Brooke, Sir James (1803-1868), was an English adventurer and statesman who became ruler of the state of Sarawak in Borneo (now part of Malaysia).
James Brooke was born on April 29, 1803, in Secrore, near Varanasi, in India. He went to England, where he inherited a fortune from his father. He bought a small armed yacht and sailed to Singapore on a voyage of exploration. In 1839, the governor of Singapore sent him to Sarawak to thank the provincial governor, Rajah Muda Hasim, for his help in rescuing some shipwrecked British sailors.
The sultan of Brunei was unable to deal with a revolt that had broken out in Sarawak. At the sultan’s request, Brooke put down the revolt in 1840. As a result, the grateful sultan appointed Brooke rajah (ruler) of Sarawak in 1841.
Brooke stopped piracy, freed slaves, and encouraged trade and commerce. In 1848, he was knighted by Queen Victoria. But the British government refused to recognize him as sovereign in Sarawak. Brooke died on June 11, 1868.
