Slides for Students on the Founding of Modern Singapore in 1819. It covers the period from the Fall of the Malaccan Sultanate to the Treaties of 1824 which established and consolidated British rule over Singapore

2. The fall of Melaka has ended the
Malaccan Sultanate. It also destroyed
the unity of the Malay world. Several
former vassals like Aceh broke away
and created their own powerful
kingdoms. In 1514, Sultan Ali
Mughayar Shah (1514-1530) declared
Acehnese independence and the
creation of the Sultanate of Aceh
Darrusalam.
Making alliances with rival kingdoms
was a common strategy used to gain
political and economic advantage.
Sometimes it also involved working
with European powers like the
Portuguese and later the Dutch to
fight against rival kingdoms.

3.  After the Fall of Malacca,
Sultan Mahmud, the last
sultan of the Malaccan
sultanate fled from the
Portuguese and shifted his
istana (palace) several
times. He was helped by
his loyal Orang Laut
followers who knew the
river systems in the
Singapore-Johore and
Riau-Lingga area well and
soon a whole chain of
Johore forts were built
along the Johore River.

4.  Led by his own Bendahara,Abdul
Jalil, a group of nobles ambushed
and murdered the Sultan to
depose of the ruler because of his
unwise policies and cruelty towards
his subjects. Sultan Mahmud was
childless and because of this,
Bendahara Abdul Jalil has made
himself the new Sultan.
 The Orang Laut who remember
their sacred oath to Seri Tri Buana
to always be loyal to his direct
descendants have declared that
they will not support the Bendahara
Abdul Jalil’s proclamation to be
Sultan.

5. Sultan Mahmud’s tomb is buried
at Kampung Makam (Village of
the Tomb) after his murder inear
Kota Tinggi, in Johor. The legend is
that before he drew his last
breath, Sultan Mahmud cast a
curse on his murderers and
forbade the sons of Bintan to
touch the grounds of Kota Tinggi
for all eternity. Till today, people
still believe the curse still exists and
people from Bintan fear to come
to Kota Tinggi. Do you believe in
this curse?

6.  In 1718, Raja Kecil from Siak on the
east coast of Sumatra claimed to
be a descendent of the murdered
Sultan Mahmud and invaded the
sultanate with the support of rebel
Orang Laut forces. The invading
force was defeated with the help of
Bugis settlers who came from south
Sulawesi. The Bugis will eventually
become important allies of the
Johore sultanate and become so
influential that they control royal
positions in the Johore-Riau
sultanate. The Orang Laut who have
been faithful messengers and naval
warriors of the Johore-Riau sultanate
are expected to be side-lined and
lose the important role they play in
the royal court.
Portuguese Maps: 1604 Map
of Godino de Eredia

7.  Dutch ships preyed on Portuguese shipping off Changi Point.
In 1603, the Portuguese ship Santa Catarina was seized in the
waters off Singapore which fetched 3.5 million florins, a large
sum in it’s time. More naval battles between Portugal and
the Dutch East Indies were fought off the Straits of Singapore.

8.  The Kallang Basin: The Kallang River is the longest river in
Singapore and means ‘mill’ or ‘factory’ because of the many
saw mills, rice mills and ship builders in the area. Ming porcelain
shards which date to the reign of Ming Emperor Wanli (1573-
1621) were found in Kallang and also in Tanjong Rhu. There were
also local Malay pottery found. This gives evidence that trade
with China in Singapore still continued even this period.
Singapore also remained an important part of the Johore-Riau
Sultanate trading network

9.  Evidence of the
Singapore settlement in
the Singapore River
however vanished after
the 1600s. In the wars
against the Portuguese
or Acehnese , the
settlements were
probably raided and
destroyed. The
settlement might also
have moved to safer
Malay bases in the
area such as the
Kallang River Basin.

10. There was a Dutch report in 1695
that there is a cluster of 10 pile-
dwellings in Keppel Harbour and
a “a custom-house for fish in the
middle of the channel”. The ruler
of Johor collected duties on the
catch. There is however no
evidence of any important
trading post in Singapore.
Archaeology and history both
show that by 1650, Singapore
had returned to its marginal
position which it had occupied
before 1300.” – John Miskic

11.  In 1703, the ruler of Johor offered
the island of Singapore to a British
captain, Alexander Hamilton who
was an independent British trader.
The Sultan did not have any
population on the island and it is
possible that he made this offer
because he wanted to
encourage commercial activity
there but did not have enough
people to exploit Singapore’s
position himself. Hamilton had no
money, political support and
authority to take advantage of
the offer and he turned it down.
Hamilton however see potential
on the island becoming a
prosperous port

12.  The East India
Company (EIC) was set
up to compete with the
Spanish, Portuguese
and Dutch. It was a
private chartered
company set up in 1600
and given a royal
monopoly over British
trade over British trade
in India, Southeast Asia
and China.

