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James Brooke

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Also known as Rajah Brooke, Sir James Brooke

rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868)

Key facts

Reign
18 August 1842 – 11 June 1868
Installation
18 August 1842
Predecessor
Sultan Tengah (as Sultan of Sarawak), Pengiran Indera Mahkota Mohammad Salleh (as Governor of Sarawak)
Successor
Charles Brooke
Born
( 1803-04-29 ) 29 April 1803, Bandel , Hooghly , Bengal Presidency
Died
11 June 1868 (1868-06-11) (aged 65), Burrator , United Kingdom
Burial
St Leonard's Church, Sheepstor , Dartmoor
Issue
Reuben George Walker (Brooke)
House
Brooke dynasty
Father
Thomas Brooke
Mother
Anna Maria Brooke
Occupation
Soldier, trader, independent gentleman, mercenary, governor
Monarch
Queen Victoria
Lieutenant
William Napier (1848–1850) , John Scott (1850–1856)
Preceded by
Newly created
Succeeded by
George Warren Edwardes
Allegiance
British Empire
Branch service
Bengal Army , British East India Company

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of
human
Given name
James
Gender
male
Place of birth
Varanasi
Occupation
diplomat
Languages spoken
English language
Religion
Anglicanism
Military rank
lieutenant
Image
Sir James Brooke (1847) by Francis Grant.jpg
Show 7 more facts
writing language
English language
described by source
The Nuttall Encyclopædia
Commons category
James Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak
date of death
1868-00-00
date of birth
1803-04-29
name in native language
James Brooke
Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~19 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Sir James Brooke (29 April 1803 – 11 June 1868), was a British soldier and adventurer who founded the Raj of Sarawak in Borneo. He ruled as the first White Rajah of Sarawak from 1841 until his death in 1868.

Brooke was born and raised in India during the rule of the British East India Company. After a few years of education in England, he served in the Bengal Army, was wounded, and resigned his commission. He then bought a ship and sailed to the Malay Archipelago where, in gratitude for helping to crush a rebellion, he was rewarded by the Sultan of Brunei with the position of governor of Sarawak. He then vigorously suppressed piracy in the region and, in the ensuing turmoil, restored the sultan to his throne, for which Brooke was made the rajah of Sarawak. He ruled until his death.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “James Brooke” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.