THE
MELAKA STORY :
Melaka
, Land of Legends and Tradition
Right
from the start Parameswara’s political and pecuniary ambition had
contributed to the present characteristics of Melaka. His
far-sighted vision had made Melaka a multi-cultural centre for
traditions and culture. He first opened his doors to Chinese envoys
of the Ming dynasty who also happened to be spreading its influence
in the Nanyang. Chinese trading relations and
settlements were already well known in the Malay world since the 3rd
century BC, during the early Han Dynasty. Their arrival in Melaka in
early 14th
century was only a continuation of normal Chinese policies.
Map : Early 15 century cartography map of the Ming Dynasty which
has charted the location of Melaka, the River and islands off Melaka coast.
Drawing : Artist impression of the Melaka Palace as decrypted in Sulalatus Salatin (Malay Annal).
Melaka’s
rapid growth further enhanced the multicultural characteristics of
the society and people. Melaka’s success was also attributed to the
well administered government and trading facilities. The Melaka
Maritime Laws were introduced to ensure the rights of ships’
captains and their crew. There were four different ports to cater
for traders from Middle East, Indian Continent, China and the Far
East, and Southeast Asia and the Malay Archipelagos.
Pictures
: (1) Hikayat hang Tuah (Chronicle of Hang Tuah) 1658 edition
recorded the life of a Malay Warrior from the Melaka Court including
his diplomatic mission to neighbouring Kingdoms.
(2) A
colourful page of Sulalatus Salatin (Malay Annals) which is the
oldest manuscript that records the full history and legends of the
Melaka Sultanates.
The
glory of the Malay sultanate in Melaka ended in 1511. It was the
Portuguese under the leadership of Alfonso de Albuquerque that ended
the days of the ‘fabulous eastern empire’.
The Portuguese became the first Europeans to
participate in the Asian trade, especially between India and China,
and by controlling Melaka, they would become a new power in Europe to
be reckoned with. About Melaka a Portuguese once said, “Whosoever
holds Melaka, had his hands on the throat of Venice”, for Venice
was then the richest trading state in Europe, monopolising the rich
silk and spice trades of Asia.
Drawing : A Portuguese painting shows the visit of Lopez de Squeara (Portuguese viceroy in Goa, India) to the court of Melaka in 1509 to established a trade relation with Melaka.
Drawing : Due to the
unsuccessful mission, Portuguese finally attacked Melaka in August
1511. This important drawing show part of the entire environment of
the Forbidden Court of Melaka.
The
Portuguese using 1000 captured slaves of the Sultan, completed the
construction of A Famosa in
eight months. This fortress that stood at the foot of the present
St. Paul’s Hill near the mouth of the Melaka River, and near where
the former Malay administration was. This fortress was said to have
been made of stones broken down from mosques and tombs of nobles. The
structure was so formidable that it was able to protect Portuguese
interests in terms of defence and security throughout its entire rule
until 1641 when the Dutch overthrew them. The defence of Melaka was
further strengthened by extending the stone walls around the hill.
Eredia, a Portuguese explorer and geographer
who came to Melaka in the first half of the 16th
century noted that within the fortress walls were, “ the Castle,
the palaces of the Governor of the State, the Palace of the Bishop,
the Hall of the Council of the Republic, the hall of the Brothers of
Mercy, together with five churches, namely the Cathederal of Our lady
of the Assumption, with its chapter and the episcopal see, the Church
of Mercy of Our Lady of Visitation, the Church of Our Lady of the
Annunciation in the College of the Company of Jesus, at the top of
the hill, the Church of S. Domingo in the Convent of the Dominicans,
and the Church of S. Antonio in the Convent of S. Augustino; there
were two hospitals”. Obviously the
Portuguese had concentrated their administration and welfare,
especially in the interest of Catholicism and trade, within A
Famosa, which also separated the fort
from the rest of the town where the non-Portuguese lived. A famous
French Jesuit, St. Francis Xavier, well known also as the “Apostle
of the Indies” after whom churches and schools were named, had
apparently set up St. Paul’s College here in 1548. On another hill
opposite Bukit China (China Hill), the Portuguese built a chapel
dedicated to St. John the Baptist. Thus the hill was named after the
saint as St. John’s Hill or Bukit Senjuang (the corrupted Malay
name for the hill).
Map
: Portuguese period Melaka Town plan dated 1628.
The
Straits of Melaka had become a major highway for traders from the
East and West (no longer between China and India alone, but between
Europe and Asia). By the 17th
century, the Dutch and British were among the regular Europeans,
besides the Portuguese, to ply this route. The well-sought after
trade in this area remained to be the fabulous Chinese silk and
porcelain. Melaka’s role as the centre of spice trade had started
to decline under the Portuguese. The latter had constantly been
facing attacks by their Malay neighbours.
