The kingdom of Siak Sri Indrapura according to the historical education approach

The term "Siak Sri Indrapura" is still immortal as the name of the city of Siak Sri Indrapura, which is the capital of Siak District, and one of the Districts in Bengkalis District.

Table of contents:

1. Etymology or Origin
2. The reign of the Siak Sri Indrapura Kings
3. Before the establishment of the Siak Sri Indrapura kingdom
4. The kingdom of Buantan is the embryo of the Siak Sri Indrapura kingdom

Etymology or Origin

Many names were put forward by the hali about the origin of the word "Siak". There are those who argue that Siak means the person who looks after the mosque (ghorin), and can also mean people who know a lot about the ins and outs of Islam. Another opinion states that Siak comes from the word "Lasiak", according to the Batak language synonymous with pepper, this is according to a folklore that once a Batak expedition came to Siak. On their way through the Siak river, they met a lot of pepper on the banks of the Siak river, which according to the Batak language loghat is called the Lasiak tree.

Another opinion states that Siak is derived from the word "Suak", which is a place or village that is fed by many small rivers along the Siak river. Then it is mentioned again that Siak comes from the word "Siak-Siak", which is the name of a type of plant or grass whose roots and fruit are used as medicine. Finally, the word Siak is immortalized in the name of the kingdom of Siak Sri Indrapura (Muchtar Lutfi, et; 1977, 14) .

The reign of the Siak Sri Indrapura Kings

In the city of Siak Sri Indrapura, the former royal palace of Siak Sri Indrapura still stands firmly known as "Asserayah Hasyimiah palace". This is where the seat of government is centered and from here the governmental activities of the Siak Sri Indrapura kingdom are controlled. with all the conquered areas, until the end of the kingdom of Siak Sri Indrapura during the proclamation of the independence of the Republic of Indonesia

Before the establishment of the Siak Sri Indrapura kingdom

Before the establishment of the Siak Sri Indrapura kingdom in 1723, the Siak area and its surroundings were under the control of the Johor-Riau kingdom as the heir of the Sultanate of Melaka. Therefore the kings of Siak were appointed and appointed by the kings of the Johor-Riau kingdom. When the kingdom of Johor Riau was ruled by Sultan Mahmud Syah 1, he appointed King Abdullah in Siak with the title Sultan Khoya Ahmad Syah. Then in 1596 Raja Hasan Putra Sultan Ali Jallo Abdul Jalil Raja Johor-Riau, was tabalkan as the King of Siak (Haji Buyong. Adil; 1980, 53). King Hasan ruled until 1662.

After 1662 the Johor-Riau kingdom considered that there was no need for a king to be appointed as the representative of the Johor-Riau royal government. This is done based on considerations of economic aspects, not based on political or defense and security considerations. From an economic perspective, it is assumed that if a king is positioned in Siak, it will obviously require a lot of funds, compared to the trade in Siak and along the river Siak has not shown a favorable atmosphere. Tin and gold are the main commodities of Petapahan, and even then only tens of pikul are available, not as expected (Leonard Y Andaya; 1987, 74). Meanwhile, from a political and defense point of view, the Johor-Riau kingdom felt confident that they had a formidable power

At that time the Johor-Riau kingdom had already established friendship with the Dutch in dealing with the Portuguese and other enemies, so that the kingdoms around the Straits of Melaka respected them when other powers wanted to try to attack or control Siak, the Johor-Riau royal navy. will immediately step into action to repel the aggressor.

The kingdom of Buantan is the embryo of the Siak Sri Indrapura kingdom

Siak which was originally under Johor-Riau rule had ended, because in 1723 Raja Kecil established a kingdom that stood alone in "Buantan:". He became the first king with the title "Sultan Abdul Jalil Rakhmat Syah" (1723-1746). Then during the reign of "Sultan Abdul Jalil Muzaffar Syah" the second king, the kingdom of Siak, officially became Siak Sri Indrapura, meaning that the kingdom of Buantan was the embryo of the kingdom of Siak Sri Indrapura.

After the death of the Little King, Tengku Buang ascended the throne in place of the kingdom. The little king with the title Sultan Abdul Jalil Nuzaffar Syah in 1146. This second Sultan moved the capital of the kingdom from Buantan to the upper reaches of the Siak river called "Mempura", the name of the kingdom was Siak Sri Indrapura.

In 1765 Sultan Abdul Jalil Muzaffar Syah died, so as a replacement for him the son of Tengku Ismail was appointed with the title "Sultan Abdul Jalil Jalaluddin Syah". Before his death his father had a will not to have any relations with the Dutch, and there should be no conflict or civil war, and if his uncle Raja Alamuddin returned to Siak he had to give up the royal throne to his uncle, in order to determine the existence of the Siak Sri Indrapura kingdom. It seems that the Dutch began to glance at the appointment of Sultan Abdul Jalil Jalaluddin Syah, and the Dutch began to implement the "politics of divide et impera", political division in an attempt to re-intervene in the kingdom of Siak Sri Indrapura which had previously failed, due to its defeat in the Guntung war.

By obeying the will of his father, Sultan Abdul Jalil Jalaluddin Syah handed over the royal throne to his uncle Raja Alamuddin with the title "Sultan Abdul Jalil Alamuddin Syah with the period 1166-1180. It was during this period that the Dutch began to intervene and instill influence in the kingdom of Siak Sri Indrapura," because the Dutch also played a role in making Raja Alamuddin

As the King of Siak Sri Indrapura. However, this made Sultan Abdul Jalil Alamuddin Syah unhappy with the Dutch existence in Siak Sri Indrapura. Then the Dutch also took part in politics, for example dividing the royal officials, and Sultan Abdul Jalil Alamuddin Syah knew a lot that some of the royal officials did not like him because they intervened in the Dutch in his appointment as Sultan.

Due to several considerations, Sultan Abdul Jalil Alamuddin Syah moved the capital of the kingdom from Mempura to Senapelan in early 1767. Finally, Senapelan became busy with trade routes, and a new Pekan (market) was built called "Bandar Pekan". known as "Pekanbaru", which is now the capital of the province of Riau. One thing the Sultan did was to change the tradition, namely marrying his daughter "Tengku Embung Badariah" with a Wan Arab nation named "Sayed Syarif Osman Ihnu Syarif; Abdul Hahman Syaha Buddin: Since he was a descendant of the Malay Sultan in Siak Sri Indrapura. Continued by Arab descent.

To be continued .....