Klang War
Date 1867–1874 Location Selangor Result Raja Abdullah/Tengku Kudin faction victory Beginning of British residency of Selangor Selangor became part of the Federated Malay States in 1895
Belligerents
Raja Abdullah loyalists Pahang Kingdom Hai San Supported by: Sultan of Selangor  United Kingdom (from 1873)	Raja Mahdi loyalists Sumatran groups Ghee Hin Supported by: Local Malay chiefs
Commanders and leaders
Raja Abdullah Raja Ismail Tengku Kudin Mohamed Tahir Yap Ah Loy	Raja Mahadi Raja Mahmud Syed Mashhor Chong Chong †

Part of a series on the
History of Malaysia
Prehistoric period Paleolithic  Lenggong Valley c. 2,000,0000 BCE  Mansuli Valley 235,000 BCE Mesolithic  Niah cultures 65,000–40,000 BCE Neolithic  Bewah man/woman 16,000 BCE  Perak man/woman 11,000–200 BCE  Neolithic Klang 500 – 200 BCE
Early kingdoms Ancient Kedah <100 BCE Chi Tu 100 BCE–642 CE Langkasuka 100 BCE–1474 CE Gangga Negara c. 100 CE–1025 Pan Pan 424–775 Old Kedah 170–1135 Old Pahang 449–1454 Srivijaya 700s–1025 Majapahit 1300s
Rise of Muslim states Kedah Sultanate 1136–present Samudera Pasai Sultanate 1267–1521 Brunei Sultanate 1368–present Malacca Sultanate 1402–1511 Sulu Sultanate 1450–1899 Pahang Sultanate 1470–1623 Aceh Sultanate 1496–1903 Pattani Sultanate 1516– 1902 Johor Sultanate 1528–present Sarawak Sultanate 1599–1641 Selangor Sultanate 1766–present Besut Kingdom 1780–1899 Setul Kingdom 1808–1916 Reman Kingdom 1810–1902 Kubang Pasu Kingdom 1839–1864
Colonial period Portuguese Malacca 1511–1641 Dutch–Portuguese War 1601–1661 Dutch Malacca 1641–1824 Pahang Kingdom 1770–1881 Straits Settlements 1786–1946 Siamese invasion of Kedah 1821–1826 Anglo-Dutch Treaty 1824 Burney Treaty 1826 Naning War 1831–1832 Kingdom of Sarawak 1841–1946 Separation of Perlis from Kedah 1843 Crown Colony of Labuan 1848–1946 Pahang Civil War 1857–1863 Larut Wars 1861–1874 Klang War 1867–1874 Pangkor Treaty 1874 Perak War 1875–1876 British Malaya / Borneo 1874–1946 Jementah Civil War 1879 North Borneo 1882–1946 Pahang Uprising 1891–1895 Mat Salleh Rebellion 1894–1905 Federated Malay States 1895–1946 Anglo-Siamese Treaty 1909 Unfederated Malay States 1909–1946 Battle of Penang 1914 Kelantan rebellion 1915
World War II Japanese occupation of Malaya / Borneo 1941–1945 Malayan campaign 1941–1942 Bornean Campaign 1941–1942 Battle of Muar 1942 Parit Sulong Massacre 1942 Battle of Singapore 1942 Sook Ching 1942 Syburi 1942 Sandakan Death Marches 1942–1945 Si Rat Malai 1943–1945 Jesselton revolt 1943–1944
Formative period BMA of Malaya/Borneo 1945–1946 Crown Colony of N. Borneo/Sarawak 1946–1963 Anti-cession movement 1946–1963 Malayan Union 1946–1948 Federation of Malaya 1948–1963 Malayan Emergency 1948–1960 Baling Talks 1955
