All tagged James Brooke

Following in the Footsteps of the White Rajahs

In a remote Dartmoor graveyard, three graves belong to the White Rajahs, once rulers of Sarawak, Borneo. These Rajahs, the Brooke family, profoundly influenced Sarawak, evident in Kuching's place names and the residents' reverence for the Brooke Era. James Brooke, the first Rajah, became a monarch after aiding the Sultan of Brunei. The Brookes established governance and fought piracy, leaving a legacy seen as a benign dictatorship. Their rule, marked by eccentricities and progressive policies, is a significant chapter in West Country history, linking England to the exoticism and development of Sarawak