October 29, 2018

Pre-1819 Singapore is often regarded as nothing more than a sleepy fishing village, with early chroniclers paying attention only to the years after Sir Stamford Raffles’ arrival on the island. What goes untold is the fact that ever since the 16th century, the sea routes around Singapore have already been fought over by the Malays, Portuguese, Dutch, and English. NUS Associate Professors of History Kwa Chong Guan and Peter Borschberg point out that researchers have neglected studying Singapore’s maritime history before 1800.

Rivalries over maritime control of surrounding seas largely influenced the flourishing of harbours and settlements in Singapore. The discovery of Ming Dynasty porcelain sherds along the Kallang estuary indicates the existence of a likely late 16th to 17th century port on Singapore’s southeast coast. This harbour probably thrived as a gateway to the river domains of the Johor sultans. However, with fluctuations in trade and political competition, the sultanate’s relocation to Bintan led to the decline of the settlement along Singapore’s coasts. The economic and political dynamics around Singapore’s waterways extend into the present with the evolution of an increasingly diverse and competitive maritime world.

Read the article here.