The 1603 naval battle at Changi between the Dutch and Portuguese showcased the Dutch strength and determination to challenge Portuguese dominance in Southeast Asia. The Dutch damaged the Portuguese flagship, and inflicted many casualties among the Portuguese, causing the flagship to take on water, and the remaining Portuguese ships retreated.
Battle of Changi | |||||||
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Part of Dutch-Portuguese War | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Dutch Republic | Portuguese Empire | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Jacob Pietersz van Enkhuysen | Teixeira de Macedo | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
4 ships [1] | 40 vessels [2] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
5–6 dead, several wounded | Many Soldados, and damage to the armada [3] |
During the 17th century, the Dutch Republic and the Portuguese Empire were engaged in a period of intense rivalry and competition called the Dutch–Portuguese War in which the Dutch took almost all Portuguese possessions in Southeast Asia. It often escalated into armed conflicts. This rivalry primarily revolved around their economic and colonial interests, particularly in the lucrative spice trade of Southeast Asia, and in many other parts of the world. [4]
The Santa Catarina incident was a notable event in which the Dutch captured a Portuguese ship and took it back to Amsterdam, resulting in significant wealth for the Dutch. As a consequence, the Portuguese decided to undertake a punitive expedition against the Johoreans, who were seen as allies of the Dutch during the incident. [5] In late September 1603 the Dutch made contact with Johor fishermen who told them about a Portuguese blockade, and the Dutch decided to take action. [6]
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On October 10, 1603, Dutch ships sailed up the Johor River and encountered the Portuguese armada near Johor Lama. The Dutch targeted the Portuguese flagship, Todos os Santos, damaging its sails and hindering its maneuverability. They continued to attack with artillery fire, causing the flagship to take on water. The remaining Portuguese ships chose to retreat and regroup off the northern coast of Batam. The ruling family of Johor observed the battle from their galleys, as well as from the Dutch flagship. [7]
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 800 kilometres (500 mi) long and from 65 to 250 km wide, between the Malay Peninsula to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connecting the Andaman Sea and the South China Sea. As the main shipping channel between the Indian and Pacific oceans, it is one of the most important shipping lanes in the world.
Great Karimun, also known as Mawas Island, is one of the islands in the Riau Islands province of Indonesia, administratively part of Karimun Regency. It lies about 37 km southwest of Singapore, 54 km west of Batam, 24 km northeast of Rangsang Island and 32 km north of Kundur Island.
The Singapore Strait is a 113 km-long (70 mi), 19 km-wide (12 mi) strait between the Strait of Malacca in the west and the South China Sea in the east. Singapore is on the north of the channel, and the Indonesian Riau Islands are on the south. The two countries share a maritime border along the strait.
The Johor Sultanate was founded by Sultan of Malacca Mahmud Shah's son, Alauddin Riayat Shah II in 1528.
Cornelis Matelief de Jonge was a Dutch admiral who was active in establishing Dutch power in Southeast Asia during the beginning of the 17th century. His fleet was officially on a trading mission, but its true intent was to destroy Portuguese power in the area. The fleet had 1400 men on board, including 600 soldiers. Matelieff did not succeed in this. The Dutch would ultimately gain control of Malacca more than thirty years later, again joining forces with the Sultanate of Johor, and a new ally Aceh, in 1641. He was born and died in Rotterdam.
Santa Catarina was a Portuguese merchant ship, a 1500-ton carrack, that was seized by the Dutch East India Company on 25 February 1603 off Singapore. She was such a rich prize that her sale proceeds increased the capital of the VOC by more than 50%. From the large amounts of Ming Chinese porcelain captured in this ship, Chinese pottery became known in Holland as Kraakporselein, or "carrack-porcelain" for many years.
Tanjung Tuan is an area in Alor Gajah District, Malacca, Malaysia. It is a semi-exclave of Malacca adjacent to Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan.
A Famosa was a Portuguese fortress built in Malacca, Malaysia, circa 1512. The oldest part of the fortress was a five-storey keep which eventually gave its name to the fortress as a whole. Some time following the Battle of Malacca (1641) and the occupation of the city by the Dutch, the keep was destroyed but the outer walls of the fortress were expanded. However, in 1811 the British destroyed all of the original fortress and most of the outer walls. The Porta de Santiago gateway, and the rebuilt Middelburg Bastion, are the only parts of the fortress that remain today.
