SSA2211 Lecture 3 Island of No Significance

8/3/2019 SSA2211 Lecture 3 Island of No Significance

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Lecture 3: Island of NoSignificance?Four Powers and Five Perspectives:Singapore in the 15th-18th Centuries


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TWO BIG QUESTIONS:

If Singapore has always had such a

strategic location how do we accountfor its appearance as a sleepy fishingvillage by the time of Raffles arrival?Did nothing happen at all in the

period between the abandonment ofthe Singapura trading settlement andthe founding of an East India Companybase on Singapore???


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Lecture Outline

1. Introduction to Southeast Asia of15th-18th Centuries

2. Port cities, trade routes and inter-port rivalries

3. European presence and SoutheastAsias Age of Commerce

4. Exploring Singapuras experience.

FOUR powers give theirperspectives.

5. Concluding comments


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1. General Introduction

Southeast Asia: trade dominatedby maritime routes? Monsoonalwind patterns.

The rise of China trade and theflourishing of new regionalemporiums (Temasek). The Mingera brings changes.


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Melakas Rise toProminenceDecline of Singapura with the

removal of the Sultanate toMelaka in 1402.

Melaka becomes thepredominant port. It also

becomes a tributary to MingChina.

Singapura? Orang Laut base (sea


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2. Port Cities

The port settlements evolve inresponse to trade, politics andshipping.

The relationship between a portand its hinterland is significantbut so too the waters.

Ports are not isolated, they arepart of an oceanic network.

As some ports decline, others

rise to prominence.


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3.Europeans in AsianWaters

Vasco da Gamasvoyage ofdiscovery marked

the culmination ofover 70 yearsambition andplanning

Voyage to theWest Coast ofIndia, Calicut,

from 1497-1499


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Southeast Asian port cities hadflourishing trade centres andmarketplace economies.

European powers were just oneof many trading groups.

---this began to change as our storyends---


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An artistsimpression ofthe Portuguese

attack on


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Where does Singapura fitinto this picture???

Question: Did Singapura, while

being in a great geographiclocation and having potential toonce again become a strongtrading centre, become simplytoo hot to handle?


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powers vying for

dominance in the MelakaStraits Region


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Aceh

Portugu

eseMelaka

JohorSultanate

Dutch

Batavia

4 Way Tusslefor Control

overSingaporesWaters


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Melaka Sultanate

King Iskander Shah/Parameswarawithdraws from Singapura, 1402 theMelaka Sultanate is established.

Melaka becomes a tributary to MingChina.

Continued to rule/control Singapura.

Fief of Laksamana (admiral). Some top

officials came from SingapuraORANG LAUT: the sultans naval force.

Patrolled the seas, defended thesultanate.


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ORANG LAUT Warriors


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Arrival of Portuguese

Middlemen turned everydaycommodity (spices) into luxury item:

- Vasco da Gamas first spice purchasefrom India fetched 3000% profit!

Extension of crusades against Muslimpowers

Go direct to East in search of

- Christian allies and converts (attackIslamic trade and power)

- Direct access to spice growing areas


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From Melaka to the JohorSultanate

Driven from Melaka by the Portuguese.Retreated to the Johor Rivera defensible

location. Many trade networks followedSultan

Singapura closer to main waterways buttoo exposed to military attack

- Remained base of ORANG LAUTKallang River and Xabandria/ShabandarAttempted to retake Melaka. Faced periodic

Portuguese attacks (e.g. Johor Lamadestroyed in 1587). In response the Sultanof Johor sinks ships in the Keppel Straits tothwart Portuguese access to the SouthChina sea.


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Monopoly of NavigationalKnowledgeKnowledge of wind patterns to

sail from Europe to Asia via CapeRoute

After conquering Melaka (1511),continued to expand worldwidetrade networks from Brazil to

Japan-Ternate (1522), Macau (1535) andNagasaki (1543)

Trade routes pass by narrowStraits of Sin a ore otential


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Riding on Trade Winds

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Portuguese MaritimeEmpire

Ternat

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Many Straits of Singapore

Old Straits blockedPortuguese forced to explore new

route: Found New Straits betweenSentosa and St Johns Island (1580s)

Allies, Spanish will discover theGovernors Straits (1616)

Unfortunate (for Portuguese) that

conquest of Melaka led toestablishment of Johor

Well situated to intercept Portugueseships returning from Macau to Melaka


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Strategic Waters ofSingapore

FromMacauTo Melaka

Dutch

Batavia


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Enter the Dutch

Johor Sultanate under threat byrising power of Aceh andPortuguese MelakaBegin to look to a new potential

