Abdul Samad of Selangor

Sultan Abdul Samad, KCMG (Almarhum Sultan Sir Abdul Samad ibni Almarhum Raja Abdullah; 1804 - 6 February 1898) was the fourth Sultan of Selangor.

Abdul Samad was born in 1804 at Bukit Melawati in Selangor to Raja Abdullah ibni Ibrahim Shah, younger brother of Sultan Muhammad Shah. His reign lasted 41 years from 1857 until his death in 1898. His time on the throne saw the only civil war in Selangor, the establishment of Kuala Lumpur, the introduction of the Selangor flag and coat of arms and the start of British involvement in Selangor state affairs.

Rise to the throne

Before becoming the Sultan of Selangor, Abdul Samad held the title of Tengku Panglima Raja and held authority over Langat. The third sultan of Selangor, Sultan Muhammad Shah, died on 6 January 1857 without appointing an heir. This started a dispute between the royal court and dignitaries of Selangor to choose the next sultan. To select the next sultan Malay customs dictate that the son of a royal wife takes precedence over the sons of other wives. This makes Raja Mahmud the next legitimate heir but he was too young and was unable to exert his right. Sultan Muhammad's older and more competent sons, Raja Laut and Raja Sulaiman were sons of concubines, the Sultan's sons-in-law, Raja Jumaat and Raja Abdullah, were from the Riau branch of the family, hence they were all...
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