After the Malacca Sultanate was founded, it turned into a bustling market, as I wrote in my previous post. During the 15th and 16th centuries, Sultan Mahmud Shah was ruling the sultanate. I understand he was paying regular tribute to the Chinese to enjoy their influence and increase the stability of the sultanate.
But that was when a Portuguese fleet departed for Malacca under Afonso de Albuquerque, the Viceroy of India. The Sultan was defeated and his crown was taken over by Portuguese. He relocated to the south of Malaya into the jungles of the modern Bintan and Johor areas and tried to recover his kingdom.
After losing the city, Sultan Mahmud Shah turned to Ming Dynasty China—which had a historical alliance and tributary protection relationship with Malacca—to seek military intervention and assistance against the Portuguese.
Who could send this message to China? The envoy had to be a reliable person, right? Hence, he chose his own uncle, Tuan Muhammad, a.k.a. Nasem Mudaliar. Mudaliar is a word that usually refers to traders from South India of Tamil descent.
Upon receiving the order to depart, Tuan Nasem traveled to the Muar River (the third-biggest river in Malaysia, which benefits Negeri Sembilan, Johor, Malacca, and Pahang) and set sail on a traditional wooden ship—a marakkalam—accompanied by his wife and a group of Moors.
I understand that Moors are Arabian, Persian, Indian or Tamil Muslims.
When he arrived at Canton (Modern Guangzhou), the southern Chinese port where all visitors to the region were required to disembark, the local governors followed established process – they immediately sent a messenger to the Emperor, who lived faraway inland, to announce the arrival of the Malacca King’s envoy.
Let’s resume this in another post.
过去 (Guòqù)
English: The Past
Tamil: கடந்த காலம் (Kaṭanta kālam) ⏳
Hindi: अतीत (Atīt)
Malay: Masa lalu