Ally the Dutch!Bringing Europes rivalries to

Asian watersDetermined to break Portugals

and Spains dominance ofworldwide trade


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The Motivation and StrategicInterest of the DutchThe Dutch/VOC were determined to

break the trading monopoly that thePortuguese held in Asia and South-East Asia

The Dutch/VOC were also involved inthe 80 year war of Independenceagainst the Spanish, who at that time

were in a dynastic union with thePortuguese

Hence the Dutch/VOC in the earlyparts of the 17th Century sought to

gain a foothold and consolidate its role


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The Strategies employed by theDutch

2 main strategies were employedby the Dutch to break thePortuguese monopoly in theregionThe first was to inflict as much

damage as possible onPortuguese and Spanish assets

on land and waterThe second was to contain

Portuguese and Spanishinfluences by engaging indiplomacy with indigenous Kings


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Diplomatic Offensive

The alliance with the JohorSultanate was important to theDutch for various reasons: It provided the Dutch with a trading

partner in the region It provided the Dutch with a safe

harbour to anchor its ships andrepair and re-stock them

More importantly, the JohorSultanate was an important sourceof information for Portugueseshipping travelling through the

straits


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Inflicting damage to thePortuguese and SpanishThe Dutch plans were to attack

Portuguese shipping around theregion and to capture MelakaThe Dutch realized that the waters

around Singapore, including theJohor River estuary were theweakest link in the Portuguesetrading networkHence the Dutch often setup naval

blockades around the waters ofSingapore to attack and moreimportantly capture Portugueseshi in


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Capture of Santa Catarina

Capture of Portuguese Carrick Santa Catarina in25th February 1603 off the coast of Singapore


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Inflicting damage to thePortuguese and Spanish

The Dutch also hoped that thenaval blockade would distract thePortuguese from interfering inDutch plans further down south inmodern-day Indonesia

Dutch were strong on water but

another power was stronger onland


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Aceh

Rival polity, northern tip of Sumatra.From 1515 onwards gathers strengthChallenges the Johor Sultanates

LEGITIMACY and launches a series of

attacks (1564, 1613).Wants to become the dominant port

polity in the Melaka Straits.Attacks or allies with other powers

depending on situation- The enemy of my enemy is my friend- The friend of my enemy is my enemy


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1613 Attack on Johor

Aceh demonstrated huge militarypower by launching massive attack on

Johor, up to 40,000 men and 70galleys

Triggered by news that Johor andDutch might conclude peace withMelakaAceh told Dutch ally to stay out of

quarrel

- Dutch in Johor fought alongside JohortroopsSacked Johor Lama, Batu Sawar and

probably Singapore as well

Sultan Allaudin missing. Raja Bongsuand Dutch re resentatives im risoned


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Singapura?

Plans for forts, settlements, bases allabandoned

Portuguese plans for Sentosa and SingaporeIsland: Jacques de Coutre

- Secure trade routes, intimidate JohorDutch plans to build a fort either in

Singapore, Johor or Karimun Islands

- Protect Dutch interests in Johor, disrupt

Portuguese tradeAcehs attention wholly negative

An area which was too hotly contested

Money better spent on main bases (Melaka

and Batavia) and ships


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Aftermath I

Dutch conquered PortugueseMelaka with help of Johor Sultanin 1641

Drove Portuguese out of SpiceIslands

Portuguese dominance in the

SPICE trade was broken, focusthen on Nagasaki as the centre oftheir Asia interests

Things did not go well for Johor


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Aftermath II

1699 Sultan Mahmud died with noheir. New ruler unable to commandloyalty of Orang Laut

- Cannot trace ancestry to line of Sri Tri

Buana of Singapura (social memory)!Some backed Raja Kecik of Siak inattempt to seize throneArrival of Bugis mercenaries. Defeated

Raja of Siaks forces and took effective

control as Yang-di-Pertuan Muda(underking)Johor Sultans Yang-di-Pertuan Besar

became figureheads/puppets


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Aftermath 3

Dutch began to dominatemaritime SE Asia

Johor Sultan moved to Bintan and

later Lingga IslandsAceh increasingly sidelined andJohor court subdued


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Aftermath 4

18th Century: Dutch deliberatelyleft Melaka Straits portsundeveloped

Concentrated on making Bataviaand Sunda Straits dominantcentre of trade and power in SEAsia

Singapore declined into sleepyfishing village as it was no longerimportant to any of the great

powers

h i


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5th Perspective:SingaporeanHow would you tell the story from

Singapores perspective?

- From the viewpoint of a past

Singaporean- From your current position

Storyline?

Purpose?


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Concluding thoughts

15th-18th Century was a period ofeconomic dynamism in Southeast Asia.

At the same time there is politicalinstability and increasing conflict on landand sea.

Regional rivalries were compounded bythe rivalries the European powersbrought into Asian waters.

Violence around Singapore waters

common.Singapore: On balance, more negative

than constructive attentionRather than a black hole in Singapores

history, we can learn a lot by examiningth liti d i l i f th

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