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
e
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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