Their
next attention was to take Melaka and remove their European
competitors from the Straits. This they were able to do by allying
themselves with the Malays in Johore. Several wars later, and after
a five-month siege of the Melaka harbour, the Portuguese surrendered
in 1641, 130 years after they had forever removed the Malay sultanate
from Melaka.
In
the peninsula, Melaka remained to be the main
trading base, for the Dutch had also concluded treaties with other
Malay states such as Perak and Selangor which were rich in tin. In
fact, at the end of the 18th
century Melaka rose again as a Southeast Asian entrepot par
excellence. More Asian traders,
especially Chinese and Bugis, traded here again although the Dutch
were monopolistic in their policies.
After
the conquest of Melaka, the Dutch took over the infrastructure left
by the Portuguese. They occupied the fortress, repaired the damages
caused by the war and made other changes to strengthen it. Although
at a glance, it might have looked like Melaka was taken over by just
another European master, soon the city began to assume Dutch
character. Melaka during the Portuguese was
ruled by the royal government, but the Dutch was under Vereenigde
Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC). Soon the latter built on the northern
side of the Melaka River, a townhall, the Stadthuys,
where the Dutch Governor and his
retinue had their offices. The fortress left behind by the
Portuguese still served its purpose, but there were several small
towers with canons and a moat separated it directly from the sea.
Dutch names replaced Portuguese names of the bastions at the fort.
Two main gates served as entrances, one from the river and the other
from the south cape. They were the Porta de Alfondeza or the Water Gate and Porta de
Santiago or the Land Gate which still survives till today. There were
three bridges that connected the fort to the town and the rest of the
suburb, the main one being a draw bridge where passing ships had to
pay levy to the Dutch. St. Paul’s College which was set up by St.
Francis Xavier was used as part of the fortress, but later used as
the burial ground for high ranking Dutch.
Drawing : View of
Melaka City from the sea. The Saint Paul’s church dominated the
skyline.
Melaka
which had always been an international entrepot, would also be
affected by events that took place elsewhere in the world. Thus,
when Holland was defeated by Napoleon in 1793 and the king had to
take refuge in Britain, this event also affected the history of
Melaka. Under the agreement signed at Kew by the Dutch and British
monarchs, it was agreed that all Dutch possessions in the East would
be handed over to be overseen by the British for as long as the Dutch
king remained in Britain. Therefore, Melaka was temporarily governed
by the British between 1795 and 1818 when it was ended by Napolean’s
defeat in Europe and the return of the Dutch king to Holland. By
this time, the British who had always been looking for an opportunity
to participate in the India-China trade, and had taken the island of
Penang on the northeastern coast of the peninsula in 1786, began to
strengthen their position in the Straits of Melaka. A British
Resident who was answerable to the President in Penang. British
policy towards Melaka at this time, therefore, was to ensure that a
future Dutch Melaka would not pose as a rival to the British,
economically and politically. The Penang Council which administered
the island ordered William Farquhar, the British Commandant in
Melaka, to weaken the infrastructure of the city. He was to
effectively level down”… the whole fortifications, arsenals,
store houses and public buildings of all denominations in Melaka
except Bukit China and St. John’s Hill”.
This action prompted the famous local writer,
Abdullah Abdul Kadir Munshi
to lament in his journal, “The Fort was the pride of Melaka, and
after its destruction the place lost its glory like a woman bereaved
of her husband, the lustre gone from her face… The old order is
destroyed. A new world is created, and all around us is changed.”
Drawing :
View of St. Paul’s hill from across the river at Heeren Street at
mid-19th century.
The traces of the wall still visible along the coast and along the
bank of Melaka River.
The
only part that remained of A Famosa
and Porta de Santiago was
the gate that now still stands. Further destruction was timely
stopped by Thomas Stamford Raffles, assistant secretary to the Penang
government, and agent of the East India Company, who was convalescing
and happened to be visiting Melaka. His report to the Governor
General of the East India Company, Lord Minto, concerning Melaka was
convincing enough for the British to change their mind, “… that
the name (of Melaka) carries more weight to a Malay ear than any new
settlement could,” and indeed, “… with the assistance of
Malacca, the whole of the Malay rajahs in the Straits and to the
Eastward might be rendered not only subservient but if necessary
tributary”, was almost prophetic in relation to the later expansion
of British influence in the Malay states.
Picture
: British period painting of St. Paul’s hill.
Picture
: Dutch officers residences line Fort Road and Fort Terrace within
the Fort.
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