Parameswara of Malacca
Parameswara | |
---|---|
Melaka, Malacca Sultanate | |
Burial | |
Spouse | Puteri Ratna |
Issue | Megat Iskandar Shah |
House | Malacca |
Father | Sri Maharaja |
Religion | Hinduism |
Parameswara (1344 – c. 1414), thought to be the same person named in the Malay Annals as Iskandar Shah, was the last king of Singapura and the founder of Malacca. According to the Malay Annals, he ruled Singapura from 1389 to 1398. The king fled the island kingdom after a Majapahit naval invasion in 1398 and founded his new stronghold on the mouth of Bertam river in 1402. Within decades, the new city grew rapidly to become the capital of the Malacca Sultanate. Portuguese accounts however, written a hundred years after his death, suggest he was from Palembang in Sumatra and usurped the throne of Singapura; he was driven out, either by the Siamese or the Majapahit, and went on to found Malacca.[2]
Etymology
The name Parameswara is found in Portuguese sources such as
The Ming Chronicle (
Biography
Origin
There are differing accounts of the origin and life of Parameswara given in the
Both Suma Oriental and Malay Annals do contain similar stories about a fleeing Palembang prince arriving in Singapura and about the last king of Singapura who fled to the west coast of Malay peninsula to found Malacca. However, both accounts differ markedly on the identity of the prince: Suma Oriental identified the fleeing prince and the last king of Singapura as the same person known as "Parameswara", while the more detailed Malay Annals identified the fleeing prince and the last king as completely two different persons separated by five generations (Sang Nila Utama and Iskandar Shah). Suma Oriental noted further that the fleeing Palembang prince usurped the throne of Singapura from a Siamese viceroy named "Temagi" sometimes around the 1390s. Portuguese accounts by Tomé Pires and João de Barros, which may have been based on a Javanese source, suggest that Parameswara was a prince from Palembang who attempted to challenge Javanese rule over Palembang sometime after 1360. In this version, the Javanese attacked and drove Parameswara out of Palembang, who then escaped to Singapore. Parameswara soon assassinated the local ruler with the title Sang Aji, Sangesinga. Parameswara then ruled for five years before he was driven out.[7] The account by Pires also indicates that Iskandar Shah was the son of Parameswara who became the second ruler of Malacca.[8] Many scholars believe that Parameswara and Iskandar Shah are the same person, although some argued for Megat Iskandar Shah being the son of Parameswara.[3]
The only Chinese first-hand account of 14th century
Fall of Singapura
Based on the account from the Malay Annals,
The Malay annals' account of the fall of Singapura and the flight of its last king begins with Iskandar Shah's accusation of one of his concubines of adultery. As punishment, the king had her stripped naked in public. In revenge, the concubine's father, Sang Rajuna Tapa who was also an official in Iskandar Shah's court, secretly sent a message to Wikramawardhana of Majapahit, pledging his support should the king choose to invade Singapura. In 1398, Majapahit dispatched a fleet of three hundred large ships and hundreds of smaller vessels, carrying no less than 200,000 men. Initially, the Javanese soldiers engaged with the defenders in a battle outside the fortress, before forcing them to retreat behind the walls. The invasion force laid a siege of the city and repeatedly tried to attack the fortress. However, the fortress proved to be impregnable.[11][12][13]
After a month, food in the fortress began to run low and the defenders were on the verge of starvation. Sang Rajuna Tapa was then asked to distribute whatever grain left to the people from the royal store. Seeing this opportunity for revenge, the minister lied to the King, saying the stores were empty. The grains were not distributed and the people eventually starved. The final assault came when the gates were finally opened under the order of the treacherous minister. The Majapahit soldiers rushed into the fortress and a terrible massacre ensued.[13] According to the Malay Annals, "blood flowed like a river" and the red stains on the laterite soil of Singapore are said to be blood from that massacre.[14] Knowing that defeat was imminent, Iskandar Shah and his followers fled the island.
Portuguese sources gave different accounts from the Malay Annals. They suggested that
Foundation of Malacca
Parameswara fled north to found a new settlement.
According to the
There are at least two other theories on the origin the naming of Malacca: Tomé Pires explains the name in the Suma Oriental as a transliteration of the term for a fugitive, Malaqa, reflecting Parameswara's history as one, and the Malay Annals themselves suggest that Arab merchants called the kingdom Malakat (
Reign in Malacca
After the foundation of the new settlement in Malacca, Parameswara initiated the development of the place and ordered his men to cultivate the lands with banana, sugar cane, yam and other crops for food. Taking the advantage of the harbour that is protected by a hill and sheltered ships well from the danger of strong tides, Parameswara laid the foundation of a trading port by building the storage and market facilities to serve as a meeting point to exchange goods. The indigenous inhabitants of Malacca and the strait, the Orang Laut, who were variouslt known as the loyal servants of Malay rulers since the time of Singapura and Srivijaya and ferocious pirates, were said to have been employed by Parameswara to patrol the adjacent seas, to repel other petty pirates, and to direct traders to their Malay overlords' port.
