Travel Malaysia - Malacca History

Where it all began
Malacca rose from a humble fishing village to become a major center of the spice trade forming a vital link between the East and the West. Melaka (Malacca) is rich with history. In fact, the earliest written records of the country made reference to the Malacca Peninsula, instead of the Malay Peninsula or Malaya. Since it's founding, circa 1400, by a fleeing Sumatra prince, Parameswara. The journey which Parameswara made during his flight to escape the wrath of the Emperor of Majapahit whom he had unsuccessfully tried to overthrown. At the height of its power, the Sultanate of Malacca extended its borders over the whole of peninsula to encompass Pantani in the North and on the west right into the neighboring island of Sumatra to included Aru, Rokan, Siak, Kampar and Inderagiri. This was during the mid-1400s. The Golden Age of the Malacca Sultanate unfortunately lasted only for less then a century.

In 1511, the first of many foreign invasions of Malacca took place when the Portuguese arrived. The Portuguese were determined to control the East-West trade; so Malacca still retained its importance as a trade center until 1641 when the Portuguese surrendered Malacca to the Dutch. The Dutch who had a stronger foothold over the Indonesia archipelago swung the trade center over to Sumatra. In the meantime, Malacca's trade also declined due to the silting of its port. In 1795 Melaka (Malacca) was given to the British to prevent it form falling to the hands of the French, where the Netherlands was captured during the French Revolution. By the time British took over in 1824, the focus of the trade has shifted from Malacca to Singapore and Penang. Malacca however becomes the focal again during the struggle for independence after the Japanese Occupation during the Second World War and the British Colonial period that followed. So when Malaya gained its independence, it was only fitting that the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed in Malacca, where it all began. In 1989, Malacca has been declared as Malaysia's history city.