Independent Kingdom of Sarawak 1841-1946 (Malaysia)

Last modified: 2000-01-28 by santiago dotor
Keywords: sarawak | serawak | malaysia | borneo | cross: saint george | cross (black and red) | cross (blue and red) | crown |
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• Kingdom of Sarawak 1841-1848
• Kingdom of Sarawak 1848-1870
• Kingdom of Sarawak 1870-1946
• Sizes

See also:

• Crown Colony of Sarawak 1946-1963
• Sarawak (Malaysia)
• Malaysia
• Brunei

by Filip Van Laenen

The Kingdom of Sarawak was founded by James Brooke. As a reward for help in putting down a revolt, the Sultan of Brunei, Muda Hasim, conceded West Borneo to Brooke. He was recognised as ruler in 1846, the "White Rajah of Sarawak", and was immortalised by the books of Emil Salgari. The Brooke dynasty continued until 1946 through his nephew, Charles Johnson Brooke (1868-1917) and Charles Vyner Brooke (1917-1946). At the extinction of the dynasty, following the testament of James Brooke, the kingdom was passed over to the British crown.

Jaume Ollé, 9 June 1996

The British firmly established their presence in the northern part of Borneo in the years 1840-41. British Borneo, which belonged to the Brunei Sultan, was divided in North Borneo or Sabah, Brunei and Sarawak. The latter became property of Sir James Brooke which married the Sultan's daughter and was made Rajah of Sarawak in 1841. His son Charles Johnson succeeded him and in 1888 Sarawak became a British protectorate. Finally, in 1946 it became a colony. In 1963 Sarawak got independence and joined Malaysia.

Brooke's first standard was a swallowtailed St. George flag, adopted in 1841.

Mario Fabretto, 18 September 1997

3:4
by Jorge Candeias

According to Flag Bulletin the flag with blue-red cross had a ratio 3:4. Probably the ratio was changed 7 May 1870 to 5:7 when the cross was changed to black-red. Mauro Talocci reports the flag adopted in 1870 as having a ratio 1:2.

Jaume Ollé, 2 November 1998

In 1848 Sarawak had a national flag which also was civil and war ensign: the flag was yellow with a cross half dark blue (toward the hoist) and half red. This flag was hoisted on the British frigate Meander on 21 September 1848 when Sir Brooke returned to Kuching from England and was officially recognized by the British government on 20 June 1849. Proportion 3:4.

Mario Fabretto, 18 September 1997

I'm a Sarawakian living in Australia. I recently did a bit of research in the University library about Fort Margherita and the different flags that have flown there. The first European flag flown by Sir James Brooke in 1841 was the flag of St. George. In 1845, he designed a flag which was eventually hoisted on 21st September, 1848. According to Sarawak Long Ago by W.J. Chater, Published by the Borneo Literature Bureau in 1969,

"the flag was designed by the Rajah himself and was said to have been made up from the half purple and the half red cross of his Armorial Bearings, on a yellow ground. Yellow was the royal colour of Borneo. But this statement is misleading since the colour of the cross in the Brooke Armorial Bearings was later described in a letter written by the second Rajah as blue and red".

Caroline Christina Teo, 6 March 1998

5:7 ?
State Flag
by Uros Zizmund

Civil Flag
by Jorge Candeias

Personal Flag of the Rajah 1884-1946
by Jorge Candeias and Uros Zizmund

The flag includes the yellow of Southeast Asian royalty (note yellow, black and white in the Brunei flag).

Zeljko Heimer

I made the GIF according to the drawing in Guida alle bandiere di tutto il mondo.

Uros Zizmund, 16 September 1997

National Geographic flag articles have their glitches now and then, but National Geographic 1934 shows the old Sarawak "Merchant Flag" minus the crown. The text reads: "The merchant ships of Sarawak, whose present Rajah is Sir Charles Vyner Brooke, fly this striking combination of yellow, red, and black". National Geographic 1917 shows the version with the crown, and no mention of the "merchant" flag. Gordon 1915 does not include the crown in his description of the Sarawak flag. Pedersen 1971 says the flag derives from the arms of the Brooke family. The crown is shown in the flag in this 1971 book.

Nick Artimovich, 17 September 1997

On 7 May 1870 Sarawak changed into black the dark blue in the national flag and two days later adopted a State flag, which was also war ensign. This added an old style golden crown to the national flag. The design of the crown was, from the beginning, like the one used until 1973. During the time the proportions of the flag changed so it is not possible to give them precisely. With British Admiralty permission of 20 June 1884, the Rajah' standard was modified, becoming similar to the State flag but swallowtailed. All these flags remained in use until 1946 when Sarawak became a colony.

Mario Fabretto, 18 September 1997

The hoisting of the new flag on 21st September 1848 is recorded by Harriette McDougall on page 58 of Letters from Sarawak (and painted - reproduced on the cover of the Oxford reprint of 10 Years in Sarawak).

Martin Laverty, 20 July 1998
through Jennifer Watson, Rajah Brooke & 19thC Sarawak website editor

The Personal Flag of the Rajah was swallow-tailed with crown and had parallel top and bottom edges with the fork of the swallow tail reaching back to the fly edge of the vertical arm of the cross. The red horizontal arm was split along both edges of the fork, diminishing in width to a point at the ends of the swallow tail.

Mario Fabretto, 2 October 1997
quoted by David Prothero, 22 July 1998

In 1906 the complete set of flags for Sarawak was (sizes in inches):

1. 36" x 54"        [91.44 cm x 137.16 cm]
2. 54" x 81"        [137.16 cm x 205.74 cm]
3. 72" x 108"      [182.88 cm x 274.32 cm]
4. 108" x 162"    [274.32 cm x 411.48 cm]
5. 144" x 216"    [365.76 cm x 548.64 cm]