Within years, news about Malacca becoming a centre of trade and commerce began to spread all over the eastern part of the world and reached as far as China. The Yongle Emperor of the Ming dynasty, who reigned from 1402 till 1424, sent his envoy known as Yin Qing to Malacca in 1405. Yin Qing's visit opened the way for the establishment of friendly relations between Malacca and China. Chinese merchants began calling at the port of Malacca, joining other foreign traders notably the Javanese, Indians, Chinese, and Burmese who came to establish their trading bases and settle in Malacca, soaring its population to 2000 during Parameswara's reign.
In 1411, Parameswara, his wife, his son, and a royal party of 540 people left for China with Admiral Zheng He to pay homage to the Yongle Emperor. Yongle praised Parameswara and acknowledged him as the rightful ruler of Malacca. He then presented Parameswara with a seal, silk and a yellow umbrella as symbols of royalty and also a letter appointing Parameswara as the ruler of Malacca. Malacca was then recognised as a kingdom by the Emperor of China. The envoy returned to Malacca together with a fleet led by Zheng He.
The Chinese chronicles mention that in 1414, the son of the first ruler of Malacca visited
Religious belief
There are significant discrepancies in Malay, Chinese and Portuguese sources on the early history of Malacca, which created considerable disagreements about the early rulers of the kingdom. While there is consensus that Parameswara was a Hindu as indicated by his Hindu name, scholars have different opinions on whether he converted to Islam. No historical sources explicitly state that Parameswara had converted, however, the
However, the 16th-century Portuguese writer
Foreign relations with Ming China
The relation with Ming China started in the early 15th century
In 1411, Parameswara and his wife together with 540 officials from Malacca went to China to pay homage to the Yongle Emperor (r. 1402–1424). Upon arriving, a grand welcoming ceremony was held with sacrification of animals. The historical meeting between Parameswara and the Yongle Emperor was recorded accurately in the Ming chronicle:[26]
You, king (refer to Parameswara), travelled tens of thousands of li across the ocean to the capital, confidently and without anxiety, as your loyalty and sincerity assured you of the protection of the spirits. I (the Yongle Emperor) have been glad to meet with you, king, and feel that you should stay. However, your people are longing for you and it is appropriate that you return to soothe them. The weather is getting colder and the winds are suited for sailing South. It is the right time. You should eat well on your journey and look after yourself, so as to reflect my feelings of concern for you. Now I am conferring upon you, king, a gold and jade belt, ceremonial insignia, two "saddled horses", 100 liang of gold, 500 liang of silver, 400,000 guan of paper money, 2,600 guan of copper cash, 300 bolts of embroidered fine silks and silk gauzes, 1,000 bolts of thin silks ...
Tributes that Malacca paid to Ming included: agate, carnelian, pearl, hawksbill, coral, crane beak, golden female crane beak, suit, white cloth, Western fabric, Sa-ha-la, rhino horn, ivory, black bear, black ape, white muntjac, turkey, parrot, pian-nao, rosebush dew, su-he oil, gardenia flower, wu-ye-ni, aromatic wood, incense sticks, gold silver incense sticks.
Legacy
Within decades after its foundation, Malacca grew into an international trading port and heralded the golden age of
The prosperity of Malacca as an international port changed the entire
See also
References
Primary sources
- Malay Annals - a Malay literature compiled by Tun Sri Lanang in 1612.