13. The English and Dutch fought a
series of wars in the 17th and
18th centuries for control over
the seas and trade routes. They
were also often related to civil
war royal succession disputes in
England. The wars resulted in
Holland become the leading
maritime state in the 17th
century. Britain, through the
EIC, was also able to firmly
established its control over
India during this period and
became a growing naval
power.

14. The EIC traded English woolens, Indian cottons and later
opium to China to make a profit on the China trade. Opium
was very profitable because it was grown in India. Even
though the Qing dynasty had banned opium sale in China in
1729 as an illegal drug and the British government was not
directly involved in the sale of opium, the EIC made a large
amount of profit by producing it and selling it to China and
Southeast Asia through private traders. This led to the Opium
Wars (1839-42; 1856-69)when China tried to ban the trade.

15. Until 1819, they only had Penang
and Bencoolen as trading ports
but these were of limited value.
In 1623, VOC-EIC rivalry lead to
the execution of 10 EIC traders in
Ambon in Maluku. They were
suspected of trying to overthrow
VOC influence in the Spice
Islands. They were tortured,
beheaded and the head of the
English captain impaled on a
pole for all to see. It was published
in a brochure and used later in
the Anglo-Dutch war to get British
support for the war.

16. In the Malay Peninsula, British trade influence in the
Malay courts was however slowly growing. British traders
formed close relations with Malay courts and often
acted as advisors on political and military matters. Some
of the British traders spoke fluent Malay and even inter-
married with locals. They traded in Indian cloth, opium,
muskets, cannon and gunpowder (even the knowledge
to produce them) in exchange for Chinese goods and
local produce.

17.  Between 1793 to 1819, the French Revolutionary and
Napoleonic Wars broke out in Europe. Napoleon
Bonaparte, a brilliant French general won many battles for
the French army and seize control of France in 1799. He
then went on to conquer almost the whole of Europe by
1804. Under the new French empire, Holland became a
satellite state and was finally annexed in 1810.

18.  During this time, the Stadholder (chief executive)
and head of the Dutch Republic was William V,
Prince of Orange in Nassau, fled to London and
wrote a series of letters from the Kew Palace in
London to Dutch army officers and colonial
governors. He urged them to resist France and to
cooperate with Britain by surrendering their ships and
colonies to Britain for “safekeeping”. The governors
of Malacca, Ambon and West Sumatra obeyed but
elsewhere, others were confused and demoralized
by the new instructions.

19.  1818: Stamford Raffles joined
the EIC as a 14 year-old clerk
in 1795 and was part of the
EIC team which planned
and invaded Java in 1811.
He became the governor of
Java (1811-1816) and
Governor-General of
Bencoolen in 1818. He was
ambitious to make Britain a
leading trading nation in the
world and break Dutch
trade monopoly.

20.  Colonel William Farquhar
was a Scottish EIC army
officer who was involved in
the military expedition
against Malacca in 1795.
He was based in Malacca
for 23 years and promoted
to become its commander
and Resident. , Farquhar
had signed a treaty with
the Johor-Riau Court to get
a British port at the
southern end of the Straits
of Melaka but the EIC
board of directors were
against it

21. Aceh is under Penang’s jurisdiction and
therefore under my charge. You should
remain in Penang while we get this
sorted out with our bosses in India.
It won’t stop me. I’ll slip out
quietly and sail south to join
Farquhar at sea.

23. Sultan Mahmud had two
sons: Tengku Hussein Long
(older) and Tengku Abdul
Rahman (younger)
When Sultan Mahmud passed
away in 1810,, the powerful
Bugis faction used their
influence to place Tengku
Abdul Rahman on the throne.

24. Malay traditions stated that the dead sultan could only
be buried after the new sultan had been appointed. The
Bugis chiefs and the Dutch, who held influence in the
Johor-Riau Sultanate supported Tengku Abdul Rahman
being the new Sultan. They held a coronation ceremony
to make him the new sultan.

25. Those who supported
Tengku Hussein were not
pleased but they could
not do anything about it.
Hussein Shah was in
Pahang for his wedding.
Tengku Hussein went
to live in Riau.
In 1818, the Dutch signed a treaty with Sultan Rahman that
stated that his empire (which included Singapore) would be
under Dutch control.

