Admiral Matelieff’s Singapore and Johor, 1606-1616

Edited, Annotated, and Introduced by Peter Borschberg

Admiral Matelieff’s Singapore and Johor, 1606-1616

Edited, Annotated, and Introduced by Peter Borschberg

Distributed for National University of Singapore Press

260 pages | 36 color plates | 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 | © 2017
Paper $26.00 ISBN: 9789814722186 Published February 2017 For sale in North and South America and China only
Cornelis Matelieff de Jonge (c.1570‒1632) was admiral of the Dutch East India Company when it sailed to Asia in 1605 and besieged Portuguese Melaka in 1606 with the help of Malay allies. A massive Portuguese armada then arrived from Goa to fight the Dutch and succeeded in breaking the siege on the Portuguese colony. Throughout this time, Matelieff penned a series of letters in which he provided a candid assessment of trading opportunities and politics in Asia. Admiral Matelieff's Singapore and Johor offers an edited selection of Matelieff’s most important writings from this period, focusing on his experience and interest in Singapore and the Straits of Melaka.
 
In his letters, Matelieff advised the government officials of the Dutch Republic to take a long term view of Dutch involvement in Asia, and as a result, he fundamentally changed their approach to trade, with Singapore, the Straits region, and Johor taking on a more significant role. The rediscovery of Matelieff’s writings have helped to reshape the way local history is taught and understood in Singapore and Malaysia, and this collection will be essential to scholars of the region.
 
 
Review Quotes
Anthony Milner, Australian National University
“This book speaks to a new phase in historical studies of Asia: the critical re-examination of the source materials on which all historical interpretation has to be based.”
Manuel Lobato, Portuguese Institute of Tropical Research
“The book makes a major contribution toward understanding the generally neglected history of the Portuguese in Southeast Asia and the South China Sea region during the 17th century, and Borschberg demonstrates a remarkable grasp of Portuguese-language sources—a rare achievement for an English-speaking historian.”
For more information, or to order this book, please visit https://press.uchicago.edu
Google preview here

Asian Studies: Southeast Asia and Australia

Biography and Letters

History: Asian History | European History

You may purchase this title at these fine bookstores. Outside the USA, see our international sales information.

Chicago Manual of Style

RSS Feed

RSS feed of the latest books from National University of Singapore Press. RSS Feed