The Kedah Royal House is one of the oldest in the world.
THE current Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, who ascended the throne succeeding Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu last year, belongs to one of the oldest royal houses in the world.
The Kedah Sultanate is believed to be the longest unbroken royal lineage in the world.
Former Kedah Mentri Besar Tan Sri Sanusi Junid said the history of the Sultanate stretches over 876 years.
Sanusi, who is well-versed in the history of Kedah, said the royal lineage could be traced to Merong Mahawangsa, who established the kingdom in the fourth century, long before the Kedah Sultanate was established in 1136 when the ninth Maharaja, Phra Ong Mahawangsa, embraced Islam and ruled as Sultan Mudzafar Shah (1136-1179).
Sanusi said there is no other dynasty or existing reigning monarch in the world that could boast such a long ancestral link dating back many centuries.
The 14th Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the 27th Sultan of Kedah (since 1958).
Sanusi reiterated that the Kedah royal lineage was much longer than the British, Japanese and Thai monarchies. Although United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II is among the longest serving monarchs in the world (60 years), the kings of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland that ruled the kingdom over a period stretching 1,255 years were not from the same royal family tree.
Japan was ruled by nine different royal families; among them were Kofun, Asuka, Nara, Heian, Kamakura, the Northern Court group, Muromachi and Azuchi-Momoyama.
The current ruler is from the Edo family that has reigned for 409 years from 1603 AD, said Sanusi.
Various dynasties had ruled Siam under the Kingdom of Sukhotai, Kingdom of Ayutthaya, the Kingdom of Thonburi, and the Kingdom of Rattanakosin.
Tuanku Abdul Halim was installed as the 14th Yang di-Pertuan Agong on April 11.
The installation ceremony, attended by eminent guests, took place at the Balairong Seri or Throne Hall of the national palace, with Tuanku Abdul Halim taking his Oath of Installation, marking the formal commencement of his tenure as the Supreme Head of the Federation.
Some 900 guests, including the Malay Rulers and their consorts, the Yang di-Pertua's Negeri, the Prime Minister as well as cabinet ministers and foreign diplomats, witnessed the ceremony which was telecast live by Radio Televisyen Malaysia.
Born on Nov 28, 1927, at Istana Anak Bukit in Alor Star, Tuanku Abdul Halim is the son of Almarhum Sultan Badlishah and Almarhum Tunku Sofiah.
His early education began at Sekolah Melayu Alor Merah and Sekolah Melayu Titi Gajah before he furthered his studies at Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid from 1946 until 1949.
He was described by his teachers as an exemplary student, articulate and humble despite being the next in line to the throne.
Tuanku Abdul Halim continued his studies at Wadham College, Oxford, and obtained a Diploma in Public Administration and Social Science.
Sultans of Kedah
1) Sultan Mudzafar Shah I (1136-1179)
2) Sultan Mu'adzam Shah (1179-1201)
3) Sultan Muhammad Shah (1201-1236)
4) Sultan Mudzaffar Shah II (1236-1280)
5) Sultan Mahmud Shah I (1280-1321)
6) Sultan Ibrahim Shah (1321-1373)
7) Sultan Sulaiman Shah I (1373-1422
8) Sultan Ataullah Muhammad Shah I (1422-1472)
9) Sultan Muhammad Jiwa Zainal Adilin I (1472-1506)
10) Sultan Mahmud Shah II (1506-1546)
11) Sultan Mudzaffar Shah III (1546-1602)
12) Sultan Sulaiman Shah II (1602-1625)
13) Sultan Rijaluddin Muhammad Shah (1625-1651)
14) Sultan Muhyiddin Mansur Shah (1651-1661)
15) Sultan Dziaddin Mukarram Shah (1661-1687)
16) Sultan Ataullah Muhammad Shah II (1687-1698)
17) Sultan Abdullah Mu'adzam Shah (1698-1706)
18) Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin Halim Shah I (1706-1709)
19) Sultan Muhammad Jiwa Zainal Adilin II (1710-1778)
20) Sultan Abdullah Mukarram Shah (1778-1797)
21) Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin Halim Shah II (1797-1843)
22) Sultan Zainal Rashid Al-Mu'adzam Shah I (1843-1854)
23) Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin Mukarram Shah (1854-1879)
24) Sultan Zainal Rashid Mu'adzam Shah II (1879-1881)
25) Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah (1881-1943)
26) Sultan Badlishah (1943-1958)
27) Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah (1958-present).
