Zainal Abidin Shah of Pahang

Known as Raja Ismail before his accession, Zainal Abidin Shah is the younger son of the fifth Sultan of Pahang, Mahmud Shah by his first wife, Raja Putri Olah binti al-Marhum Sultan Ahmad. Zainal Abidin Shah is married first to Raja Putri Dewi, daughter of Mahmud Shah of Melaka by his wife Putri Unang Kemuning, elder daughter of Sultan Mansur of Kelantan, and second to Tun Kamala, daughter of Bendahara Sri Buwana.

After the demise of Mahmud Shah of Melaka in 1528, Pahang joined forces with his successor Alauddin Riayat Shah II who established himself itself in Johor, to expel the Portuguese from the Malay peninsula. Two attempts were made, in 1547 at Muar and 1551 at Melaka. However, in the face of superior Portuguese arms and vessels, the Pahang and Johor forces were forced to retreat on both occasions.[1]

He died in 1555 having had issue, two sons and two daughters by his royal wife, and eighteen other children by junior wives and concubines. He is styled Marhum di Bukit after his death and succeeded by his eldest son, Raja Mansur.

• Ahmad Sarji, Abdul Hamid (2011), The Encyclopedia of Malaysia, 16 - The Rulers of Malaysia, Editions Didier Millet, ISBN 978-981-3018-54-9
• Khoo, Gilbert (1980), From Pre-Malaccan period to present day, New Straits Times
• Suria Fadhillah Md Fauzi; Zarith Sofiah Othman; Sharifah Shatrah Syed Hamid (2014), Undang-Undang Tubuh Kerajaan Pahang: Raja Pemerintah Sebagai Simbol Kuasa dan Kedaulatan Negeri, International Conference on Law, Policy and Social Justice
• Melayu Online, The Pahang Sultanate