ACEH rose to be a new, major power in the Straits of Malacca in place of the Malacca sultanate when the latter fell in 1511. Through most of the 16th and the 17th centuries, Aceh dominated northern Sumatra and exerted political influence over the Malay peninsula's states. Kedah, Perak, Pahang, and Johor were, at different times, invaded by Aceh. Hence, Aceh is that part of today's Indonesia that is closely linked to Malaysia, both in the distant and recent past. The most eventful period of that relationship was between 1540 and 1640. Those years were marked by trade, wars, and marriage ties that left significant social and cultural impact on the Malay states and on Aceh itself. Several members of the peninsula's royal families were installed as rulers of Aceh. Iskandar Thani (1636-41), one of Aceh's most highly-regarded rulers, was a Pahang prince who had been taken as a war captive. He married the daughter of Aceh's greatest warrior-ruler, Iskandar Muda. Two other Acehnese rulers were Perak princes. In turn, the Acehnese installed their choices as rulers of peninsular Malay states such as in 1613, when Iskandar Muda sent the half-brother of Johor's deposed ruler back as Sultan Mamat Syah. Early in its history, Aceh had been a tributary-state of Pasai. But Acehnese rulers gradually asserted their independence and eventually conquered Pasai and Pedir. From then on, able and ambitious rulers - the first of whom was Ali Mughayat Syah (1514-30) - built Aceh into a maritime power. The turning point in the rise of Aceh came as Muslim merchants moved away from Malacca when the latter fell to 1 / 5
the Portuguese. With this, Aceh took over a significant part of Malacca's entrepot role, particularly in the spice trade. More than just an economic and political power, Aceh was a major Islamic centre as well. The Pasai region is believed by many scholars to be one of the places in the Malay Archipelago where Islam first reached. The faith was carried over by Muslim traders sailing across the Indian Ocean some time in the late 14th century. From there, Islam spread to Malacca. In the 16th century, Aceh became famous as a centre of Islamic learning in the region. The sultanate promoted the spread of the religion, and its rulers - especially Iskandar Thani - were patrons to wellknown Muslim scholars. Among the most renown of such scholars during the early 17th century were three Sumatrans, Hamzah Fansuri, Syamsuddin of Pasai and Abdurrauf of Singkil, and an Indian from Gujerat, Nuruddin ar-raniri. Ar-Raniri encouraged Iskandar Thani to impose a syariah system of law. But upon the death of his patron, ar-raniri was forced to leave Aceh. But, like the others, he left behind important writings. Sultan Ala'ad-din Ri'ayat Syah al-kahar (1537/9-71), one of Aceh's greatest warriors, led the sultanate into a phase of wider expansion. But this brought it into conflict with the Malay 2 / 5
states. Aceh regarded these peninsular states as political rivals and commercial competitors even though it had much in common with them in language, religion, political ideas, and ethnic background. The first of the conflicts came when Aceh clashed with Johor over Aru. Aru on the east coast of Sumatra was a territory previously under the Malacca sultanate. Johor rulers, being connected to Malacca's ruling line, now laid claim to it. In 1540, Aru was attacked by Aceh. Aru's widowed queen thereupon appealed for help from Johor. Sultan Ala'ad-din Ri'ayat Syah of Johor responded by marrying the queen and defeating the invading Acehnese with help from Perak and Siak. But Acehnese attacks persisted and in 1564 Aru finally fell. From there, Aceh proceeded to attack Johor. The Johor capital was destroyed and the entire royal family carried off as prisoners to Aceh - though one of the sultan's sons was sent back as ruler under Acehnese supervision. When the puppet ruler was overthrown by his uncle in 1560, an Acehnese fleet attacked the capital. Aceh next invaded Perak to gain control of its tin trade. Perak was defeated in 1575 and the royal family taken as captives to Aceh. A captive Perak prince later married an Acehnese princess and succeeded to the Acehnese throne in 1579. The younger brother of the new ruler was sent back as ruler of Perak. But it was Aceh's relentless effort to drive out the Portuguese from Malacca that was a notable feature in the kingdom's military ascendancy in the Straits. In all, the Acehnese launched some 37 naval expeditions against Malacca and came close to taking the city on a number of occasions. Hundreds of Acehnese warships were involved in each of these attacks. Differences in religion have been suggested as a factor in Aceh's hostility to Portuguese Malacca. On their part, the Portuguese certainly viewed their ventures in Asia from a perspective shaped by the Middle East Crusades of a few centuries earlier. 3 / 5
Portuguese attempts at trade monopoly and attacks on Muslim shipping led Aceh to seek help from Islamic countries. Hence under Ala'ad-din Ri'ayat Syah al-kahar, Aceh made contact with Turkish rulers to forge an Islamic alliance. At this time, ships from Aceh carrying Sumatran pepper and Malukan cloves were sailing into the Red Sea. Acehnese envoys soon reached Istanbul with gifts of pepper. The Turkish rulers were themselves seeking a wide alliance with other Muslim states and they responded to Aceh's request for help by sending cannons, gunsmiths and mercenary troops. To focus on religion as a reason for the conflict in the Straits region during the 16th and 17th centuries can, however, be misleading. After all, Johor, a Muslim state, was willing to join the Portuguese in Malacca against Aceh. And Perak traded with the Portuguese in an effort to balance the influence of the Acehnese. At other times, Aceh and Johor cooperated with the Dutch. Aceh reached the height of its power and influence under Sultan Iskandar Muda (1606-36), Aceh's greatest ruler. Iskandar Muda launched a series of attacks against the Portuguese in Malacca and the Malay states. He took Pahang in 1617, Kedah in 1620 - Kedah's pepper plantations were destroyed to prevent it from competing against Acehnese supplies - and attacked Johor again in 1623. But the military campaigns took a heavy toll upon Aceh's resources. A major set-back against Malacca in 1629 saw Iskandar Muda losing an estimated 15,000 soldiers and hundreds of ships. Iskandar Muda's successor, Iskandar Thani, pursued a less vigorous military policy. Furthermore, within Aceh, the orang kaya (merchant class) reasserted their influence. Earlier, Iskandar Muda had executed hundreds of rich merchants when he saw them becoming a political threat. On the death of Iskandar Thani, merchants placed his wife as the first of four successive 4 / 5
queens to rule Aceh over the next 80 years, presumably to oppressive sultans from coming to power. prevent powerful and As a historical marker, Aceh's rise to power and prosperity came when it replaced Malacca as a major entrepot in the region. In all, Aceh power lasted about 150 years and began to decline only with the death of Iskandar Muda in 1636. But Aceh survived long after that as a sultanate of some significance even when other Indonesian and Malay states fell to colonial rule. Illustrations from `Indonesian Heritage: Early Modern History' (Archipelago Press). Millennium Markers is a weekly series that looks at events and happenings that shaped Malaysia and the surrounding region over the last 1,000 years. Notes: STF- In this week's Millennium Markers, Dr LEE KAM HING examines the links the Aceh sultanate had with the Malay states and the royal ties that were forged between them. This article was first published by The Star 5 / 5