Klang War

Part of Selangor Civil War

Date	1867–1874
Location	Selangor
Result	Tengku Kudin victory

Belligerents

Raja Abdullah
Raja Ismail

Raja Mahdi

Commanders and leaders

Raja Abdullah
Raja Ismail
Tengku Kudin
Yap Ah Loy

Raja Mahdi
Raja Mahmud
Syed Mashhor
Chong Chong

The Klang War or Selangor Civil War was a series of conflicts that lasted from 1867 to 1874 in the Malay state of Selangor. It was initially fought between Raja Abdullah bin Raja Jaafar, the administrator of Klang, and Raja Mahadi bin Raja Sulaiman. It was joined by Tengku Kudin (Tengku Dhiauddin, also spelt Ziauddin), as well as Chinese rival gangs. The war was eventually won by Tengku Kudin and Abdullah's son, Raja Ismail.

In 1854, the sultan of Selangor Sultan Muhammad Shah appointed Raja Abdullah as Klang's administrator. Raja Abdullah and his brother Raja Juma'at had previously helped Raja Sulaiman pay a debt incurred during a failed mining venture, and was therefore rewarded with the chieftainship of Klang. Raja Mahdi (also spelt Raja Mahadi), Sultan Muhammad Shah's grandson and whose father Raja Sulaiman was the previous Klang's head, therefore became disinherited. Raja Abdullah and Raja Juma'at, who had opened very successful tin mines in Lukut, then obtained the finance to open tin mines near Kuala Lumpur in 1857. The success of the tin mines generated considerable revenues, and the struggle for the control of the revenues from the tin mines as well as political power were essentially the reasons for the war.

Sultan Muhammad died in 1857, and Sultan Abdul Samad took the throne after a power struggle. Sultan Abdul Samad however only controlled Langat and did not have absolute control over Selangor, which was then ruled by four chieftains in Bernam, Lukut, Klang and Kuala Selangor. When the disgruntled Raja Mahdi initiated the conflict, the Malays would split into two camps in the ensuing war. On Raja Mahdi side were Raja Mahmud, son of the Panglima Raja of Selangor; Raja Hitam of Bernam; groups of Sumatran settlers led by Mohamed Akib and his younger brother Nonggok. Raja Abdullah's faction included his son, Raja Ismail who continued the war after Raja Abdulla's death, later joined by Tengku Kudin and supported by the Sultan of Selangor. The Chinese tin miners were also divided between the two camps.

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