Laksamana Tun Abdul Jamil Paduka Raja was a Malay warrior of the Johor Sultanate. He played a major role in trying to wrest Malacca from Portuguese control.
Laksamana Tun Jamil and Portuguese Melaka
Sultan Abdullah also known as Raja Bongsu was the de facto ruler of Johor during the reign of Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah III al-Mansur. The Johor Sultanate made contact with the Dutch East India Company when the Dutch made several visits to Johor; Jacob Van Heemsberk in 1602, Jacob Pietersz Van Enkhuijen in 1603 and Admiral Wijb An Wijck Mei in 1604. Sultan Abdullah made a pact with the Dutch to attack the Portuguese in Melaka and retake the city, putting it under Malay rule.
Laksamana Tun Abdul Jamil was chosen to lead the 1606 Johor expeditionary force against the Portuguese garrison in Melaka. The force comprised 50 war perahu and 3000 warrior. The Dutch contributed 11 men-of-war. The Dutch admiral Cornelis Matelief de Jonge had under his command the ships. The ships were Oranje, Nassau, Middelburg, Witte Leeuw, Zwarte Leeuw, Mauritius, Grote Zon, Amsterdam, Kleine Zon, Erasmus and Geuniveerde Provincien.
On 18 May 1606, the Malay-Dutch force laid a siege on Melaka. A Portuguese fleet of 14 warships was sent by the Viceroy of Goa to relieve the Portuguese garrison. A naval battle was fought on 17 August 1606. The Dutch ship Nassau was boarded by Santa Cruz and the Nossa Senhora Conceição. After suffering losses when the Middelburg and Nassau were lost, Matelief withdrew his force to the Johor River for repairs. With the loss at sea, Tun Abdul Jamil was forced to abandon the land siege.
A second attempt was made in September 1606. The Johor contingent was again led by Tun Abdul Jamil. While the sea battle saw a Dutch victory, the land siege again failed, and the Johor forces withdrew.
Sultan Abdul Jalil became Sultan (with assistance from the Dutch) in 1638. In 1640, another attempt by a Johor - Dutch expeditionary force was made to capture Melaka. The Johor force consisted of 40 war perahus and 1,500 warriors, again led by Laksamana Tun Abdul Jamil. In August 1640, they successfully laid siege to Melaka, until the surrender of the garrison in January 1641.
Johor-Jambi War
By 1666, Jambi became a significant economic power and wanted independence from Johor. From 1666, a series of wars erupted between Johor and Jambi. Johor's capital, Batu Sawar, was sacked by Jambi.
In 1678, Laksamana Tun Abdul Jamil persuaded his nephew Sultan Ibrahim Shah to flee from Pahang to the relative safety of Riau. Laksamana Tun Abdul Jamil then returned to Johor Lama from Siak and killed the Temenggong. In 1679 however, Laksamana Tun Abdul Jalil paid Bugis mercenaries to fight alongside Johor against Jambi. Jambi was subdued.
Tun Abdul Jamil as Laksamana (de facto powers of the Bendahara)
Laksamana Tun Abdul Jamil was made Laksamana of Johor, with de facto powers of the Bendahara succeeding Tun Sri Lanang who went into exile in Aceh. As he grew in influence, he sidestepped many nobles. The Temenggung who opposed him was killed. He began the practice of appointing his sons to influential posts. In the end, even the Sultan was ignored. Tun Abdul Jamil was the de facto ruler when Sultan Mahmud Shah II of Johor ascended to the throne in 1685. Bendahara Tun Habib Abdul Majid reclaimed Bendaharaship and led nobles and subjects in an uprising. Tun Abdul Jamil was killed.
Honours
The Royal Malaysian Navy named a Laksamana Class Corvette KD Laksamana Tun Abdul Jamil, which was commissioned in July 1999.
Further reading
- Zainal Abidin Abdul Wahid, Empayar Melaka Sepintas Lalu, Sejarah Malaysia Sepintasa Lalu, Dewan Bahasa dan pustaka, Kuala Lumpur
- Abdul Aziz Zakaria, Portugis Dalam Sejarah Melaka, Dewan Bahas dan Pustaka, Kuala lumpur, 1963
- Buyong Adil, perjuanagan Orang Melayu Menentang Penjajahan Abad 15–19, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Kuala Lumpur, 1983