Page 89 - Ancient Kingdoms: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam

or Hinduism. But Islam’s biggest boost in Malaysia was probably the conversion of King
Paramenswra, who may have converted when he married an Islamic princess sometime in the
late 1300s or early 1400s.

The king went on to found the port city of Malacca, where he declared Islam to be the state
religion and took the title of sultan. He also set up formal diplomatic relations the Ming
emperor in China and re-opened trade routes that had declined under the last Srivijavas.
8LWLNNL ʮZ`]T^SPO LYO R]Pb _Z MP ^`NS LY TX[Z]_LY_ [Z]_ _SL_ T_^ QLXP ^[]PLO _Z ,^TL
northern Africa, and Europe, causing the Portuguese writer Tome Pires to quip that “Whoever
is lord of Malacca shall have his hands on the throat of Venice.” Today Malacca is seen as
the originator of Malay culture—mixing local traditions with Indian, Chinese, and Islamic
TYʮ`PYNP^ɨLYO L^ ^P__TYR _SP ^_LYOL]O^ QZ] WT_P]L_`]P X`^TN LYO WLYR`LRP

Colonia Era

In some ways Malacca could be described as the “Camelot of Malaysia”—a golden era that
was all too short. Founded in about 1400, the city was taken by the Portuguese on August 24,
1511. But instead of gaining control of Malacca’s wealth (as they had expected) the Portuguese
QZ`YO _SL_ Md ^PTeTYR _SP [Z]_ _SPd TYLOaP]_PY_Wd OT^]`[_PO _SP ʮZb ZQ _]LOP PʬPN_TaPWd
diverting it into smaller ports along the Malay coast. Meanwhile, the last sultan of Malacca
ʮPO ^Z`_S LYO QZ`YOPO L YPb ^_L_P bSTNS MPNLXP _SP >`W_LYL_P ZQ 5ZSZ]

For the next hundred years, Johor would challenge the Portuguese stronghold in Malacca, both
on economic grounds and on religious ones (the Portuguese were actively converting locals to
the Catholic Church while Johor remained Muslim). This changed with the arrival of the Dutch
in the 1600s. As rivals to the Portuguese, they allied themselves with Johor, and in1641 the
combined Johor-Dutch forces took Malacca back from the Portuguese. In exchange for control
of Malacca’s trade (which they mainly diverged to their own colony on Java), the Dutch helped
the Johor sultan gain control over most of Malaysia.

?ST^ NZY_]ZW bL^ ^SZ]_ WTaPO ,Q_P] _SP L^^TRYL_TZY ZQ >`W_LY 8LS`O TY !$$ _bZ OTʬP]PY_
men—both claiming to be the sultan’s son—vied for power. In the resulting uncertainty, a
group of immigrants from Indonesia called the Bugis seized power, installing a puppet ruler
in Johor. During this time, Malaysia’s economy continued to boom from trade in tin, pepper,
and gold. But in Europe, the Dutch were slowly being overtaken by the British as the main
naval power—and that change eventually came to Malaysia too. By 1826 the British controlled
Malacca, Penang, and Singapore which combined to form the Colony of the Straits. The British
`^PO _ST^ NZWZYd L^ L [ZbP] ML^P _Z Pc_PYO _SPT] TYʮ`PYNP ZaP] _SP ]P^_ ZQ _SP 8LWLd ;PYTY^`WL
although some regions like Johor retained a measure of independence.

The Modern Era
?SP -]T_T^S TYʮ`PYNP ]PXLTYPO _SP ^_L_`^ \`Z QZ] YPL]Wd dPL]^ 4_ bL^Yɪ_ `Y_TW _SP Z`_M]PLV
of World War II that another country challenged their power—Japan, who seized Malaysia
in February 1942. Although the British did retake the country in 1945, many in the country
favored independence over a return to colonial rule.

89