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The '''Sultanate of Malacca''' (1402 - 1511) was a
Malay sultanate founded by
Parameswara, a
Srivijayan prince who escaped the
Majapahit capture of
Palembang.
In
1402, he founded a new capital,
Malacca (Melaka in
Malay), located at the chokepoint of the
Straits of Malacca. In
1414, he converted to
Islam and became the
Sultan of Malacca.
The Sultanate thrived as an entrepot and became the most important port in
Southeast Asia during the 15th and the early 16th century. Furthermore, Malacca was as a major player in spice trade, serving as a gateway between the
Spice Islands and high-paying Eurasian markets. This is reflected by the Portuguese writer
Duart Barbarosa who once wrote "''He who is lord of Malacca has his hand on the throat of Venice''".
One of the factors that contributed to the rise of Malacca was the
monsoon winds that enabled
Arab and
Indian traders from the west to travel to
China in the east and vice versa. At the height of its power, the Sultanate encompassed most of modern day Peninsula
Malaysia, the site of modern day
Singapore and a great portion of eastern
Sumatra. It was also the center of
Islam in the eastern sphere.
The Sultanate's most important regional rivals were
Siam in the north and the declining
Majapahit Empire in the south. Majapahit was not able to control or effectively compete with Malacca within the archipelago, and came to an end during the later 15th century. Siam on the other hand attacked Malacca three times, but all attacks were repelled. At the same time, Malacca had a good relationship with
China. One of the Malaccan Sultans even married a Chinese princess named
Hang Li Po. This friendly relationship with China helped deter Siam from further threatening Malacca.
It was in
1509, during the reign of the last Sultan of Malacca, Sultan
Mahmud Shah that the
Portuguese became the first European power to reach Malacca and Southeast Asia in general. The Portuguese delegation was led by
Admiral Lopez de Sequira. Trouble however ensued immediately after the general feeling of rivalry between Islam and Christianity was invoked by a few groups in the Sultan's court. Soon, the Portuguese fleet was attacked by the Malacca and was forced to flee.
In
1511, a larger Portuguese fleet from
Cochin,
India led by
Viceroy Alfonso d'Albuquerque came back to Malacca. The Viceroy made a few demands but all were refused by the Sultan. As a result, conflict was unavoidable. On
August 24, Malacca fell after 40 days and the Sultanate was effectively divided into two Malay states -
Perak in the north and
Johore in the south - and thus ended the Sultanate of Malacca.
==Related articles==
*
Malacca
ja:マラッカ王国
pl:Malakka (sułtanat)
