Mansur Shah of Malacca
Encyclopedia
Sultan Mansur Shah was the sixth Sultan of Malacca
. He ruled Malacca
from 1459 to 1477. He ascended the throne after the death of his father, Muzaffar Shah.
and eastern Sumatra
and the surrounding islands were under the control of Malacca during his rule such as Selangor
, Bernam, Kampar
, Siak
, Manjung
, Rupat
, Singapore
, and Bintan
. Mansur Shah also ordered the attack of Pahang
by Tun Perak
, the Bendahara
of Malacca, to secure the defense of Malacca on the east coast. Siantan and Inderagiri in Sumatra were also given to Malacca as dowry for his marriage to the princess of Majapahit.
.
An example of these marriage alliances is the marriage between the king of Siak to Mansur Shah's daughter, Princess Mahadewi.
Besides that, princesses of those conquered states were also married to sons of Malaccan ministers. For example, Princess Wanang Seri of Pahang and Raden Galoh Candra Kirana were married to sons of ministers like Tun Putih Nur Pualam.
According to historian Tom Pires, Mansur Shah also married concubines who were foreign princesses such as Hang Li Po
and daughters of merchants from India
and Pasai
to strengthen trade relationships. These princesses were also converted to Islam. following the lead of the sultan, others married foreigners as well making foreign marriage customs a not uncommon sight in Malacca.
, Japan
and Java
were not taxed at all. Another economic advantage of Malacca was the easy access to labourers.
by Makhdum Patakan. Mansur Shah referred to scholars from Pasai
on religious issues due to their expertise.
Malacca Sultanate
Established by the Malay ruler Parameswara, the Sultanate of Malacca was first a Hindu kingdom in 1402 and later became Muslim following the marriage of the princess of Pasai in 1409. Centered in the modern town of Malacca, the sultanate bordered the Ayutthaya Kingdom of Siam in the north to...
. He ruled Malacca
Malacca
Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...
from 1459 to 1477. He ascended the throne after the death of his father, Muzaffar Shah.
Expansions of Malaccan Empire
Mansur Shah implemented a policy of expansionism during his rule. Many territories in Peninsular MalaysiaPeninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia , also known as West Malaysia , is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula. Its area is . It shares a land border with Thailand in the north. To the south is the island of Singapore. Across the Strait of Malacca to the west lies the island of Sumatra...
and eastern Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
and the surrounding islands were under the control of Malacca during his rule such as Selangor
Selangor
Selangor also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity") is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west...
, Bernam, Kampar
Kampar Regency
Kampar is a regency of Riau, Indonesia. It has an area of 11,707.64 km² and population of about 415,344.The regency is divided into 13 subdistricts . The seat of the regency is located at Bangkinang.Bordered with:...
, Siak
Siak Regency
Siak is a regency of Riau, Indonesia. It has an area of 8,556.09 km² and population of 312,536 .The regency is divided into 13 subdistricts . The seat of the regency is located at Siak Sri Indrapura.Bordered with:...
, Manjung
Manjung
Manjung, previously also known as Dinding, is a district in the southwestern part of the state of Perak, Malaysia. It is well-known for Pangkor Island, a major attraction in Perak and the home of the Royal Malaysian Navy Lumut Naval Base and dockyard...
, Rupat
Rupat
Rupat is an island in the Strait of Malacca, Riau province, Indonesia. It lies just off the eastern coast of Sumatra, across from Dumai city, across the Strait of Rupat . Its area is 1490 km². At a population of 30,000, the island is sparsely populated, with a population density of 20 per...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, and Bintan
Bintan
Bintan Island or Negeri Segantang Lada is an island in the Riau archipelago of Indonesia. It is part of the Riau Islands province, the capital of which, Tanjung Pinang, lies in the island's south and is the island's main community....
. Mansur Shah also ordered the attack of Pahang
Pahang
Pahang is the third largest state in Malaysia, after Sarawak and Sabah, occupying the huge Pahang River river basin. It is bordered to the north by Kelantan, to the west by Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, to the south by Johor and to the east by Terengganu and the South China Sea.Its state...
by Tun Perak
Tun Perak
Bendahara Paduka Raja Tun Perak was the fifth and most famous bendahara, a Malay rank similar to a prime minister, of the Sultanate of Malacca. He served under four sultans from 1456 to 1498. Early in his life, Perak was a soldier-statesman for Malaccan rulers...
, the Bendahara
Bendahara
Bendahara is an administrative position within classical Malay kingdoms before the intervention of European powers during the 19th century. A bendahara was appointed by a sultan and was a hereditary post. It was the office that is held by bendahara family...
of Malacca, to secure the defense of Malacca on the east coast. Siantan and Inderagiri in Sumatra were also given to Malacca as dowry for his marriage to the princess of Majapahit.
Marriage alliances
Mansur Shah also used marriage alliances between princesses of Malacca and the rulers of conquered states to strengthen Malacca's control over those states. This was one of the ways of Islam's expansion in the Malay archipelagoMalay Archipelago
The Malay Archipelago refers to the archipelago between mainland Southeastern Asia and Australia. The name was derived from the anachronistic concept of a Malay race....
.
An example of these marriage alliances is the marriage between the king of Siak to Mansur Shah's daughter, Princess Mahadewi.
Besides that, princesses of those conquered states were also married to sons of Malaccan ministers. For example, Princess Wanang Seri of Pahang and Raden Galoh Candra Kirana were married to sons of ministers like Tun Putih Nur Pualam.
According to historian Tom Pires, Mansur Shah also married concubines who were foreign princesses such as Hang Li Po
Hang Li Po
Hang Li Po was the fifth wife of Malaccan Sultan Mansur Shah . It is disputed whether Hang Li Po ever existed since she was never recorded in the Ming Chronicles of the ruling Chinese Ming Dynasty nor in the genealogical record of the imperial house of Zhu, the royal family of the Ming dynasty...
and daughters of merchants from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Pasai
Pasai
Pasai, also known as Samudera and Samudera-Pasai sometimes called Samudera Darussalam was a Muslim harbour kingdom on the north coast of Sumatra from the 13th to the 15th centuries CE. It was believed the word Samudera derived from Samudra meaning ocean in Sanskrit...
to strengthen trade relationships. These princesses were also converted to Islam. following the lead of the sultan, others married foreigners as well making foreign marriage customs a not uncommon sight in Malacca.
Economic policy
Mansur Shah reduced taxes on trade items during his reign. This increased the interest of merchants to trade in the port of Malacca. The Preferential Tariff System was introduced. Merchants from the west of Malacca such as Arabia and India were imposed a 6 % tax on trade items while merchants from around the Malay archipelago were imposed 3% taxes. However, merchants from ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
were not taxed at all. Another economic advantage of Malacca was the easy access to labourers.
Spread of Islam
Mansur Shah, who had a great interest in Islam, encouraged scholarship in Islamic theological studies. He studied tasawuf himself. He also studied under Maulana Abu Bakar, who brought the Ab Darul Manzum scriptures to Malacca. He also ordered the translation of the scripture to MalayMalay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
by Makhdum Patakan. Mansur Shah referred to scholars from Pasai
Pasai
Pasai, also known as Samudera and Samudera-Pasai sometimes called Samudera Darussalam was a Muslim harbour kingdom on the north coast of Sumatra from the 13th to the 15th centuries CE. It was believed the word Samudera derived from Samudra meaning ocean in Sanskrit...
on religious issues due to their expertise.