Raja Melewar was the first Yamtuan Besar (equivalent to King) of Negri Sembilan, Malaysia. He was a prince from the state of Minangkabau in Sumatra, Indonesia.

The Minangkabaus were the first migrant community to the state of Negri Sembilan in the 14th century. They eventually populated the state and began to control local politics.

Before the Minangkabaus, the area was ruled by the Sultan of Malacca. After Malacca was defeated by the Portuguese, it was ruled by the Sultanate of Johor. By 1760, Johor, which was having trouble from the Dutch, allowed the state to appoint a raja, or sultan, from Minangkabau in Sumatra.

Between 1760 and 1770, a council of leaders known as the datuk-datuk penghulu luak (the predecessor of the datuk-datuk undang today) left for Pagar Ruyung in Minangkabau in search of a leader. The Raja of Pagar Ruyong, who was believed to be a descendant of Alexander the Great, gave them a leader in the form of his son, Raja Mahmud. Raja Mahmud later became known as Raja Melewar in Negri Sembilan.

Before Raja Melewar left for the Malay Peninsula, a royalty named Raja Khatib was sent to Negri Sembilan to oversee Raja Melewar's coronation preparations. However, upon his arrival to Negeri Sembilan, Raja Khatib lied to the locals and claimed to be the prince sent from Pagar Ruyung. The locals believed him, and Raja Khatib was deemed the new king. As for Raja Melewar, he first sailed to Johor to ask for the Sultan of Johor's consent to rule over Negri Sembilan. The sultan did not object and conferred upon Raja Melewar the authority to reign over Negri Sembilan. Raja Melewar's expedition marched to Negri Sembilan through Naning.

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