Independence period Malayan Independence 1957 Singapore self-governance 1959 ISA 1960 1960–2012 Sarawak Insurgency 1962–1990 North Borneo self-governance 1963 Konfrontasi 1963–1966 Sarawak self-governance 1963 Formation of Malaysia 1963 Singapore in Malaysia 1963–1965 ASEAN Declaration 1967 Second communist insurgency 1968–1989
Modern period 13 May incident 1969 National Operations Council 1969–1971 Declaration of Rukun Negara 1970 New Economic Policy 1971–1990 Federal Territory of KL 1974 1977 Kelantan Emergency 1977 Pedra Branca dispute 1979–2008 South China Sea dispute (Spratly) 1980–present Dawn Raid 1981 Federal Territory of Labuan 1984 Memali incident 1985 Operation Lalang 1987 Constitutional crisis 1987–1988 Peace Agreement of Hat Yai 1989 Royal Immunity Amendments 1993 Asian financial crisis 1997–1998 Reformasi Movement 1998–2022 2008 Malaysian Opposition Wave 2008 H1N1 flu pandemic 2009–2010 Sedition Dragnet 2014 1MDB scandal 2015–present Pakatan Harapan takeover 2018 COVID-19 pandemic 2020–2022 Political crisis 2020–2022 Bornean Amendment 2021–2023 Green Wave 2022–present
Incidents Brunei revolt 1962–1966 North Borneo dispute (Philippine militant attacks) 1962–present Singapore race riots 1964 Brunei's Limbang claim 1967–2009 Penang Hartal riot 1967 13 May Incident 1969 Ligitan and Sipadan dispute 1969–2002 Kuala Lumpur flash floods 1971 Malaysian haze crisis 1972–present AIA building hostage crisis 1975 National Monument bombing 1975 Campbell Shopping Complex fire 1976 Sabah Air GAF Nomad crash 1976 Japan Airlines Flight 715 incident 1977 MH653 incident 1977 1985 Lahad Datu ambush 1985 Memali Incident 1985 Sabah Emergency 1986 Ming Court Affair 1987 Penang terminal bridge collapse 1988 Taufiqiah Al-Khairiah madrasa fire 1989 Bright Sparklers disaster 1991 Highland Towers collapse 1993 Genting landslide 1995 MH2133 incident 1995 Pos Dipang mudflow 1996 Tropical Storm Greg 1996 1998–1999 Malaysia Nipah virus outbreak 1998–1999 2000 Sipadan kidnappings 2000 Al-Ma'unah incident 2000 Sauk Siege 2000 2001 Kampung Medan riots 2001 2002 Taman Hillview landslide 2002 Indian Ocean tsunami 2004 2006–2007 Southeast Asian floods 2006–2007 Bukit Gantang bus crash 2007 Bukit Antarabangsa landslide 2008 2009 swine flu pandemic in Malaysia 2009 Attacks against places of worship 2010 Cameron Highlands bus crash 2010 Hulu Langat landslide 2011 Genting Highlands bus crash 2013 MH370 incident 2014 MH17 incident 2014 2014–15 Malaysia floods 2014–2015 Sabah earthquake 2015 2015 Plaza Low Yat riot 2015 Movida Bar grenade attack 2016 Kim Jong-nam's Assassination 2017 Darul Quran madrasa fire 2017 2018 Subang Temple riot 2018 2020-21 Malaysia floods 2021 LRT train collision 2021 2021-22 Malaysia floods 2021–2022 2022 Batang Kali landslide 2022 2023 Elmina plane crash 2023 2024 Lumut helicopters crash 2024 2024 Ulu Tiram police station attack 2024
By topic Communications Constitutional Economic Immigration Legal Military
By region Kedah Kuala Lumpur Penang George Town Sabah Sarawak
Malaysia portal

