place on the ninefold seal
On the ninefold seal of the pretender Sultan Muhamat Dawot (drawn up in 1879), Amat Shah Juhan appears as “Sultan Ahmat Shah, the first prince of the present dynasty 1723 or 1726–1735”. His name is followed by that of Sultan Juhan Shah (1735–1760), who is identified in Snouck Hurgronje’s other discussion of the sarakata as Alaedin Juhan, the second prince of the same dynasty. The four sultans whose names recur on most ninefold seals — Sultan Sayyidi al-Mukamnal (Alauddin al-Qahar), Meukuta Alam, Tajul-alam, and Sultan Ahmat Shah — are those “to whom the former prosperity of Acheh and her adat-institutions are generally ascribed”. The remaining names vary according to the taste of each sultan, who decided for himself the contents of his seal.
Invocation in letters patent
In the formal letters patent given by the pretender sultans to their chiefs — such as the document bestowed upon Panglima Meuseugit Raya on 4 Rabi’ al-Awwal 1307 H (1889) — the “blessing of the mediation” of a fixed series of former monarchs is invoked. Among them appears “His late Majesty Alaedin Ahmat Shah”, together with Meukuta Alam Iskandar Muda, Tajul-alam Sapiatodin, Alaedin Mahmut Shah, Alaedin Muhamat Shah, Alaedin Jauhar al-Alam Shah and Alaedin Manso Shah. The formula underscores the place of Amat Shah Juhan in the canonical memory of the dynasty he founded.
Expanded account from The Achehnese, Vol. I — Sultan Ahmat Shah
Sultan Ahmat Shah (also styled Alaedin Ahmat Shah) was the first prince of the present Bugis-origin dynasty of Acheh, and reigned from 1723 or 1726 until 1735. His name is preserved on the chab sikureu’eng, the ninefold seal placed at the head of sultans’ edicts, and his mediation (afwah, “mouths”) is invoked in the preamble of those documents.
The ninefold seal, as described by C. Snouck Hurgronje, consists of one large central circle bearing the name of the reigning sultan, surrounded by eight smaller circles each containing the name of a celebrated predecessor. The choice of the eight names rests with the reigning sultan, but four names recur on virtually all such seals — those of the rulers to whom the former prosperity of Acheh and her adat-institutions were generally ascribed. These four fixed names are Sultan Sayyidi al-Mukamnal (Alaedin al-Qahhar), Sultan Meukuta Alam (Iskandar Muda), Sultan Tajul-alam (Sapiatodin), and Sultan Ahmat Shah.
Sultan Ahmat Shah’s place in this select group marks the political importance attached to the establishment of the present dynasty, which supplanted the older line of Achehnese rulers in the early eighteenth century. He was succeeded by Sultan Juhan Shah (1735–1760). The dynasty he founded continued to occupy the throne of Acheh, in increasingly attenuated form, down to the reign of Sultan Mansur Shah (1838–1870) and his son Sultan Alaedin Muhamad Daud Shah Juhan, the last sultan recognised by the Achehnese.
In the actual letters patent (sarakata) issued by the later sultans, the blessing of Allah, of the Prophet Mohammad, of the saint Abdul-Qadir Jilani, and of the deceased kings of blessed memory is invoked upon the deed. The preamble of the letters patent given to Panglima Meuseugit Raya on 4 Rabi’ al-Awwal 1307 H (1889) explicitly names Ahmat Shah among the monarchs whose mediation is sought, alongside Sultan Mahmut Shah, Sultan Alaedin Muhamat Shah, Sultan Jauhar Alain Shah, and Sultan Mansur Shah.
See Also
- Acheh
- Alaedin Juhan
- Alaedin Juhan Shah
- Bugis-origin dynasty
- Letters patent with the ninefold seal to Panglima Meuseugit Raya
- Pochut Muhamat
- Poteu Jeumaloy
- Sarakata (royal edicts of Acheh)
- Sarakata with chab sikureu’eng
- Sultan Ahmat Shah
- Sultan Juhan Shah
- Sultan Mansur Shah
- Sultan Meukuta Alam
- Sultan Sayyidi al-Mukamnal
- Sultan Tajul-alam
- Tuanku Muhamat Dawot
Source
The Achehnese, Vol. II, by Dr. C. Snouck Hurgronje, translated by A.W.S. O’Sullivan, indexed by R.J. Wilkinson. Leyden: E.J. Brill, 1906.
The Achehnese, Vol. I, by Dr. C. Snouck Hurgronje, translated by A.W.S. O’Sullivan, indexed by R.J. Wilkinson. Leyden: E.J. Brill, 1906.