bendahara

bendahara, in the traditional Malay states, the chief minister, second only to the sultan in rank, power, and authority; the office of bendahara (a Sanskrit title) grew in importance during the Malacca sultanate after 1400. Its functions included executing the sultan’s commands and acting as prime minister and commander in chief. The bendahara also supplied the sultan with a palace and with a bride from his own family, thus adding to his independent power. Perhaps this official’s most important duty came after a sultan’s death, when he gathered the royal regalia and acted as regent during the interregnum until he handed the regalia to the heir. Frequently, the position was occupied by an older relative of the sultan. Befitting the close relationship between these two offices, the bendahara was the chief figure in the Council of Four, the administrators of the realm. The office of bendahara, often hereditary, existed in all Malay states with minor variation after the decline of Malacca.