The Malacca Sultanate Before the Portuguese (1501–1510)

Timeline

1. 1501–1505Malacca Port · MalaysiaSultan Mahmud Shah continued his father Mahmud Shah's expansion policies; over a thousand merchant ships called at Malacca port annually, where spices, porcelain, cloth, and precious metals were distributed. The sultan amassed enormous wealth through port dues, cartaz passes, and the tributary system of vassal states.
2. 1503–1508Malacca Strait · Malay PeninsulaMalacca's suzerainty extended to the southern Malay Peninsula, the eastern coast of Sumatra, and ports of the Riau Archipelago. Any vessel wishing to pass through the strait had to pay customs duties to Malacca, making it the most dominant maritime commercial state of Southeast Asia in the early 16th century.
3. 1509–1510Waters off Malacca · MalaysiaIn 1509 the Portuguese fleet under Diogo Lopes de Sequeira arrived at Malacca, met resistance, and withdrew; the Malacca court had already perceived the threat of European colonial powers. In 1510 port trade still flourished, but the sultanate's independent existence entered its final year, and the following year it was captured by Afonso de Albuquerque.