Why

 Why was Singapore a British colony but Brunei wasn't?

Because Singapore was established by the British on land bought from the government of Johore, so it was a direct British possession. Brunei, on the other hand, agreed to become a British protectorate, retaining its autonomy but trading control over its foreign policy in return for assistance maintaining its independence from expansionist rivals.

In 1818 the British decided to set up a trading post near the Straits of Malacca. An expedition sent from India found Singapore Island, which at the time was only inhabited by a logging camp of about 150 people set up seven years earlier.

The British signed a series of treaties with the local government to buy the island from them. The final treaty, signed in 1824, gave the British full sovereignty over Singapore Island in return for 20,000 Spanish dollars, plus repaying the Sultan's debts and giving him a British pension for life. The British then set up a free port on the island.

Singapore's population exploded, with 5,000 people by 1821 and 10,000 by 1825, as local Malay, Chinese, and Arab traders flocked to the new colony.

[Sir Stamford Raffles, who founded Singapore]

Singapore was initially administered by the British East India Company. In 1867 it became a formal British colony, united with their other possessions in the region (Penang, Malacca, and Dinding) as the Crown Colony of the Straits Settlements. A governor appointed by the Colonial Office in London administered the colony.

In 1838, the Sultanate of Brunei was having problems with rebels and pirates. A 35-year old British army officer named James Brooke, who had retired from the army on medical grounds, arrived in Brunei and offered his services to the Sultan to help defeat the rebels. He was very successful, and so impressed the government that in 1841 he was given the position of Governor of Sarawak, one of Brunei's provinces.

Brooke continued to crack down on piracy in Sarawak, which angered the local nobles who secretly profited from it. They conspired to murder the prime minister of Brunei who had been Brooke's main supporter, and take over the government. However, Brooke sent for help from the Royal Navy, sailed to Brunei's capital, and restored the rightful government.

In 1842, as a quid pro quo for this, the Sultan elevated Brooke to the position of Rajah (King) of Sarawak, making him an independent sovereign of that territory.

At this point Sarawak was not a British possession; it was an independent country whose monarch happened to be British-born.

[His Highness James Brooke, first Rajah of Sarawak]

Brooke ruled Sarawak until his death in 1868. As he had no sons, his throne was inherited by his nephew Charles. Charles followed a policy of economic growth (building the oil and rubber industries), encouraged Chinese immigration, and expanded his country's borders — including at the expense of Brunei.

The government of Brunei was unable to defend its borders against Sarawak, and so in 1887 they took the unusual step of asking for British protection. Who better than the UK to protect them against an aggressive neighbour ruled by a dynasty who still claimed British citizenship?

The UK agreed, and by a treaty signed in 1888 Brunei formally became a British protectorate. A British Resident was appointed to the Sultan's court, filling a role similar to that of the Princely States of India. Britain took over control of Brunei's defence and foreign policy, but the Sultan remained in charge of internal affairs (subject to the advice of his British Resident).

[Hashim Jalilul Alam Aqamaddin, Sultan of Brunei from 1885 to 1906, who agreed for his country to become a British protectorate in 1888. ]

● Anthony Brooke, the last ‘Rajah’ of Sarawak and his wife/widow, ‘Gita’, died in my town, Wanganui, New Zealand.

Anthony Walter Dayrell Brooke was appointed the Rajah Muda of Sarawak on 25 August 1937, by his uncle, Rajah Vyner of Sarawak, the third and last of the ruling White Rajahs. Brooke was the son of Bertram, Tuan Muda of Sarawak and Gladys Milton Palmer, daughter of Sir Walter Palmer, 1st Baronet, and heir to part of the Huntley & Palmers biscuit fortune. 

Born: December 10, 1912

Age at death: 98 years

Died: March 2, 2011, Wanganui, New Zealand

Burial Place: Brooke Family Graveyard, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

Spouse: Kathleen Mary Hudden (div. 1965), Brigitte Keller (m. 1982–2011)

Children: James Brooke, Angela Brooke, Celia Brooke

Father: Bertram Brooke

Mother: Gladys Milton Palmer ]

 ● They were prominent peace activists, involved in a lot of humanitarian activities.

● That’s not the full story. There was also an element of Raffles interfering with Johor Sultanate succession politics, as at the time the area was nominally under Dutch protection. He basically brought in an exiled Malay prince to succeed to agree to the seizing of Singapore.

Although Hussein Shah had had no previous contact with the British, he had certainly heard of the strength of the Royal Navy, and was in no position to argue against the terms. Raffles reassured him that the Dutch posed no threat in the area. Hussein Shah had been the crown Prince of Johor, but while he was away in Pahangto get married, his father died, and his younger brother was made sultan, supported by some of the court officials and the Dutch. To circumvent the situation of having to negotiate with a sultan influenced by the Dutch, Raffles decided to recognise, on behalf of the British Crown, Hussein Shah as being the rightful ruler of Johor.

● Very informative and interesting answer!

● Riau-Johor Sultanate was in crisis as two brothers contended for succession with the younger chosen by the Chiefs to be and was proclaimed Sultan. Raffles in breach of East India Company rules recognized the elder as Sultan of Singapore (then part of Riau-Johor) and paid generously for right to set up a trading "factory". The Dutch were furious (as colonial masters of Riau-Johor and rest of Dutch East Indies) but with their government-in-exile in London (Napoleonic wars) did not dare start a war against the British. The Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 demarcated their spheres of influence and the British bought off the elder brother who in all his correspondence addressed his younger brother as Sultan and never dared to describe himself as "sultan" before his younger brother.

● Very interesting thank you.

● Was it British East India Company or English East India Company?

• It was the Honourable East India Company. ‘British’ is added to the name by historians to distinguish it from the Dutch East India Company (the VOC).

• It was never honourable.. Haha

• British

• English until 1707. British from then on.

• The American flag is very similar to the flag of the BEIC.

• Honourable!

• Great that Singapore and Irl free of the Brutish empire!!!

● Seems to be missing a bit

● Wow! Very interesting. I would love to visit one day.

● From this history, Singapore was never part of Malaya because it was sold off to the British.

• You could equally argue that ‘Malaya’ didn’t exist until the British combined together several independent kingdoms into one. Singapore used to be part of the Sultanate of Johor before Johor sold it to the EIC.

• California, Nevada, Utah, most of Arizona, the western half of New Mexico, the western quarter of Colorado, and the southwest corner of Wyoming was part of Mexico before they were taken over by the US. Can we also argue that they were part of Mexico?

• Yes of course. As you say, they were part of a unified, sovereign state called Mexico. They weren’t a collection of independent countries.

• Basically, those states were gained through war, while Britain gained Singapore through trade and deals. The British were a lot less violent, and you could say they “won” those places via business and proximity.

● still upholding the westernized superior ideology - just like Columbus or Francis Light - before these people arrive, there were native people already there and just because they're ‘good’ at documenting so they became the first to discover or establish a certain place… as for Singapore, it was founded way before Stamford Raffles landed, known as TEMASIK during the Majapahit era… just saying ya ( "Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter," click here )