Rise of the Melaka Sultanate (1430s)

Timeline

1. 1431–1434City of Melaka · MalaysiaSultan Muhammad Shah (reigned c. 1424–1444) refined port tariffs and public order, managed commercial disputes under Islamic law, and attracted Muslim merchants to make Melaka their preferred anchorage for strait trade.
2. 1434–1438Port of Melaka · Strait of MalaccaChinese, Gujarati, Bengali, Javanese, and Siamese merchants converged on Melaka's port, where spices, tin, porcelain, and cloth were transshipped; population and cargo volume kept growing, and Melaka gradually took over functions of some north Javanese ports.
3. 1438–1440Strait of Malacca · Strait of MalaccaBy around 1440 Melaka had established itself as the dominant port of strait trade and maintained tributary relations with the Ming dynasty; its prosperity attracted merchants from Brunei, Java, and Siam, making it the most dynamic international port in 15th-century Southeast Asia.