The Klang War or Selangor Civil War was a series of conflicts that lasted from 1867 to 1874 in the Malay state of Selangor in the Malay Peninsula (modern-day Malaysia).

It was initially fought between Raja Abdullah, the administrator of the Klang Valley, and Raja Mahdi. It was joined by Tengku Kudin (Tengku Dhiauddin, also spelt Ziauddin), a Kedahan prince, as well as other Malay and Chinese factions. The war was eventually won by Tengku Kudin and Abdullah's son, Raja Ismail.

In 1854, the sultan of Selangor Sultan Muhammad Shah appointed Raja Abdullah bin Raja Ja'afar as governor of the Klang Valley. Raja Abdullah and his brother Raja Juma'at had previously helped Raja Sulaiman settle a debt incurred during a failed mining venture, and was rewarded with the governorship of the Klang Valley.^[1][2] Raja Mahdi, the grandson of Sultan Muhammad Shah, was the son of Raja Sulaiman who previously served as governor of the Klang Valley; Raja Abdullah's appointment to the post therefore also disinherited Raja Mahdi of the position, which resulted in his resentment.

Raja Abdullah and Raja Juma'at, who had opened very successful tin mines in Lukut (near modern Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan), obtained funding for the exploration of new tin mines near Kuala Lumpur, at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers, in 1857. The new mines were successful, generating considerable revenue, and the struggle for the control of the revenue, as well as for political power, were essentially the reasons for the war.^[3]

Sultan Muhammad died in 1857, and Sultan Abdul Samad succeeded him after a power struggle. Sultan Abdul Samad however only had direct control over the state capital, Langat, and did not have absolute control over the rest of Selangor, which was organized into four riverine provinces – the Bernam Valley, Kuala Selangor, the Klang Valley, and Lukut – which were administered by four autonomous chieftains or governors.^[2] When the disgruntled Raja Mahdi initiated the conflict, the Malays were split into two camps in the ensuing war. On Raja Mahdi's side were Raja Mahmud, son of the Panglima Raja of Selangor; Raja Hitam of the Bernam Valley; as well as Sumatran immigrants led by Mohamed Akib and his younger brother Mohamed Tahir (later conferred the title of 'Dato Dagang'). Raja Abdullah's faction included his son, Raja Ismail who continued the war after Raja Abdullah's death, later joined by the Kedahan prince, Tengku Kudin and supported by Sultan Abdul Samad. The Chinese tin miners were also divided between the two camps.

Some of the Malays however switched sides in the course of the war, for example Mohamed Tahir, who helped Raja Mahdi take Klang from Raja Abdullah, eventually switched to Tengku Kudin's side. Syed Mashhor, an Arab-Malay fighter whose father was from Pontianak, was born in Langat, Selangor.^[4] He initially supported Raja Abdullah's cause but switched to that of Raja Mahdi. Raja Muda Musa of Kuala Selangor also went over to Raja Mahdi's side.

In the later stages of the conflict Tengku Kudin managed to gain the support of British colonial administrators and in 1873 mercenaries from neighbouring Pahang.^[5]

In 1866, Raja Abdullah authorised two traders from the Straits Settlements – William Henry Macleod Read and Tan Kim Ching – to collect taxes from the opium trade in the Klang Valley, which Raja Mahdi was also involved in.^[2] Raja Mahdi objected to the tax collection, on the grounds that he should be exempted as he was Selangorean royalty, and refused to pay.^[3] Raja Abdullah saw this as an act of defiance by Raja Mahdi towards him. This incident, exacerbated by Raja Mahdi's continued dissatisfaction with being ignored as the successor to Sultan Muhammad for the Selangorean throne following his death in 1857, in favour of Raja Abdul Samad (later became Sultan Abdul Samad), as well as further conflicts between their followers, worsened the already tense relationship between the two princes, which many believe were the initial causes for the outbreak of the Klang War.

At that time there was also a long-standing animosity between the Bugis Malays (the royal family of Selangor were of Bugis origin) and the Batu Bara clan who are of Sumatran origin. Raja Abdullah, himself a Bugis, refused to punish a fellow member of the Bugis clan he had sent to guard Bukit Nanas in Kuala Lumpur (the site of the modern Kuala Lumpur Tower), who murdered a villager from the Batu Bara clan. Angered by Raja Abdullah's refusal to punish the murderer or paying compensation for the death of one of his men as an alternative, the Batu Bara clan leader, Mohamed Akib, informed Raja Mahdi of the incident and pledged his support for him if he wanted to fight against Raja Abdullah.^[6] Raja Mahdi, supported by some Sumatran traders, then laid siege to the fort of Klang town (now known as Raja Mahdi fort). Mohamad Akib was shot and killed in 1867 while attempting an assault at the fort, and his younger brother Mohamed Tahir assumed leadership of the Batu Bara clan. Mohamad Akib's body together with several other slain Sumatran Malays were buried within the grounds of the fort.

