MALACCA A PORTUGUESE TOWN
Malacca was one of the three key-points, with Goa and Hormuz, which gave Portugal the control over the main Asiatic trade routes.
After the conquest, Albuquerque immediately ordered the building of a fortress on the south side of the river. This fortress was called "A Famosa" and it was finished in November 1511. Ruy de Brito Patalim was appointed Captain of the "Fortaleza de Malacca" and about 500 Portuguese soldiers were left as garrison.
Shortly thereafter, Albuquerque prepared the ships for the return with the Malacca’s booty. However, during the return voyage to Goa his ship "Flor do Mar" sank during a storm and all the treasures fetched in Malacca’s were lost.
Several Florentine merchants took part in the Portuguese enterprises in Asia. Amongst them, Giovanni da Empoli, was present in Malacca during the siege and the conquest. He described his experiences in an interesting letter to his father.
After the conquest of Malacca, Portugal’s policy in the Malaya Peninsula was either to establish alliances with local rulers or to convince the adjoining Kingdoms to accept Portuguese suzerainty.
From his base at Johore, the old Sultan of Malacca repeatedly attacked Malacca in 1517, 1520, 1521 and in 1525. At last, in 1583, a peace treaty was signed.
Malacca was repeatedly under siege in 1550, 1567, 1571 and the main enemies were Johore and Atjeh (in Sumatra).
In Malacca, Albuquerque established a new administration, minted a new currency and built a wooden chapel close to the fortress.
Adjoining the fortress, a stone church dedicated to "Nossa Senhora da Anunciada" was erected in 1521, and later to "Nossa Senhora da Assumpção". On 4 February 1558 this church was consecrated as a Cathedral.
Many Portuguese "Casados", mostly artisans, merchants or farmers, settled in Malacca.
In 1532, the Confraria da Misericórdia was founded and a beautiful wooden hospital for the poor was also built. The church also started a school.
Active missionary work began in 1545 with the arrival of St. Francisco Xavier.
In 1552 was set up the "Camara" (Municipal Council) of Malacca.
In 1602-1603 the Dutch blockaded Malacca by sea, but this was only a first timid attempt.
In 1606 Johore and the Dutch concluded an alliance against the Portuguese and in 1607 they set again the town under siege. Reinforcements from Goa aborted the attempt.
Eredia estimated that the Christian population in Malacca in 1613 was around 7.400. There were eight parishes in the town.
In 1629 Atjeh made a new great effort, but this time again the Portuguese were victorious.
The Dutch made several fruitless attempts between 1623 and 1627, and in 1633 a blockade was set up.
The last siege of Portuguese Malacca begun in June 1640 when a combined Dutch-Johore fleet of 1.500 Dutchmen, 1.500 Malays, 12 Dutch ships, 6 sloops and 40 Johore vessels was sight off the Malacca port. The siege was extremely hard and nearly 1.500 Dutchmen lost theirs lives. After five months of siege, the Portuguese defenders were without gunpowder and with a severe scarcity of food. Despite the difficulties, under the command of Dom Manuel de Sousa Coutinho, which was sick, they were able to hold out the siege. At the time of the Dutch attack in June 1640, there was, in Malacca, a garrison of about 50 Portuguese soldiers, more than 300 Portuguese "Casados" with their families and 2.000 or 3.000 Mestiços and Native inhabitants.
On 14 January 1641, Dutch commander Willmsoon Kartekoe ordered the last desperate assault. The Portuguese defenders made a fierce final resistance in the Fortaleza Velha and the Dutch were finally driven back.
In desperation, the Dutch commander offered to the Portuguese honourable terms of surrender. The brave (and dying) Portuguese commander accepted the generous terms. Dying two days later, he was buried by the Dutch with military honours in the church of São Domingo.
The city of Malacca was thus in Portuguese hands from 24 August 1511 till 14 January 1641.
Bibliography:
- Fernandis, Gerard "Save our Portuguese heritage conference 95 Malacca, Malaysia"
103 pp. Gerard Fernandis, 1995, Malacca, Malaysia. More info about this book click here.
A very interesting book on the Portuguese heritage and history in Malacca.
