Year

Happenings

1396

Parameswara flees Temasik, (ancient Singapore) with his pirate band and founds Melaka.

1403

First Official Chinese trade envoys arrive in Melaka lead by Admiral Yin Ching.

1409

Admiral Cheng-Ho, Commander of the Chinese Imperial fleet, arrives in Melaka on the first of his seven voyages to the Indian Ocean.

1411

Parameswara journeys to China with an entourage of 540 and meets the Ming Emperor Yung Lo.

1414

Parameswara marries a princess from Pasai (Indonesia) and he embraces Islam and changes his name to Raja Iskandar Shah..

1424

Sri Maharaja, Parameswara's son, becomes Sultan. He converts to Islam and takes the title Mohamed Shah.

1444

On his death Mohamed Shah is succeeded by his youngest son Raja Ibrahim. A year later the young ruler is murdered in a palace plot and buried with a title Sultan Abu Syahid.

1446

Raja Kassim ascended the throne with the title Sultan Muzaffar Shah. Under his strong rule, Melaka prospers. He establishes Islam as the state religion.

1447

First attack from Siam (Thailand). Later they were defeated in battle near Muar.

1456

Tun Perak becomes the Bendahara, (Prime Minister). Serving four Sultans, he is responsible for Melaka's rise to power in maritime Southeast Asia.

1459

Sultan Mansur shah succeeds Muzaffar Shah. Admiral Cheng Ho bring the Chinese Princess Hang Li Po as a wife for the sultan.

1477

Sultan Mansur Shah dies. He is succeeded by the 15-year-old Alauddin Riayat Shah.

1488

Sultan Alauddin is poisoned. Mahmud Shah leaves the running of the government in the hands of his Bendahara, succeeds him.

1498

The Bendahara Tun Perak dies.

1500

Tun Mutahir replaces Tun Perak as Bendahara with the title Bendahara Seri Maharaja. He became the grandest and most powerful of all Bendahara.

1509

The first Royal Portuguese trading expedition commanded by Diego Lopez de Sequeira with a fleet of 18 ships arrives. They are attacked by Malays but escaped leaving behind twenty men as prisoners.

1510

Bendahara Tun Mutahir allegedly plots to assassinate the Sultan. He ans his entire family are executed by Mahmud.

1511

Alfonso d'Albuquerque and his Portuguese fleet successfully attack Melaka. The city passes out of Malay hands for four and a half centuries. A Famosa, the Portuguese fort, was built.

1513

Patih Unus from Java, A Javanese warrior attacks Melaka.

1518-1519

Sultan Mahmud Shah orders his subjects to built high walls around Melaka within three weeks.

1525

Laksamana Hang Nadim besiege the A Famosa fortress. Food rationing from Goa is carried out.

1545

St. Francis Xavier visits Melaka on the first of his four sojourns in the city. He used Melaka as his base in the East. From here he attempted to get permission to travel to China.

1548

The first Portuguese school in Malacca, St. Paul's College was established by St. Francis for the Portuguese Catholics and newly converted natives.

1551

The combined army of Johor, Japara and Perak besiege Malacca city for three months.

1553

St. Francis Xavier dies in 1552 from fever on Canton, China. His body is buried in St. Paul's church for six months then transferred to Goa, India.

1568

The sultan of Johor send his men to help Melaka fight off the Achehnese who terrorize the Melaka Straits for sixty years.

1582

The Portuguese help Johor ward off another Achehnese attack.

1584

Johor and Portuguese argued and fight on trades matters.

1587

The new friendship soon fades and the Johore Malays launch a huge land and sea attack on the Portuguese who are saved only by reinforcements from Goa. In retribution the Portuguese use their renewed forces to loot and raze the Johor capital (Johor Lama) to the ground.

1588

Ralph Ritch the first British to visit Melaka.

1597

The Dutch attack Melaka for the first time.

1606

The Dutch, under Admiral; Matelieff de Jonge, team up with the Sultan of Johor and attack Melaka. After a three-month siege troops arrive from Goa and Melaka is saved by the Portuguese.

1615/1616

The Achenese attack Melaka.

1628/1629

Achenese captured Melaka for eight months before the Portuguese recapture it again.

1636

The Dutch destroyed Portuguese ships at the Melaka harbor.

1641

The Dutch again attacked. When the final assault comes the Portuguese put up a tough defence, but was compelled to surrender. The Dutch arrive in a Melaka decimated by war and practically deserted.

1645

Cheng Hoon Teng Templee founded by the Kapitan China, Li Kup. Today it was the oldest functioning temple in Malaysia.

1650

The Stadhuys, home of the Dutch Governor and his retinue was built.

1710

St. Peter's Church, the oldest functioning Christian church in Malaysia, was built after the Dutch restore freedom of religion to the Catholics.

1753

Christ Church, the Dutch church next to the Stadhuys in the Town Square, was completed after twelve years of construction.

1756

The Bugis under the command of Daeng Kamboja attacks Melaka.

1784

Raja Haji tries to capture Melaka but was killed in battle at Teluk Ketapang.

1795

The English East India Company takes over Melaka to prevent it from falling into French hands during the Napoleonic wars.

1806

Under Captain William Farquhar, the English begin demolishing A Famosa fort and plan to transfer the city's population to Penang. The cost for demolishing the fort was 70,000 pounds.

1808

Sir Stamford Raffles came to Melaka and send a n appeal letter to stop the demolishing of the city, finally they stop and part of A Famosa was saved and remains.

1818

Melaka is restored to the Dutch under the Treaty of Vienna after the Napoleonic Wars.

1819

Stamford Raffles signs an agreement with Sultan Hussin Mohamed Shah, sultan if Johor, which hands over Singapore to the East India Company. Hussain Shah moves to Melaka.

1824

The Anglo-Dutch Treaty, which separated Dutch claimed territories from the British gives Bencoolen, in Sumatra, to the Dutch and Melaka to the English. This breaks the age-old tradition that ties Sumatra with Melaka.

1826

Melaka, Penang and Singapore are incorporated as the Straits Settlements of the India government under the British.

1867

Straits Settlements become Crown Colony under the Colonial Office.

1883

Tan Cheng Lock a great reformer and founder of the Malaysia Chinese Association, was born in Melaka. A Baba, his family has lived in Malaysia for 300 years.

1895

Melaka-born and educated Chinese land owner and tapioca planter, Tan Chay Yan, plants the first rubber tree in Malaysia.

1901

The Queen Victoria fountain is erected. Made of English marble, it commemorates the Queens Diamond Jubilee, (1837-1897)

1942

Melaka was occupied by the Japanese during World War II.

1945

Melaka was restored to British rule after the Japanese surrender to the British in Singapore.

1948

The twelve years 'Emergency', Malaysia's internal war against the Communist Terrorists, begins.

1956

Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia's Prime Minister, announces the news of impending independence to 50,000 people gathered on the Padang Pahlawan in Melaka.

1957

Malaysia gains independence (Merdeka) The last British Resident Commisioner of Melaka. H.G. Hammet, hands the instrument of independence to the first local Governor, on 31st August.Tun Tan Siew, son of Tun Tan Cheng Lock, becomes Malaysia's first Minister of Commerce and Industry. Two years later he becomes Minister for Finance.

1960

The Emergency against communist was declcared over.

1963

Formation of Malaysia with Melaka, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak forging a new nation.

1989

Proclamation Melaka as the Historical City by Prime Minister Malaysia.

1996

Proclamation Melaka as the Cultural State by Deputy Prime Minister Malaysia.