The Dutch East India Company and the Straits of Malacca, 1700-1784 : trade and politics in the eighteenth century

Abstract

Since merchants first sailed eastwards from the ports of the Indian Ocean, the Malay Archipelago has been one of the world's busiest commercial highways. As the volume of shipping from both East and West increased, many foreigners passed through the area, leaving a more or less permanent mark, according to the length and purpose of their stay. The coastal area of the Malay Peninsula and the east coat of Sumatra were particularly subjected to foreign influence, for they lie on either side of the straits which form the shortest route between the pay of Bengal and the China Sea. Indian, Chinese, Sames and Europeans have at some time all played an active part in the development of this area. This thesis will examine events in these straits during the eighteenth century, when the Dutch East India Company controlled the fortress of Malacca.