Brunei on the Morrow of Independence

Abstract

Background In the 16th century, Brunei's hegemony extended from Manila on the north to some indeterminate area of south Borneo. Spain and a resurgent kingdom of Sulu reduced Brunei dominion in the north; unknown events limited Brunei control to the southern boundary of present-day Sarawak by the 19th century, when European and American adventurers carved Sarawak and Sabah, now parts of Malaysia, from Brunei's remainder. In 1888 Britain established a loose umbrella of protection and control over Brunei, Sarawak, and Sabah, but in 1890 Charles Brooke, Raja of Sarawak, seized the last remaining large district of Brunei, the Limbang. Britain ultimately approved the seizure-though it divided Brunei into two geographically separate parts. In 1906 a Britsh Resident was established in Brunei. Britain hoped to reunite Brunei's former parts, but nothing came of those plans. In 1929 oil was discovered and the state became viable.