Origin

The Siamese invasion of Kedah brought the kingdom on its knees in 1821. The then-Sultan of Kedah, Ahmad Tajuddin Halim Shah II exiled to Penang and later Malacca. From Malacca, he planned several failed rebellions to recapture his kingdom between 1828 and 1831, and between 1838 and 1839.^[3]

It was during this time that Tunku Anum raised to prominence in Kedah. He was a member of the political elite in the Royal House of Kedah and was a son of Tunku Abdul Rahman, the governor of Chenak district (today Sadao).^[4] He was previously appointed as the plenipotentiary during a Bunga Mas tribute to Siam in August 1809, after which he was awarded the honorific title of Tengku Paduka Raja Jambangan.^[5]

During the Siamese occupation of Kedah, he managed to gain influence by maintaining a relationship with Phya Sina Nunchit, the Siamese governor of Kedah, himself the son of the governor of Ligor Province (now Nakhon Si Thammarat Province).^[2] His political ambitions were largely motivated by his desire to liberate Kedah from Thai occupation.

Liberation of Kedah

While gaining confidence of the Siamese governor, Tunku Anum began to recruit local Malay militiamen in Gua Kerbau, Bukit Keplu (6°23′23.5″N 100°18′55.1″E, located near present-day Kodiang. The regiment was trained to fight the occupying Siamese army.

While Tunku Anum was on a visit to Ligor, Malay militiamen launched an offensive against the Siamese troops in Alor Ganu, near Anak Bukit. Desperate, the Siamese governor Nunchit wrote to his father, the Governor of Ligor, to request assistance to put down the rebellion. While the Ligor governor mobilised, he also offered Tunku Anum to be his representative in Kedah, hoping that his expertise will be able to end the rebellion.

Tunku Anum politely refused the position, believing that if he accepted , Kedah shall forever remain a Thai province and he will be reduced to a mere puppet.^[6][4] With the conflict worsening in Kedah, the Siamese soon withdrew due to soaring costs and disease among the occupying troops. The conflict ended with Kedah regaining its autonomy in 1842, with the condition Kedah pay a tribute in the form of bunga mas and bunga perak to Bangkok every 3 years.^[7]

The King of Kubang Pasu

Upon the return of Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin from his exile in Malacca, he rewarded Tunku Anum with 24 districts from Jitra to Sendawa, which became the kingdom of Kubang Pasu. Pulau Pisang (6°16′12.3″N 100°22′53.4″E) near Jitra was made the capital of the new kingdom.^[6][7][3] He ascended the throne in 1839 and bestowed the honorific title of Darul Qiyam "the sovereign state" to the kingdom.

Kubang Pasu prospered during his rule; several development projects were implemeted, including a court, a fort, a prison, religious schools and land office.^[6] The area also became a centre of trading and rice growing.^[4] He also ordered the construction of local factories to develop the textile industry (now known as Pulau Kain) and also improved the irrigation system of the local river, presently known as Sungai Tunku Anum (Tunku Anum River). Land titles made during this era also bore the seal of Kubang Pasu.

Reintegration into Kedah

Tunku Anum reigned over the kingdom for 17 years until his death on 29 May 1853 in Istana Kota Pulau Pisang. ^{[citation needed]} His demise was widely speculated to be caused by shock resulting from the death of his son in 1848. He was laid to rest at Makam Tunku Anum (6°16′2.8″N 100°22′52″E). A narration of his life was written nearby his tomb.

On 31 May 1853, Tunku Ishak, his grandson, was proclaimed as the new king; while another grandson Tunku Muhammad Saman was appointed as the Raja Muda (crown prince).^[5] Tunku Ishak was remembered as a rather unpopular monarch among his subjects and ministers due to several policies that he had promulgated.^[2] Kubang Pasu was eventually reintegrated into Kedah in 1859, and remains as a constituency of the state to this day.^[8]