- Suma Oriental - written by Portuguese Tom Pires after the Portuguese conquest of Malacca in the early 16th century. Other Portuguese sources such as those given by Afonso de Albuquerque also mentioned Parameswara.[8]
- Ming Shilu (Chinese: 明實錄)[30] - also known as the Veritable Records of the Ming dynasty, has a comprehensive 150 records or more on Parameswara (Bai-li-mi-su-la 拜里迷蘇剌) and Malacca. The translation work was contributed by Dr.Geoff Wade, a senior researcher in the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore.[25]
- 28 October 1403: eunuch Yǐn Qìng 尹慶 was sent to Malacca.[31]
- 3 October 1405: Bai-li-mi-su-la, the native ruler of the country of Malacca followed the Imperial envoy Yin Qing and visit the Ming court to offer tribute.[32]
- 16 February 1409: envoy A-bu-la Jia-xin 阿卜剌賈信 sent by Bai-li-mi-su-la visit Ming court and offered tribute of local products.[33]
- 4 August 1411: Bai-li-mi-su-la, on banquet in reward him on visit to Ming court.[34]
- 14 August 1411: Bai-li-mi-su-la, and his wife, children and attendant ministers, a total of over 540 persons, visit Ming Court.[35]
- 17 August 1411: A banquet was conferred upon Bai-li-mi-su-la and his consort Bā-ér-mí-sū-lǐ 八兒迷蘇里 and others in the Interpreters Institute.[5]
- 5 October 1414: Son of the king of the country of Malacca, Mǔ-gàn Sā-yúgān-dí ér Shā 母幹撒于干的兒沙 visit Ming court and memorialised that his father Bai-li-mi-su-la had died. And the Imperially commanded that Mǔ-gàn Sā-yúgān-dí ér Shā should inherit his father's title as king.[36]
Citations
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4691-7243-9.
- ^ Miksic 2013, pp. 155–163
- ^ ISBN 9812303294.
- ISBN 978-9971694302.
- ^ a b Wade 2005, p. 776
- ^ Miksic 2013, p. 154
- ^ Miksic 2013, pp. 155–156
- ^ a b Miksic 2013, p. 162
- OCLC 504030596.
In ancient times, when digging in the ground, a chief came upon a jewelled head-dress. The beginning of the year is calculated from the [first] rising of the moon, when the chief put on this head-gear and wore his [ceremonial] dress to receive the congratulations [of the people]. Nowadays this custom is still continued.
- ^ Miksic 2013, pp. 177–178
- ^ a b Tsang & Perera 2011, p. 120
- ^ Sabrizain, p. Palembang Prince or Singapore Renegade?[unreliable source?]
- ^ a b Ahmad 1979, pp. 69–70
- ^ Windstedt 1938, p. 32
- ISBN 978-9971695743.
- ^ ISBN 9780824803681.
- ^ Origin of Malacca[permanent dead link]
- ^ Cheah, Boon Kheng (1998). "The Rise and Fall of the Great Melakan Empire: Moral Judgement in Tun Bambang's "Sejarah Melayu"". Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 71 (2 (275)): 109.
- S2CID 162273586.
- S2CID 162728998.
- ISBN 978-967-0380-40-7.
- ISBN 9781317279037.
- ^ JSTOR 20067505, Papers on Early South-East Asian History.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link - ^ a b Ahmad Sarji 2011, p. 116
- ^ a b Wade 2005, p. Search - Malacca
- ^ Wade 2005, p. 786
- ISBN 978-981-14-4103-5.
- ^ Cortesao 1990, p. lxxv
- ^ Ahmad Sarji 2011, p. 119
- ^ Wade 2005, p. Home
- ^ Wade 2005, p. 311
- ^ Wade 2005, p. 387
- ^ Wade 2005, p. 664
- ^ Wade 2005, p. 770
- ^ Wade 2005, p. 774
- ^ Wade 2005, p. 881
Bibliography
- Ahmad, A. Samad (1979), Sulalatus Salatin (Sejarah Melayu), Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, ISBN 983-62-5601-6, archived from the originalon 12 October 2013
- Ahmad Sarji, Abdul Hamid (2011), The Encyclopedia of Malaysia - The Rulers of Malaysia, vol. 16, Editions Didier Millet, ISBN 978-981-3018-54-9
- Asmah, Haji Omar (2004), The Encyclopedia of Malaysia: Languages & Literature, Editions Didlers Millet, ISBN 981-3018-52-6
- Cortesao, Armando (1990), The Suma Oriental of Tome Pires, 1512–1515, Laurier Books Ltd, ISBN 978-81-206-0535-0
- ISBN 978-9971695743
- Sabrizain, Sejarah Melayu - A History of the Malay peninsula, retrieved 6 November 2012[unreliable source?]
- Taylor, Nora A. (2000), Studies on Southeast Asia (Studies on Southeast Asian Art: Essays in Honor of Stanley J. O'Connor), vol. 29, Southeast Asia Program Publications, ISBN 978-0-87727-728-6
- Tsang, Susan; Perera, Audrey (2011), Singapore at Random, Didier Millet, ISBN 978-981-4260-37-4
- Wade, Geoff (2005), Southeast Asia in the Ming Shi-lu: an open access resource, Asia Research Institute and the Singapore E-Press, National University of Singapore, retrieved 6 November 2012
- Windstedt, Richard Olaf (1938), "The Malay Annals or Sejarah Melayu", Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, XVI, The Branch