Johor Lama is a mukim in Kota Tinggi District, Johor, Malaysia. It is situated on the banks of Johor River. It was once a thriving port and the old capital of the Johor Sultanate.
Juan de Silva was a Spanish military commander and governor of the Philippines, from April 1609 until his death on April 19, 1616.
Singapore Island, also known as mainland Singapore, is the main constituent island of the sovereign island country and city-state of the Republic of Singapore. It is located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, between the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea. The Singapore Strait lies to the south, while the Johor Strait lies to the north.
Tun Muhammad bin Tun Ahmad, better known as Tun Sri Lanang, was the Bendahara of the royal court of the Johor Sultanate who lived between the 16th and 17th centuries. He served under two sultans of Johor, namely; Sultan Ali Jalla Abdul Jalil Shah II (1570–1597) and Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah III (1597–1615) and also advisers to three rulers of the Aceh Sultanate namely; Sultan Iskandar Muda, Sultan Iskandar Thani (1636–1641) and Sultana Tajul Alam Safiatuddin Shah (1641–1675). He had two honorific titles throughout his lifetime; as the Bendahara of Johor, Bendahara Paduka Raja Tun Mohamad, while he was given the title of Orang Kaya Dato' Bendahara Seri Paduka Tun Seberang after settling in Aceh.
The names of Singapore include the various historical appellations as well as contemporary names and nicknames in different languages used to describe the island, city or country of Singapore. A number of different names have been given to the settlement or the island of Singapore all through history, the earliest record may have been from the 2nd century AD. Possible mentions of Pulau Ujong, the name for the island of Singapore, may be found in Chinese works, and it was also referred to as Temasek in Malay and Javanese literature. Sometime in the 14th century the name was changed to Singapura, which is now rendered as Singapore in English. Singapura means "Lion City" in Sanskrit, and Sang Nila Utama is usually credited with naming the city, although its actual origin is uncertain.
Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah III was the Sultan of Johor and reigned from 1597 to 1615. He resided at the new capital of Johor at Batu Sawar, but later moved his administration to Pasir Raja around 1609. In 1612, at the instigation of his co-ruler and half-brother Abdullah, and Bendahara Tun Sri Lanang oversaw the editorial and compilation process of the Malay Annals, one of the most important Malay literary works.
Sultan Abdullah Ma'ayat Shah was Sultan of Johor from 1615 to 1623. Before he became sultan of Johor, Abdullah Ma'ayat Shah was also known as Raja Bongsu, Raja Seberang or Raja di Hilir. Kota Seberang was described as the personal "fiefdom" of Raja Bongsu by Admiral Cornelis Matelief de Jonge. He controlled the settlement which was located almost straight across the Johor River from the royal administrative center and capital Batu Sawar. He is also said to have controlled areas around the Sambas River on the island of Borneo.
Tan Tai Yong is a Singaporean academic who is the current President of Singapore University of Social Sciences. He served as the President of Yale-NUS College from 2017 to 2022. He is also Chairman of the Management Board of the Institute of South Asian Studies, an autonomous university-level research institute in NUS. He was a former Nominated Member of Parliament and served from 2014 to 2015.
Malacca, officially the Historic State of Malacca, is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca. The state is bordered by Negeri Sembilan to the north and west and Johor to the south. The exclave of Tanjung Tuan also borders Negeri Sembilan to the north. Its capital is Malacca City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 7 July 2008.
The Seri Rambai is a seventeenth-century Dutch cannon displayed at Fort Cornwallis in George Town, the capital city of the Malaysian state of Penang and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the largest bronze gun in Malaysia, a fertility symbol and the subject of legends and prophecy.
The Acehnese launched their invasion of Johor between 1613 and 1615 to subjugate and vassalize the Johor Sultanate, as part of the Acehenese expansion in the Malay peninsula under Iskandar Muda reign.
The Battle of Formoso River of 1615 was an naval battle that took place in the Malay Peninsula in the Formoso River, between a Portuguese fleet and a large fleet of the Sultanate of Aceh, one of the largest Aceh had ever mobilized against the Portuguese in Malacca.