Selangor Civil War or Klang War (1867-74) involves several Malay, 202206272053# elites and major figures of both dominant Chinese kongsi Ghee Hin and Hai San. At the later stage of the war, it also involves major power in the region such as British, Kedah, Pahang and Johor.
The cause of the war could be traced back to the rewarding of Klang to Raja Abdullah, brother of Raja Juma’at of Lukut, by Sultan Muhammad (1826-57), resulted in a discontent prince, Raja Mahdi, Sultan’s grandson, who argued that he deserved Klang as he was the son of the previous holder. As Raja Abdullah granted William Henry Macleod Read and Tan Kim Ching the right to collect opium trade taxes in his controlled area (Klang), a business which Raja Mahdi also involved, he disputed the payment, justified it by saying he should be exempted as he was part of the Selangor royal family.
The action had been viewed as a rank defiance by both Raja Abdullah and the newly inaugurating Sultan Abdul Samad, as he had just won the power struggle of the royal succession against Raja Mahdi. Selangor at the time had been effectively divided into five regions controlled by different authorities: Lukut (controlled by Raja Juma’at), Klang (currently at the hand of Raja Abdullah), Langat (royal fief), Bernam (under Raja Hitam) and Kuala Selangor (controlled by Raja Muda Musa).
The war broke out as Raja Mahdi laid siege to Klang fort with the support from Batu Bara clan (Sumatran origin, led by Mohamed Akib, angered by Raja Abdullah who refused to punish his fellow Bugis murderer and pay compensation, later led by Mohamed Tahir after Akid’s death in the assault), Raja Hitam and Raja Mahmud, and successfully gain control of it, which will later be named Raja Mahadi fort. Raja Ismail and Raja Hasan, sons of Raja Abdullah, continued to fight against the odd after their father die in Melaka after evacuated to there.
Sultan Abdul Samad appointed a Kedah prince called Tengku Kudin (aka Ziauddin), who was also Sultan’s son-in-law, as the Viceroy of Selangor. Tengku Kudin didn’t have an appanage (a fief) under his control in Selangor, and he was interested in reigning himself in the rich tin area (Klang). After a failed peace talk initiated by him, Tengku Kudin sided with Raja Ismail, and started to recruit help from Rembau (today’s Negeri Sembilan) and Kedah. Raja Mahdi responded by turning to Maharaja Abu Bakar of Johor, son of Temengung Daeng Ibrahim.
At the same time, the rivalries between two Hakka clans, Fui Chew (part of Hai San) and Kah Yeng Chew (part of Ghee Hin) over the control of tin mines in Kuala Lumpur had increasing became untenable. The newly designated Kapitan of Kuala Lumpur Yap Ah Loy, leader of the Fui Chew clan, a member of the Hai San secret society, drove out one of the headman of Kah Yeng Chew, Chong Chong, after the Kanching Massacre. Seek to revenge, Kah Yeng Chew joined the side with Raja Mahdi, whereas Fui Chew seek for protection from Tengku Kudin.
After gaining control of Klang, Raja Mahdi broke his promise to award some territories in the Selangor interior to the now leader of the Batu Bara clan, Mohamed Tahir. Ironically, one of Raja Mahdi relatives killed one of the man of Batu Bara, and he refused to compensate such wrongdoing. Frustrated, Mohamed Tahir withdrew his support to Raja Mahdi and switched to Tengku Kudin side. This turned the tale of the war, as Raja Ismail laid a siege to Klang and successfully drove up Raja Mahdi from the town, which the latter retreated to Kuala Selangor. Raja Muda Musa was driven out from his fief by a combined force of Raja Mahdi and Raja Hitam, caused him to take side with Tengku Kudin.
To aid Raja Musa, Tengku Kudin sent in Syed Mashhor, a Malay hero banished by Brooke Sarawak upon a failed rebellion. However, upon learning his brother’s death by a son of Sultan Abdul Samad, he switched to Raja Mahdi’s course. With the support of Kah Yeng Chew clan, Raja Mahdi force led by Syed Mashhor attacked Kuala Lumpur in 1870 and 1871, but both attempts were failed, and Chong Chong die during the second siege of Kuala Lumpur.
The British authorities in the Strait Settlements (include Penang, Melaka and Singapore) had become concerned over the rampant piracy in Selangor, and finally decided to get involved in the conflicts as one of British vessels were attacked by Raja Mahdi’s pirates. They captured Kuala Selangor and later handed it over to Tengku Kudin. However, Tengku Kudin refused to give the control of revenue in Kuala Selangor to Raja Musa, who previously ruled over the region, which prompted his joining to Raja Mahdi’s side. To make things worse, Selangor royals had grown suspicions over Tengku Kudin rising power since the bestowed governorship of Langat to him in order to fund the war.
Raja Mahdi’s companies became stronger than of Tengku Kudin as more and more Malay elites joined into his rank, some of them were even the members of Selangor royal family. Tengku Kudin lost hold over Kuala Lumpur (by Syed Mashhor), Bukit Nanas (by Raja Asal, leader of Mandailing people) and Kuala Selangor in 1872. After requesting help from Pahang and the governor of the Strait Settlements Sir Andrew Clarke, in 1873, Tengku Kudin’s faction successfully regain Kuala Lumpur and Kuala Selangor consequently, exiled Syed Mashhor and Raja Mahdi to Perak and Johor respectively, and ultimately won over the war.
After the conclusion of Pangkor Treaty in 1874, Clarke suggested Swettenham as Assistant Resident and J. G. Davidson as Resident to Sultan Abdul Samad. The latter was Tengku Kudin’s financial associate and had heavily involved in the Klang administration.