Selangor - History

History

In the 15th century, Selangor was ruled by the Sultanate of Malacca. After the fall of Malacca to the Portuguese in 1511, the area became hotly disputed between the Portuguese, Johor, Aceh and Siam. When the Dutch displaced the Portuguese from Malacca in 1641, they brought in Muslim Bugis mercenaries from Sulawesi. They established the present hereditary sultanate in 1740. In many districts, Bugis settlers displaced the Minangkabau settlers from Sumatra, who had established themselves in Selangor some 100 years previously.

In the 19th century, the economy boomed due to the exploitation of huge tin reserves and the growing importance of rubber. This attracted a large influx of Chinese migrant laborers. Chinese secret clan societies, allied with Selangor chiefs, fought for control of the tin mines. The increasing violence created social and economic havoc. It also opened a window of opportunity for the British government, which forced the Sultan of Selangor to accept a British Resident in 1874. Under the stability imposed by the British, Selangor again prospered. In 1896, largely through the coordination of the Resident, Frank Swettenham, Selangor united with Negri Sembilan, Perak and Pahang to form the Federated Malay States, with its capital in Kuala Lumpur.

The Federated Malay States evolved into the Federation of Malaya in 1948, which became independent in 1957, and Malaysia in 1963. The city of Kuala Lumpur functioned as both the national capital of Malaysia and the state capital of Selangor. In 1974, Selangor relinquished Kuala Lumpur to the federal government. The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Salahuddin, reportedly shed tears of sadness upon signing away Selangor's sovereignty over its beloved capital. To commemorate Selangor's sacrifice, the Sultan decreed that an archway be built on the borders of the new Federal Territory and Selangor; this archway is the Kota Darul Ehsan that now towers majestically over a section of the Federal Highway between Bangsar and Petaling Jaya. The state capital was moved to Shah Alam after the cession.

Putrajaya, a new city designed to be the new administrative capital of Malaysia, was built by the federal government in Selangor. Sultan Salahuddin was asked again to cede land to the federal government. Putrajaya became a federal territory in 2001.