Brooke Raj (redirected from White Rajahs)

Brooke Raj

(1841–1946) Dynasty of British rajas that ruled Sarawak (now a state in Malaysia) for a century. Sir James Brooke (1803–68) served with the British East India Company and fought in the first Anglo-Burmese War (1824–26) before using his family fortune to outfit a schooner and sail for the Indies (1838). He was awarded the title of raja of Sarawak by the sultan of Brunei for helping suppress a rebellion. Brooke established a secure government on Sarawak and was succeeded by his nephew, Sir Charles Anthony Johnson Brooke (1829–1917), who had spent much of his life on Sarawak, knew the local language, and respected local beliefs and customs. Under him, social and economic changes were limited. His eldest son, Sir Charles Vyner de Windt Brooke (1874–1963), succeeded him and began a modernization program after World War I. He terminated Brooke rule in 1946, ceding Sarawak to Britain.