James Brooke

James Brooke
James Brooke
	Portrait by Herbert Watkins, 1858
Rajah of Sarawak
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	29 April 1803; Bandel, Hooghly, British India
Died	11 June 1868 (aged 65); Burrator, United Kingdom
Burial	St Leonard's Church, Sheepstor, Dartmoor
Issue	Reuben George Walker (Brooke); Pengiran Anak Fatima
House	Brooke dynasty
Father	Thomas Brooke
Mother	Anna Maria Brooke
Religion	Christianity (Church of England)
Occupation	Former soldier, trader, independent gentleman, Governor;
1st Governor of Labuan
	In office; 1848–1853
Monarch	Queen Victoria
Lieutenant	William Napier (1848–1850) ; John Scott (1850–1856)
Preceded by	Newly Created
Succeeded by	George Warren Edwardes
1st Consul General to the Sultan and Independent Chiefs of Borneo
	In office; 1847–1853
Succeeded by	Spenser St. John
Military service
Allegiance	British Empire
Branch/service	Bengal Army, British East India Company
Years of service	1819–1830
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	6th Regiment Native Infantry
Battles/wars	First Anglo-Burmese War; (1824–1825)

Sir James Brooke, Rajah^[note] of Sarawak KCB (29 April 1803^[3] – 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 during the Company Raj of the British East India Company in India. 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 out to the Malay Archipelago where, by helping to crush a rebellion, he became governor of Sarawak. He then vigorously suppressed piracy in the region and, in the ensuing turmoil, restored the Sultan of Brunei to his throne, for which the Sultan made Brooke the Rajah of Sarawak. He ruled until his death.

Brooke was not without detractors and was criticised in the British Parliament and officially investigated in Singapore for his anti-piracy measures. He was, however, honoured and feted in London for his activities in Southeast Asia. The naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace was one of many visitors whose published work spoke of his hospitality and achievements.

^ Brown, G. H.; Clark, F. (1829). East-India Register and Directory for 1829. Secretary's Office, East-India House.
^ Brown, G. H.; Clark, F. (1829). East-India Register and Directory for 1829. Secretary's Office, East-India House.
^ Calcutta Monthly Journal Archived 8 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine, May 1803, p. 158, "Bengal Births. … At Bandel, on the 29th ultimo, the Lady of T.Brooke, Esq. of a Son"

[1] Brown, G. H.; Clark, F. (1829). East-India Register and Directory for 1829. Secretary's Office, East-India House.

[2] Brown, G. H.; Clark, F. (1829). East-India Register and Directory for 1829. Secretary's Office, East-India House.

[3] Calcutta Monthly Journal Archived 8 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine, May 1803, p. 158, "Bengal Births. … At Bandel, on the 29th ultimo, the Lady of T.Brooke, Esq. of a Son"

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