Unfederated Malay States
"Unfederated Malay States" was the collective term for five distinct British protected states situated in the Malay Peninsula during the early to mid-twentieth century. These states were Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu. In contrast to the neighbouring Malay States">Malay language">Malay States comprising Selangor, Perak, Pahang and Negeri Sembilan, the Unfederated Malay States did not share a unified administration or common institutions. Though they were nominally independent, each of them functioned as an individual protectorate under British oversight and were not recognised as a single entity in international law.
Following the conclusion of World War II, the British crown colony known as the Straits Settlements was formally de jure dissolved in 1946. Penang and Malacca were subsequently combined with both the Unfederated and Federated Malay States to form the Malayan Union. Singapore was administratively separated and established as a standalone crown colony directly governed by the United Kingdom, independent of any Malayan political framework.
In response to widespread local opposition, the Malayan Union was restructured in 1948 into the Federation of Malaya, comprising eleven states. Of these, nine continued as British protected states, while Penang and Malacca remained crown colonies. The Federation of Malaya achieved full independence on 31 August 1957 and was later transformed into Malaysia on 16 September 1963 through the inclusion of Sarawak, Sabah and Singapore. Singapore was ultimately separated once more from Malaysia and became a sovereign state on 9 August 1965.
History
Johor accepted a treaty of protection with the United Kingdom in 1885, and eventually succumbed to British pressure to accept a resident "Advisor" in 1914. Unlike the other Malay states under British protection, however, Johor remained outside of the Federated Malay States.Under the Bangkok Treaty of 1909, Siam transferred its rights over Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah, and Perlis to the United Kingdom. These states then became British protected states. With the assistance of Japan, they temporarily returned to Thai jurisdiction for the latter part of World War II but was returned to Britain after the defeat and surrender of the Axis powers.