Raja Abdullah evacuated with his family to the Straits Settlement of Malacca, where he later died, while his two sons, Raja Ismail and Raja Hasan, continued fighting. In March 1867, Raja Mahdi captured the fort of Klang, taking the city. One of Abdullah's sons, Raja Ismail, returned with three small ships to lay siege to Klang City, but was unable to retake it.^[3]

When the Selangor Civil War broke out, Kapitan Cina of Kuala Lumpur Yap Ah Loy was faced with internecine fighting among dissident Chinese groups as well as attacks from other Malay factions. The two largest Chinese gangs, the Kuala Lumpur-based Hai San and the Selayang-based Ghee Hin, had engaged in fighting to gain control of tin production in the town.^[7][8] The Chinese factions would eventually join opposing sides in the civil war, with the Ghee Hin siding with Raja Mahdi, and the Hai San with Yap Ah Loy siding with Tengku Kudin.^[9]

At Kanching (near Selayang), the headman Yap Ah Sze, who was an ally of Yap Ah Loy, was murdered, most likely at the instigation of Chong Chong, another Hakka headman.^[10] Yap Ah Loy, the Chinese Kapitan of Kuala Lumpur, went to Kanching with his men to drive out Chong Chong, and many from the Kanching faction were killed. Chong Chong then took refuge in Rawang and joined Raja Mahdi's faction.^[2]

Yap Ah Loy initially stayed neutral in the Klang War, choosing to deal with whoever that was in power. After Raja Mahdi took Klang City, he had in fact scheduled a ceremony to formally invest Yap into the office of Kapitan in 1869. However, when Klang City was captured by Tengku Kudin, Yap recognized Tengku Kudin's authority, after meeting him by chance in Langat, earning him the enmity of Raja Mahdi.^[11] Chong Chong soon joined Syed Mashhor on two failed offensives on Kuala Lumpur.

In 1867, Tengku Kudin, a prince from Kedah (then part of Siam), married into the royal family of Selangor. Sultan Abdul Samad then appointed his son-in-law as Viceroy of Selangor with a mandate to carry out mediation between the warring parties, first on 26 June 1868.^[12][13][14]

Raja Mahdi however rejected the mediation. Offended, Tengku Kudin opted to back Raja Ismail.

Simultaneously, cracks emerge between Raja Mahdi and his former ally, Mohamed Tahir, leader of the Batu Bara clan. Raja Mahdi had earlier promised Tahir the governorship in the interior provinces of Selangor, in exchange for Tahir's assistance in his offensive on Klang City. However, he reneged on his offer after his victory in Klang in March 1867. To make things worse, a relative of Raja Mahdi had killed one of the clan leader's followers in a scuffle. Tahir demanded for justice according to the Malay custom of adat ganti darah (blood money), but Raja Mahdi ignored his demand. Tahir soon withdrew his support for Raja Mahdi, and offered Tengku Kudin his allegiance, which Tengku Kudin accepted. Tahir also informed Tengku Kudin (and Sultan Abdul Samad) that he was able, through his contacts in Singapore, to supply them with weapons and ammunition in their fight against Raja Mahdi.

In March 1870, Raja Ismail, assisted by Tengku Kudin, laid siege to Klang City and drove out Raja Mahdi, who retreated north to Kuala Selangor which he had captured from Raja Musa with help from Raja Hitam. Syed Mashhor, then serving under Tengku Kudin, was deployed to Kuala Selangor to assist Raja Musa but defected upon learning that his brother had been killed by a son of Sultan Abdul Samad.^[15] Raja Mahdi and his Chinese allies from Selayang who were enemies of Yap, unsuccessfully mounted an offensive on Kuala Lumpur in 1870, with support from Malay troops led by Syed Mashhor. Another offensive the following year also failed.^[9][11]

Meanwhile, the conflict disrupted the economy and trade with the British Straits Settlements, while also raising concerns over security, especially with the occurrence of piracy. The British soon increasingly involved themselves in the affairs of Selangor. In July 1871, a pirate attack on ships was traced to Raja Mahdi's stronghold in Kuala Selangor. The British soon captured Kuala Selangor in an expedition, driving out Mahdi's men out and giving the town to Tengku Kudin.^[16] Kudin however refused to surrender the province to Raja Musa who was the governor, which prompted Raja Musa to join Raja Mahdi's side. Sultan Abdul Samad, who had bestowed the governorship of the Langat province upon Tengku Kudin to help him fund his war, also began to be concerned about the rising influence of Tengku Kudin.^[2]