26. Tengku Hussain referred to
himself as Yang Dipertuan Selat
or Lord of the Straits. He signed
off as Yang Depertuan of
Singapore in his letters to the
Riau-Lingga court. As the raja of
Singapore, Hussein saw himself
as someone who had given
legitimacy to the settlement. He
hoped to get a share of the
wealth created by Singapore
through taxes and tribute. The
wealth created would help
Sultan Hussain gain followers,
loyalty and political power

27. Temenggong Abdul Rahman was
related by marriage to Tengku
Hussain Shah. He was a local Malay
chief and his domain included a
number of islands in the northern
part of the Riau islands and part of
Johor. The Temenggong and his
people came to Singapore
between 1800 and 1818 because
the Dutch gave their support to the
Bugis in the Johor-Riau sultanate.
The Temenggong hoped that with
the British on his side, he would
have an important part to play in
the Singapore entrepot and see his
family reputation restored.
Daing Ibrahim his son

28.  “Tengku Hussein set sail for Singapore. They met
on board the warship to meet Mr Raffles who
honoured the Tengku by firing cannons,
beating drums, and so fourth. Afterwards, he
was taken below deck and given a chair sitting
beside Mr Raffle’s and Mr Farquhar. Mr Raffles
told spoke to him using courteous words,
advising him and payig him delicate
compliments. And the Tengku agreed to
whatever Mr Raffles proposed and so the affair
was settled.” The Tufhat al-Nafis, a Bugis version
of the Johor-Riau history describes the meeting
between Raffles, Farquhar and Tengku
Hussein:-

29.  Raffles smuggled Tengku Hussein into Singapore and
on 6 February 1819, proclaimed him the rightful
Sultan of Johore.
 Raffles, the Temenggong and Sultan Hussein signed
the Treaty of 6 February 1819 which confirmed
Singapore as a British possession.

30. Treaty of 6 February 1819
In return for an annual payment of 5,000 Spanish
dollars to the Sultan and 3,000 Spanish dollars to the
Temenggong, the EIC was to have the sole right to
build a factory on Singapore island
The Sultan was not to allow any other power to settle
in Singapore.
Half the duties collected from any native ships using
Singapore were to go to the Sultan and Temenggong.

31.  Raffles returned to
Bencoolen, leaving
Major William
Farquhar as the first
British Resident of
Singapore.

32.  By 1825, Sultan Hussein had signed away many of his rights
to the British.
 By the end of the 19th century, the Sultan’s family had lost
almost all authority in Singapore, and become unknown to
the people.
 The Temenggong, on the other hand, enjoyed the support
of the Malay population. When he died in 1825, his son,
Ibrahim, continued to establish a relationship of trust with
the British. Ibrahim’s son, Abu Bakar, took over in 1862 and
negotiated with the British to take on several positions in
the British government. He was eventually appointed
Sultan of Johor by the British in 1885.

33.  British: needed the Dutch
in the event of a common
enemy.
 Dutch: in debt to the British
as it had borrowed heavily
from them during the war.
 The Dutch protested strongly against the foundation
of Singapore, but did not take military action.
 Both Holland and Britain had been involved in
fighting France in the Napoleonic Wars (1793 – 1815)
and neither wanted to start another war. Both
wanted to settle their differences by peaceful
means.
 Discussions began in 1819 and by 1820 the Dutch
had agreed that the British would remain in SG. In
1824, the Anglo-Dutch treaty was signed.

35.  No import or export duties, apart from a
few small local changes.
 Only free port in the Malay Archipelago
until 1819.
 Annual trade totaled over 13 million
Spanish dollars by 1823.
 Free from government monopoly:
merchants were free to trade in all
goods (unlike Dutch ports)
 By 1823, the port was international.

36.  Why?
1819 Treaty did not give the island to
Britain.
 Raffles signed a further treaty which
stated:
Britain was to have control of the entire
island.

37.  Why?
Singapore was still under the
sovereignty of the Sultan.
 John Crawfurd organised another treaty:
The Sultan and Temenggong agreed to
cede to the East India Company “the
island of Singapore, together with the
adjacent seas, straits and islets to the
extent of ten geographical miles from
the coast of the said main island of
Singapore”.

39. Anglo-Dutch Treaty 1824
a) By the drawing of an imaginary line through the
Straits of Malacca and south of Singapore, the
area was divided into a British "sphere of
influence" and a Dutch "sphere of influence".
Each country would have commercial control
within its own area and agreed not to interfere in
the affairs of the other country's "sphere of
influence".
b) The Dutch agreed to cede all their bases in India
and the Malay Peninsula to Britain.
c) The Dutch accepted the British possession of
Singapore.
d) Britain ceded Bencoolen to Holland, and Holland

41. British and Dutch spheres of influence
confirmed:
 Treaty made official what was already in
existence
 The Dutch were to win control of the East
Indies, the British came to dominate the
Malay Peninsula.

42. Anglo-Dutch treaty of 1824 meant that Singapore could develop as a
trading settlement without the interference from the Dutch.
By 1832, SG had replaced Penang as the centre for the Straits
Settlement.

43. The end of the Johore Empire:
 The decline of the Johore Empire has
been happening for some time, the
treaty just confirmed it.

44. Anglo-Dutch Relations:
 Improved in Europe; but there were difficulties
in the East.
 Rivalry between Dutch and British officials and
merchants still existed. For many years to
come, there were complaints from the British
that their trade was being hampered by the
Dutch.
Relations between Dutch and British officials
were so poor that the agreement to act
together against piracy was never put into
effect.