- Irwin, G. W. "Melaka fort"
In "Melaka-The Transformation of a Malay Capital c. 1400-1980" Vol. one Edited by Kernial Singh Sandhu, Paul Wheatley. p. 195-241.
The history of the fort of Malacca during the Portuguese and Dutch time.
- Leupe, P.A. "The seige and capture of Malacca from the Portuguese in 1640-1641"
JMBRAS vol, 14, pt. 1 (1936) pp 1-176.
The occupation of the straits of Malacca 1636-1639, the siege and the capture of Malacca 1640-1641, commissary Justus Schouten's report of his visit to Malacca 1641.
- Noonan, L. "The Portuguese in Malacca: a study of the first major european impact on East Asia"
In: "Studia" N° 23 April, pp. 33-104 Centro de Estudos Historicos Ultramarinos, 1968, Lisbon, Portugal.
Very interesting.
The coming of the Portuguese, Portuguese rule in Malacca, Malacca's role in Portuguese colonial strategy, Portuguese-Asian relations in Malacca, the end of Portuguese rule.
- O'Neill, Brian Juan " A tripla identidade dos portugueses de Malaca"
In: "Oceanos" n° 32 Outubro - Dezembro 1997, pp. 63-83
- Sandhu K. and Wheatley P. " Melaka; The Transformation of a Malay Capital c1400 - 1980" ?
816 + 784 pp. 2 volumes, illustrated throughout OUP / Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 1983, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
A complete study on Malacca town from the beginning till today, with a bibliography of Melaka studies.
- Silva Rego, Padre Antonio da "A Comunidade Luso-Malaia de Malaca e Singapura "
In: Actas do V Colóquio Internacional de Estudos Luso-Brasileiros, vol. I, Coimbra, 1964, pp. 507-512.
Also in: Silva Rego, Padre Antonio da "Dialecto Portugues de Malaca e outros escritos" 304 pp. (Cadernos Ásia) CNCDP, 1998, Lisboa, Portugal.
- Silva Rego, Padre Antonio da "A Cultura Portuguesa na Malaia e em Singapura "
Comunicaçao apresentata a reuniao conjunta da Academia Internacional da Cultura Portuguesa e do Conselho Geral da Uniao das Comunitades de Cultura Portuguesa, 28 May 1968.
Also in: Silva Rego, Padre Antonio da "Dialecto Portugues de Malaca e outros escritos" 304 pp. (Cadernos Ásia) CNCDP, 1998, Lisboa, Portugal.
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334 pp. maps, Fundaçao Oriente, 1997, Lisbon, Portugal.
Malaca e o Estado da India: enquadramento economico, quadro politico militar; Malaca e a geopolitica dos estreitos 1575-1619, Portugueses e Malaios, a cidade de Malaca.
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In: "Oceanos" n° 32 Outubro - Dezembro 1997, pp. 45-60
- Sta Maria, Bernard "My people, my country. The story of the Malacca Portuguese community" ?
236pp. Malacca Portuguese Development Centre, 1982, Malacca, Malaysia.
Draws attention to role of lay groups in keeping the faith particularly during the Dutch period.
- Sta Maria, Joseph "Where do we go from here ?"
89 pp. Joseph Sta Maria , 1991, Malacca, Malaysia.
- Subrahmanyam, Sanjay "Commerce and conflict: two views of Portuguese Melaka in the 1620s" ?
In: Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, n° 19(1), March 1988, pp.62-79.
- Teixeira, Manuel "The Portuguese missions in Malacca and Singapore (1511-1958)" ?
3 vols. Agência Geral do Ultramar, 1961, 1963, Lisbon, Portugal.
- Thomaz, Luís Filipe Ferreira Reis "Early Portuguese Malacca"
196 pp. CTMCDP - IPM, 1998, Macau
From: Thesis "Os Portugueses em Malaca: 1511-1580" Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa, 218 pp. maps 2 voll. 1964, Lisboa.
This volume comprises three essays on the city of Malacca and its society, during the first decades of Portuguese rule.
- Thomaz, Luis Filipe Ferreira Reis "The Indian merchant communities in Malacca under the Portuguese rule" ?
In: Souza, T. R. de (ed., ) "Indo-Portuguese History: Old issues, new questions" Concept, New Delhi, 1985, pp.56-72.