In 1872, Raja Mahdi gained the support of several Malay chiefs, some of them members of the royal family of Selangor. Raja Asal and Sutan Puasa – the leaders of Mandailing diaspora in Selangor – also pledged their allegiance to Raja Mahdi. Raja Mahdi successfully captured Kuala Lumpur, with Raja Asal laying siege to Bukit Nanas, where Tengku Kudin's forces of 500 soldiers and European mercenaries were stationed. Some of Tengku Kudin's men attempted a breakthrough, but they were captured in Petaling and killed. Yap Ah Loy managed to escape to Klang, but Kuala Lumpur was razed to the ground and Kuala Selangor was recaptured by Raja Mahdi's forces.

Yap, however, was determined to regain Kuala Lumpur, and assembled a force of around 1,000 men. Tengku Kudin requested for assistance from the Sultan of neighbouring Pahang, with the Bendahara Wan Ahmad of Pahang providing him 1,000 men and other reservists. He also gained the support of the British colonial administrator Sir Andrew Clarke. In March 1873, Kudin's men, supported by Pahangese fighters, defeated Syed Mashhor in Kuala Lumpur, and Mashhor fled to Perak.^[3] The fighting continued for a few more months, but on 8 November 1873 the Pahangese forces captured Kuala Selangor and the war largely ended. In 1874 Raja Mahdi went into exile in Johor and then Singapore, where he died in 1882.^[17]

Despite winning the war, Tengku Kudin was viewed with suspicion by the royal family of Selangor. His Pahangese allies also refused to return to Pahang because they wanted a share of tax revenue as "payment" for their service, and their refusal to withdraw complicated the situation. The commander of the Pahangese expeditionary forces was authorised to collect revenue in the provinces of Kuala Selangor and Klang, while J. G. Davidson and others who assisted Tengku Kudin were given favourable concessions on mining land for ten years in Selangor.^[2] While the British through the new governor Andrew Clarke backed Tengku Kudin, the post-war situation made his position untenable. Kudin remained the Viceroy of Selangor until 1878, but he had already returned to Kedah by 1876, and later went on to live in Penang.^[18][19]

The war was significant enough that British subjects asked for compensation for their loss of capital invested in Klang. Also, traders from Malacca petitioned the British colonial authorities for their losses incurred during the war.^[20]

A significant development in this period is the beginning of direct British involvement in the affairs of the Malay states. The British were concerned about the disruption caused by the war to their trade and investments in the region, eventually siding with Tengku Kudin, in part because Raja Mahdi and some of his followers had attacked shipping in the Strait of Malacca. Colonial Secretary James W. W. Birch voiced his support for Tengku Kudin and lent him a ship to blockade Kuala Selangor, and Governor Harry Ord also encouraged Pahang to back Tengku Kudin with fighters.^[9] Previously the British had a policy of non-intervention even though they had at times become engaged in local disputes. This war and other conflicts such as the Larut War in Perak led to the official abandonment of this policy in September 1873 by the Earl of Kimberley, Secretary of State for the Colonies, and set into motion the beginning of British administration in the Malay States.^[21]

In October 1875, Sultan Abdul Samad sent a letter to Andrew Clarke requesting that Selangor become a British protectorate. James Guthrie Davidson, a lawyer from Singapore, was soon appointed as the first British Resident of Selangor.^[22][23] This came after the signing of the 1874 Pangkor Agreement with the Sultan of Perak that marked the beginning of a period of indirect rule of the Malay states by the British Residents serving as advisers to the sultans.^[24]

• British Malaya

• Zainal Abidin bin Abdul Wahid; Khoo Kay Kim; Muhd Yusof bin Ibrahim; Singh, D.S. Ranjit (1994). Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Menengah Sejarah Tingkatan 2. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. ISBN 978-983-62-1009-8
• 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. Malay States.
• Haji Buyong Adil; Sejarah Johor Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.