sultanate · Maritime Southeast Asia

Serdang Sultanate

1723 CE – 1946 CE (approx.) · capital Perbaungan

Malay sultanate of eastern Sumatra that split from Deli in 1723 and shared in the plantation wealth of the colonial era.

Origins

Serdang arose from a succession dispute in the Deli Sultanate after the death of Tuanku Panglima Paderap around 1723. One of his sons, Tuanku Umar Johan Alamsyah, was passed over and withdrew with local support to found a separate realm on the Serdang river, south-east of Deli.

Rule and society

The sultans ruled Malay coastal communities and drew tribute from neighbouring Karo and Simalungun Batak lands. Like Deli, Serdang came under Dutch control in the 1860s and leased land for tobacco and rubber estates. Sultan Sulaiman Shariful Alamshah, who reigned from 1881 to 1946, was known as a patron of Malay arts and education.

Decline and legacy

Serdang survived as a self-governing domain of the Dutch East Indies until the East Sumatran social revolution of March 1946, when the Malay aristocracy lost its power and the sultanate was absorbed into the Republic of Indonesia.

Lineage

Deli Sultanate 1632 CE – 1946 CESerdang SultanateIndonesia 1945 CE – present

Connections (1)

Serdang Sultanate was a vassal of Dutch East Indies1865 CE – 1942 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Serdang Sultanate. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/serdang-sultanate
MLA: “Serdang Sultanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/serdang-sultanate. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Serdang Sultanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/serdang-sultanate.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Serdang Sultanate’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/serdang-sultanate (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