Bilah Sultanate

 ( History Of Sumatra ) 

The Bilah Sultanate was a Malay native sultanate founded in 1630 by Sultan Tahir Indra Alam. The territory of the Bilah Sultanate was centered in Negeri Lama in the Bilah Hilir District, Labuhanbatu Regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia currently. This was one of the sovereign states before the Dutch annexation, until it was later included in the East Sumatra residency by the Dutch colonial government.

This sultanate collapsed due to the East Sumatra revolution in 1946. This is also considered responsible for the decline of many local monarchies, especially Malay in East Sumatra, and Simalungun Batak, such as in Simalungun.

The perpetrators who are considered responsible are mostly Javanese people, and some Batak who are affiliated with communist and Indonesian nationalist ideologies.

Anthony Reid (2025). 9789971696375, NUS Press. ISBN 9789971696375

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Etymology The name of the Bilah Sultanate is taken from the word bilah which means 'a blade/piece of tree' originating from nibung trees which used to grow on the banks of the Bilah River. Locals often call this tree bilah nibung or bilah rotan. This term later became the origin of the name of the Bilah Sultanate and the Bilah River in the area.

The Bilah River is the largest river in the Labuhanbatu area which flows into the Malacca Strait. This river has an important role for the Bilah Sultanate because it is a trade route and a link with other regions. This is also a means of transportation for the community in carrying out various activities, both the local community which is dominated by the Malay people and the immigrant community from other areas outside the Bilah Sultanate.

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History

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Establishment The Bilah Sultanate was a Malay sultanate established in the Negeri Lama. This sultanate was founded by Sutan Tahir Indra Alam around 1630. The founder of this sultanate was descended from the Pinang Awan Sultanate which is located in Kotapinang, which is then better known as the Kotapinang Sultanate. Sultan Tahir Indra Alam then opened a new area in Muara Kumbul until he died and was given the title Marhum Mangkat di Kumbul.

Based on the Map of the States of East Sumatra (1863), the territorial boundaries of the Bilah Sultanate are clearly visible, including:

• To the north it borders the Kualuh Sultanate
• To the east it borders the Panai Sultanate
• To the south it borders the Kotapinang Sultanate
• To the west it borders the Tapanuli Residency

At the beginning of its founding as an Islamic Malay sultanate, the Bilah Sultanate also played a role in spreading the message of Islam in its territory. Sultan Tahir Indra Alam as sultan at that time ordered the spread of Islam to areas around the Bilah Sultanate, such as Panai and Kotapinang. The spread of Islam also influenced the belief system of the community, so that the majority of people in Labuhanbatu are Muslim. In addition, the Bilah Sultanate, which was led by a sultan, also included Islamic elements in its government, legal and cultural systems which had an impact on society. This is the identity of the Bilah Sultanate as one of the sultanates in East Sumatra.

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Dutch colonial period During its development, when the Bilah Sultanate was ruled by Sultan Musa Bidar Alamsyah III (1865–1904), this sultanate collaborated with the Dutch colonial authorities. The Bilah Sultanate collaborated with the Dutch colonial government in the fields of economics, government, and territorial expansion which made the Bilah Sultanate a rich sultanate which had an impact on the luxurious lifestyle of this sultanate. This also had an impact on the dynamics of community life in Labuhanbatu at that time.

The opening of rubber and oil palm plantations marked the Dutch colonial presence in the Bilah Sultanate. The plantations are mixed with agricultural products previously planted by the local community, such as copra, rattan, jernang, and resin. The development of the plantation increased the economic growth of the Bilah Sultanate, thus improving the lives of the sultans. This is proven by the construction of palaces, mosques, and other buildings in the Bilah Sultanate area.

The division of territory carried out by the Dutch colonialists had an impact on economic growth, infrastructure, and the people living in the Bilah Sultanate. The growth in question leads to the development of markets ( pekan) as economic centers. In addition, the development of infrastructure and public services, as well as demographic distribution, also developed due to the division of the region. This also had an impact on the form of cooperation and agreements made between the Bilah Sultanate and the Dutch colonial government.

The forms of cooperation and agreements that are carried out generally utilize the area for economic interests and plantation development. In terms of opening new plantations, the Dutch colonial authorities negotiated with the Bilah Sultanate, whereby the profits from the plantations planted would be given to the sultan as the ruler of the area. Apart from that, the Dutch also asked the Malay community in Bilah to work for wages determined by the Dutch colonial government.

Apart from opening plantations, the presence of the Dutch Colonial in the Bilah Sultanate was also motivated by the aim of expanding the territory around East Sumatra. This can be seen from the division of territory between the Dutch colonial government and the Bilah Sultanate. Within certain limits and provisions, political contracts were established which resulted in the birth of two forms of government, namely landschap and gouvernement. Furthermore, in dividing the territory, the Dutch colonialists divided the Bilah Sultanate into two parts, namely the Negeri Lama (autonomous region) under the control of the Bilah Sultanate, and Rantauprapat (municipality) under the control of the Dutch. This is proven by the growth of Rantauprapat as a plantation area formed through onderafdeeling.

The development of this cooperation continued with other sultanates around the Bilah Sultanate area. This cooperation provides its own benefits for the Bilah Sultanate, where the Bilah Sultanate received profits from the oil palm and rubber plantations that the Dutch had built, and the Bilah Malays receive salaries or wages for the work they do. So that the developments that occurred in the Bilah Sultanate increased slightly from before. However, behind the advantages gained by the Bilah Sultanate, the disadvantage was that the regulations set by the Dutch colonial government for Bilah was very unreasonable, because the regulations made were very detrimental to the Bilah Sultanate and the people. Forced labor system and punishment if workers () do not comply with previously agreed work agreements.

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Japanese occupation period After the Dutch began to lose their influence, in 1942, Japanese Empire began to enter Dutch East Indies territory, including Labuhanbatu. The arrival of the Japanese was initially seen as a savior for the Labuhanbatu people from the Dutch colonial government, but this actually made the situation worse. The treatment of the sultans in Labuhanbatu was also not as good as during the Dutch colonial period. It peaked in 1945, when the proclamation of Indonesian independence led to the conquest of many small monarchies. The Bilah Sultanate chose to join, due to the trauma experienced as a result of the cruelty of the Japanese occupation.

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Indonesian independence period One year after the proclamation of Indonesian independence or in 1946, the Bilah Sultanate no longer had any power or influence in society or its people, because at that time a major change occurred, namely Indonesia wanted to be independent from the colonialists. This means changing the system of government from a monarchy to a republic. This situation is known in history as the incident of the anti-feudalism movement or what is known as the East Sumatra revolution which caused many Malay sultanates in East Sumatra, including the Bilah Sultanate, experienced destruction. The last Sultan of Bilah was Sultan Adil Bidar Alamsyah who also died as a victim of this incident.

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See also

• East Sumatra
• Labuhanbatu Regency
• Kotapinang Sultanate

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