Alternative History
Alternative History
Sultanate of Pahang
Timeline: The Kalmar Union
Flag Coat of Arms
Flag Coat of Arms
Capital
(and largest city)
Pekan
Language Pahangese Malay
Sultan Mahmud Shah V
Prime Minister Ishak Razak
Population 1,030,000 
Independence 1526
Currency PKD

The Sultanate of Pahang, Pahang, is a large constitutional monarchy in South-West Asia. It is bordered by Kelantan to the north, Perak to the west and Malacca and Singapore to the south. The capital is Pekan and the population is around 1 million.

The head of State is Sultan Mahmud Shah V.

The official language is Pahangese Malay.

The currency is the Pahang Dinar (PGD).

History[]

First mentioned in the 5th century, the Hindu Pahang kingdom once ruled over much of the Malay peninsula. By the 15th century however the Hindu kingdom had fallen and a new Islamic Sultanate had taken its place, first as a vassal of Malacca then, growing in power, as a rival. When Malaccan domination was destroyed by that city's subjugation by Portugal Pahang seized its full independence.

Buoyed by gold mining the Sultans extended their influence throughout the peninsula, intervening in the wars between Perak and Pattani and the civil wars in Johor, vassalising the Riau islands and even challenging Brunei for control of Western Borneo. Though Brunei would slowly emerge as victorious in these clashes Pahang would continue to meddle; supporting the new nations which began to form on the western coast of Borneo in the 18th century. A war with Johor in the 1780s led to the loss of the Riau islands and afterwards it looked as though Pahang's best years were behind it.

Allied to Perak, it would assist in the rise of its neighbour from punching bag to local power as it absorbed several of small neighbours and seize a large portion of the Kra isthmus from Thailand. Perak now appeared to be the dominant power in Malaya and many observers assumed a war between Pahang and Perak was only a matter of time as Pahang continued to falter under a ineffective government and poor foreign policies. However the Johor War of 1863 which saw that beleaguered Sultanate seized by United Netherlands changed the dynamics of the region. The entrance of a major European player into the peninsula led the surviving states to seek out outside protection. Malacca deepened its ties to Austria, Perak and Kelantan sought out Kalmar protection. Forging a different path Pahang underwent a palace coup to oust its inadequate sultan and the incoming regime buried its historical enmity with Brunei, allying with the rapidly modernising state.

With a feeling of renewal in the air as European know-how permeated the sultanate, Pahang successfully annexed Terrenganu in a brief and mostly one-sided war in 1894. During the 20th century Pahang tried to complement Brunei's slow expansion eastward by extending its own influence south to the small Sumatran sultanates, but this only helped the Siak sultanate consolidate its power as the smaller Sultans sought out a local protector rather than one from Malaya. Currently only the small sultanate of Deli, sandwiched between Aceh and Siak, is a Pahang client-state.

Government[]

Pahang's government is still controlled heavily by the crown. Though there is a constitution the single-chambered Executive Council still defers to the monarch or his advisors in most matters. There are regular elections, including votes for women, but the elected government solely legislates on economic policies.

The current Head of State is Sultan Mahmud Shah V and the Prime Minister is Ishak Razak.