ANCIENT PORTS

Since 5,000 years ago, several places in Msia, especially those along the seashores or river mouths, grew to become very important ports for local residents and the rest of the world. This is because Peninsula Malaysia is located at the crossroad of Chinese, Indian, and Arabian trade routes. Besides that, Msias natural resources attracted many foreign merchants especially from Arabia, China and India Several ports were built in the country at that time, like the important ports of K.Selinsing in Perak, enderam Hilir in Selangor and Santubong in Srwk. The country was then rich with natural resources such as resin, cane and minerals which included gold and tin ore.Furthermore, since the first century, the country had been renowned as a great trade area.Indian merchants named Peninsula Msia as Suvarnabumi, which means golden earth, and Prolemy, a famous Greek geographer, named it Golden Chersonese, which means Golden Peninsula.These indicates that Malaysa were famous in trade since ancient times.

OLD MALAY KINGDOM

In the same period, several great kingdoms rose up in Peninsula Msia and the areas surrounding the Malay Archipelago These kingdoms were centres of trade, government and the spread of religion.

ISLANDS OF THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO

The inhabitants of the Malay World at that time were free to move from one place to another as there were no boundaries nor limits The Malay Archipelago at that time was characterized as a nation w one Malay language and culture W the arrival of western colonialists, in particular, the islands of the Malay Archipelago that were once a single social-political entity, were fragmented according to the interests of the colonialists The English controlled Peninsula Malaysia and a part of Borneo Island D controlled the south, now Indonesia The French overran Indochina The Spanish , the Philippines

THE MALAY KINGDOM OF.

The Golden Age of Malacca Malacca was founded by Parameswara in 1403 A.D. The Empire of Malacca was well-known mainly as a centre for maritime trade and the spread of Islam Strong trade relations with powerful countries such as China and India. An empire with an advanced civilization System of government ruler = head of state, the Islamic religion and the army Important officials Finance Minister, the Admiral, the Chief of Defence , Chief Bursar and the HarbourMaster assisted the King Organised system of government was based on main laws : the Malacca Law and the Malacca Law of the Sea Malaccas strategic location midway along the trade routes between India and China, was the main factor for Malacca becoming a famous port of call to merchants from the East and West as well as a disseminator of Islam. The spread of Islam become easier with Malay as the lingua franca or medium of communication among the races

Malaccas prosperity was supported by factors such as strong trade ties with foreign countries and an efficient administratie system Strong tides with China had a postie effect on political and economic development of Malacca From the political side,Malacca received protection from China against threats of subjugation from Siam M build diplomatic ties w foreign powers such as Java, India and Siam to strengthen its position. The reasonable taxation system attracted many foreign merchants, while the usage of a currency system for trading purposes facilitated transactions and the development of trade.

FALL OF THE MALACCA EMPIRE The golden age of the Malay Kingdom of Malacca ended in 1511 after the Portuguese attack M reache its supremacy under the rule of Sultan Mansur Syah but declined thereafter.

INTERNAL FACTORS After the death of the Chief Minister Tun Perak, the Malay Kingdom of Malacca laced an efficient leader. Tun Perak was responsible for enlarging their power base. His successor chief Minister Tun Mutahir was a weak leader Defamation and bribing were rife and the high taxes forced merchants to diert their attention to other ports Weak administration by Chief Minister Tun Mutahir cause the Malays to become hostile towards the IndianMuslims. This was eident when Sultan Mahmud commanded Chief Minister Tun Mutahir (C.M.T.M.) and Tun Ali to be put to death at the betrayal by Kitul and Raja Mandalir , and Indian native The Sultan appointed Chief Minister Tun Peraks son, Chief Minister Tepok to succeed C.M.T.M However, Chief Minister Tepok was too old. This caused unrest as the ministers formed dissenting groups.

EXTERNAL FACTORS Discovery of the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa by Bartholomew Diaz in 1488 This made it easier to sail from the West to the East. As a results it was easier for the Portoguese to inade Malacca Furthermore, internal conflict and high taxes caused many of the merchants to move to other ports