Malay World · a Light

Four women ruled Aceh in a row for fifty eight years

In 1641, on the death of her husband, Safiatuddin Syah became ruler of Aceh in northern Sumatra, then one of the strongest states in Southeast Asia and a hub of the pepper trade. She reigned for thirty four years, and three more women followed her, so that Aceh was ruled by sultanas continuously from 1641 to 1699. Under them the state kept its independence, its scholars kept writing in Malay, and Dutch and English traders negotiated with a woman's court. The line ended when opponents obtained a ruling from Makkah against female rule. Two centuries later, Acehnese women again led resistance to Dutch conquest, among them Cut Nyak Dhien.

Aceh, Sumatra · 1641 to 1699