sultanate · Maritime Southeast Asia
Old Pahang Sultanate
Origins
Malacca conquered Pahang, until then a dependency of Siam, in the mid-15th century. Around 1470 Sultan Mansur Shah of Malacca installed his son Muhammad Shah as its first sultan, with his court at Pekan near the mouth of the Pahang River. The dynasty was thus a branch of the Malacca royal house.
Rule and society
Pahang exported gold, tin and forest goods, and its rulers kept close ties with Malacca and, after 1511, with the Johor Sultanate. Sultan Abdul Ghafur Muhiuddin Shah, around 1600, issued a code of law and traded with the Dutch. Pahang was often caught in the struggle between Johor, Aceh and the Portuguese.
Decline and legacy
In 1617 Iskandar Muda of the Aceh Sultanate sacked Pahang and carried off its royal family. By 1623 the Pahang line ended and the state passed to the rulers of Johor. A new Pahang sultanate emerged only in the 19th century.
Lineage
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- Old Pahang Sultanate was conquered by Aceh Sultanate1617 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Old Pahang Sultanate. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/old-pahang-sultanate
- MLA
- “Old Pahang Sultanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/old-pahang-sultanate. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Old Pahang Sultanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/old-pahang-sultanate.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Old Pahang Sultanate’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/old-pahang-sultanate (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