Melaka coinage-Malacca Sultanate Tin Coinage

The Malacca Sultanate was from 1400-1511. There were eight sultans before the Portuguese came in 1511. During the 111 years of Malacca Sultanete, the merchants who traded in this region always used a common currency for their barter trade; Gold dust, silver bars, tin ingots and blocks money. Merchant from Ming Dynasty bring their own currency, chinese copper cash coin were used in the surrounding areas like Sumatra, Indonesia and Nusantara. these currency was accepted for barter trading by everyone in the region.


Chronology of Malacca Sultanate :

Parameswara ( Iskandar Shah) 1400 - 1414
Megat Iskandar Shah 1414 - 1424
Seri Maharajah Muhammad Shah 1424 - 1444
Seri Parameswara Dewa Shah (Raja Ibrahim) 1444 - 1445
Sultan Muzaffar Shah (Raja Kassim) 1445 - 1456
Sultan Mansur Shah (Raja Abdullah) 1456 - 1477
Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah 1477 - 1488
Sultan Ahmad bin Mahmud Shah 1488 - 1511
Early sultanate coinage:


Some book, suggest that pitis coinage issued during the reign of Sultan Muzaffar should be the Malacca early coinage. Other author doubted the uncertainty of Sultan Muzaffar early coinage due to the questionable reading of the last cipher of that latter date on whatever record was available to the compiler of the dynastic list. The coins are well struck and somewhat resemble the contemporary coppers of the sultans of Madura in southern India. Like all tin coins of the region, they are referred to as "pitis." Tin coins had been issued not too much earlier by Sumatran Pasai.


Muzaffar Shah-Obverse
Muzaffar Shah-Reverse

Obverse: Muzaffar Shah Al-Sultan (in Arabic script).
Reverse: Nasir Al-Dunia Wa'l Din (Arabic). Meaning The helper of the world and of the religion of Islam.
Edge: Plain.
Diameter: 319 mm.
Weight: 2.3 grammes.
Composition: Tin (82%-83%) Lead (17%-18%)
Mint: Malacca mint.
Hearing of Malacca's great wealth coming from Asian traders, the Portuguese king sent Admiral Lopes de Sequeira to find Malacca, to make a friendly compact with its ruler and to stay on Portugal's representative east of India. The first European to reach Malacca and Southeast Asia, Sequeira arrived in Malacca in 1509. Although he was initially well-received by Sultan Mahmud Shah trouble however quickly ensued. The general feeling of rivalry between Islam and Christianity was invoked by a group of Goa Muslims in the sultan's court after the Portuguese had captured Goa. The international Muslim trading community convinced Mahmud that the Portuguese were a grave threat. Mahmud subsequently captured several of his men, killed others and attempted to attack the four Portuguese ships, although they escaped. As the Portuguese had found in India, conquest would be the only way they could establish themselves in Malacca.

In April 1511, Afonso de Albuquerque set sail from Goa to Malacca with a force of some 1200 men and seventeen or eighteen ships. The Viceroy made a number of demands - one of which was for permission to build a fortress as a Portuguese trading post near the city. All the demands were refused by the Sultan. Conflict was unavoidable, and after 40 days of fighting, Malacca fell to the Portuguese on 24 August 1511. Although Malacca seems to have been well supplied with artillery, but the combination of Portuguese firepower, determination and fanatical courage prevailed. A bitter dispute between Sultan Mahmud and his son Sultan Ahmad also weighed down the Malaccan side.

The sultan then retreated to Kampar in Sumatra where he died two years later. He left behind two sons named Muzaffar Shah and Alauddin Riayat Shah II. Muzaffar Shah was invited by the people in the north of the peninsula to become their ruler, establishing the Sultanate of Perak. Meanwhile, Mahmud's other son, Alauddin succeeded his father and made a new capital in the south. His realm was the Sultanate of Johor, the successor of Malacca.

Photo by: skydrivelive.com
Data source: Mallaca collection of coinage book, wikipedia

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