Negotiating a New Order in the Straits of Malacca (1500–1700)

Abstract

The Portuguese conquest of Malacca in 1511 was a watershed moment, revolutionising the history of the Straits region. Its impact and the local response, as well as the arrival of northern Europeans at the turn of the 16th into the 17th centuries, breaking into the Portuguese trade monopoly, are examined and analysed. War was the catalyst for change. The conquest of Malacca in 1641 by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) was another significant moment in the history of the region and a continuation of the European presence and influence.