Siak

Siak lies on the river of the same name in eastern Sumatra, where the waterway connects the inland forests with the Malacca Strait. The Sultanate of Siak Sri Indrapura emerged here in the eighteenth century, bringing river communities and coastal districts into a Malay Muslim political network. Its rulers drew wealth from control of trade moving between Sumatra's interior and the sea.

The sultanate was founded by Raja Kecil, also known as Abdul Jalil Rahmat Shah, after his struggle for the throne of Johor. His successors expanded Siak's influence along the eastern coast. Relations with the Dutch East India Company could be violent: in 1759 Sultan Abdul Jalil Muzaffar Shah ordered an attack on a Dutch garrison at Siak. The court later moved along the river, and its authority rested on alliances with local chiefs as well as control of the waterways.