The Sultanate of Sarawak was founded in the aftermath of internal succession disputes within the Bruneian Empire. When Sultan Muhammad Hassan of Brunei died, his eldest son Abdul Jalilul Akbar was crowned as Sultan. However, Pengiran Muda Tengah, another prince, contested Abdul Jalilul's ascension, arguing he had a superior claim to the throne based on the timing of his birth in relation to their father's reign. To address this contention, Abdul Jalilul Akbar appointed Pengiran Muda Tengah as the Sultan of Sarawak, a frontier territory. Accompanied by soldiers from various Bornean tribes and Bruneian nobility, Pengiran Muda Tengah established a new kingdom in Sarawak. He set up an administrative capital at Sungai Bedil, Santubong, and, after constructing a governance system, adopted the title Sultan Ibrahim Ali Omar Shah. The establishment of the Sultanate of Sarawak marked the beginning of a new era for the region, separate from the central Bruneian Empire.