Hubungan Kedah-Siam: Sejarah tiga peperangan & implikasi kedaulatan Kesultanan Kedah, 1800-1909

This study discussed the history of the Kedah-Siam relations with the focus on the three wars between the two powers as well as the implications on the sovereignty of the Kedah Sultanate between 1800 and 1909. This study began with the early history of the diplomatic relations between the small state of Kedah and the great power of Siam. The objective of this study was to: identify the status of the relationship between the Kedah Sultanate and the Siamese government before 1821; examine the factors influencing the Kedah-Siam war in the period 1800 to 1839; detail the implications of the first, second and third Kedah-Siam war on the sovereignty of the Kedah Sultanate, and assess the role of the British in the Kedah-Siam relations over the sovereignty of the Kedah Sultanate. This study was a diplomatic history study that used qualitative methods with a descriptive analytical approach. Reference materials and information were obtained through a literature review based on the use of primary and secondary sources. Among the primary sources referenced were the official British government records in the British National Archives and the British Library in London. Records and manuscripts were also referenced in the National Archives of Malaysia and the National Archives of Malaysia Kedah/Perlis Branch as well as documents obtained from the National Archives of Singapore in Singapore, and the National Library of Thailand in Bangkok. Secondary sources consisted of books, papers, journals and newspapers. To fill the research gap, interviews were conducted with local historical figures. The findings of this study show that the Kedah-Siam relationship was based on the perspectives of their respective national interests. The status of the Kedah-Siam relations changed completely from patronage to colony as soon as Kedah was defeated on 12 November 1821. However, the Sultan of Kedah returned to the throne with the royal pardon of Rama III in 1842. The fact is that the survival of the Kedah Sultanate in the face of Siam depended entirely on the diplomatic approach of the sultan and his officials, especially in the face of the war conflict with Siam, including establishing relations with the British to maintain the sovereignty of the Kedah Sultanate. This study also proves that Kedah's pragmatic approach of cooperating with the British through the surrender of Penang enabled the continuity of the sovereignty of the Kedah Sultanate to be preserved until now. The main contribution of this study is the documentation of the Kedah, Siam and British relations during the period 1800-1909 using primary sources from local, British, Singapore and Thailand archives