Ismail Nasiruddin of Terengganu

Born in Kuala Terengganu, he was the fifth, but third surviving, son of Sultan Zainal Abidin III ibni Sultan Ahmad II (reigned 1881–1918).

The date of his birth has been given as either 16 March 1906 or as 24 January 1907, the latter being the one more often used.

Sultan Sir Ismail Nasiruddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Haji Zainal Abidin III Mu’azzam Shah (Jawi: سلطان إسماعيل ناصرالدين شاه ابن المرحوم سلطان حاج زين العابدين ٣ المعظم شاه; 27 January 1907 – 20 September 1979) was Sultan of Terengganu from 1945 until his death in 1979, and the fourth Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the constitutional monarch of Malaysia, from 1965 to 1970.

His mother was a Thai Muslim convert, Cik Maimuna binti Abdullah, who died in 1918.

Educated at the Kuala Terengganu Malay School, he then went to the Malay College.

His photographic works date from 1923 to 1979.

In 1929, he entered the Terengganu administrative service.

In 1934, he was appointed Assistant Collector of Land Revenue in Kuala Terengganu.

In 1935, he became aide-de-camp to his elder half brother Sultan Sulaiman, accompanying him to the coronation of King George VI on 12 May 1937.

In 1939, he became Registrar of the High Court and the Court of Appeal.

He also served as the Land Court Registrar.

In 1940, he was appointed a minister of the Terengganu state cabinet, having been made Tengku Sri Paduka Raja.

In 1941, he became First Class Magistrate and was promoted Terengganu State Secretary on 15 November 1941.

Sultan Sulaiman Badrul Alam Shah of Terengganu died on 25 September 1942 of blood poisoning.

The Japanese Military Administration, which occupied Malaya at that time, proclaimed his son as the fifteenth Sultan of Terengganu bearing the title Sultan Ali Shah.

On 18 October 1943, the Thai government under prime minister Field Marshal Plaek Pibulsonggram took over the administration of Terengganu from the Japanese and continued to recognise Sultan Ali Shah.

When the British returned after the end of World War II, they declined to recognise Sultan Ali Shah.

Allegedly, Sultan Ali was too much in debt and had been too close to the Japanese during their occupation.

According to Sultan Ali, the British Military Administration wanted him removed for his refusal to sign the Malayan Union treaty.

The British Military Administration also disapproved of Sultan Ali's character, where he was said to have repudiated his official consort, Tengku Seri Nila Utama Pahang (the daughter of Sultan Abu Bakar of Pahang) and had contracted an unsuitable second marriage to a former prostitute.

On 5 November 1945 the Terengganu State Council of thirteen members announced the dismissal of Sultan Ali and the appointment of Tengku Ismail as the fifteenth Sultan of Terengganu.

Tengku Ismail became known as Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah and was installed on 6 June 1949 at Istana Maziah, Kuala Terengganu.

Sultan Ismail's descendants have since ruled Terengganu.

Sultan Ismail served as Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong between 21 September 1960 to 20 September 1965.

Sultan Ismail was elected the fourth Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia and served in that office from 21 September 1965 until 20 September 1970.

Sultan Ismail's reign was at a time when Malaysia began to be active in making its presence felt in the international arena, having secured a more solid foundation and confidence as a Federation of Malay States, Sabah and Sarawak.

There were many visits by important world and South East Asian leaders, including US President Lyndon B Johnson, West German President Lubke, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Shah of Iran, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines, General Ne Win of Burma and Prime Minister Nguyen Cao Ky of South Vietnam.

The security of the country was more secure during his reign as the Konfrontasi with Indonesia ended and the Philippines sought normal relations (after its claim of Sabah) with Malaysia.

Due to health reasons he wanted to resign as Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 1969, but was persuaded by Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman not to do so as the next Yang di-Pertuan Agong would be Tunku Abdul Rahman's nephew (Tuanku Abdul Halim of Kedah) and the Tunku felt it was not right for him to continue in office during that time.

In his farewell speech at the end of his and Sultan Ismail's term as Yang Di Pertuan Agong, Tunku Abdul Rahman declared that the event signified "the end of the first chapter of Malaysia's history".

Sultan Ismail was reigning as Yang di-Pertuan Agong when the May 13 incident sparked racial riots in Kuala Lumpur and parliament was suspended.

Despite this unfortunate event Tunku Abdul Rahman described Sultan Ismail's reign as "a most eventful and glorious one".

Sultan Ismail launched the Rukun Negara, the Malaysian declaration of national philosophy on 31 August 1970.

He died exactly nine years later after his tenure as Yang di Pertuan Agong ended on 20th September 1970.

Sultan Ismail married four times:

Ismail was an amateur photographer.

Sultan Ismail died at Istana Badariah, Padang Seri Negara, Mukim Batu Burok, Kuala Terengganu on 20 September 1979 after suffering from two heart attacks and was buried a day later at the Abidin Mosque, Royal Mausoleum, Kuala Terengganu.

He was succeeded by Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah, his eldest son.

Sultan Ali continued to dispute his dismissal until his death on 17 May 1996.

A monograph of his life as photographer was written and published in August 2013 by his grandson and heir of his photograph archives, Raja Mohd Zainol Ihsan Shah.