Dutch Malacca

Kota Melaka Dutch City and Fort of Malacca De Stad en Kasteel Malacca
Dutch colony
← 1641–1825 →
Flag Coat of arms
Malacca, shown within modern Malaysia
Capital	Malacca Town
Language(s)	Dutch, Malay
Political structure	Colony
Governor
- 1641–1642	Jan van Twist
- 1824–1825	Hendrik S. van Son
British Residents
- 1795	Archibald Brown
- 1803–1818	William Farquhar
Historical era	Imperialism
- Established	14 January 1641
- British occupation	1795–1818
- Relinquished to the British according to the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824	1 March 1825

Dutch Malacca, ca. 1724–26

Dutch Malacca (1641–1825) was the longest period of Malacca under foreign control. The Dutch ruled for almost 183 years with intermittent British occupation during the Napoleonic Wars ( 1795–1818 ). This era saw relative peace with little serious interruption from the Malay kingdoms due to the understanding earlier on forged between the Dutch and Sultanate of Johor in 1606. This time also marked the decline of the importance of Malacca. The Dutch preferred Batavia (present day Jakarta) as their economic and administrative center in the region and their hold in Malacca was to prevent the loss of the city to other European powers and subsequently the competition that would naturally come with it. Thus in the 17th century, with Malacca ceased to be an important port, the Johor Sultanate became the dominant local power in the region, due to the opening of its ports and the alliance with the Dutch.

Dutch conquest of Portuguese Malacca

The Dutch Square, with Christ Church (built in 1753) (left) and the Stadthuys (right).

In the early 17th century, the Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, VOC) began the campaign to destroy Portuguese power in the East. At that time, the Portuguese had transformed Malacca into an impregnable fortress (the Fortaleza de Malaca, controlling access to the sea lanes of the Straits of Malacca and the spice trade there. The Dutch started by launching small incursions and skirmishes against the Portuguese. The first serious attempt was the siege of Malacca in 1606 by the third VOC fleet from Holland with eleven ships, led by Admiral Cornelis Matelief de Jonge that lead to the naval battle of Cape Rachado. Although the Dutch were routed, the Portuguese fleet of Don Martin d'Alphonso de Castro, the Viceroy of Goa; suffered heavier casualties and the battle rallied the forces of the Sultanate of Johor in an alliance with the Dutch and later on with the Acehnese.

The Dutch with their local allies assaulted and wrested Malacca from the Portuguese in January 1641. This combined Dutch-Johor-Aceh efforts effectively destroyed the last bastion of Portuguese power, removing their influence in the Malay archipelago. As per the agreement with Johor in 1606, the Dutch took control of Malacca and agreed not to seek territories or wage war with the Malay kingdoms.

Administration of Malacca

Malacca was controlled as a colony of the VOC. All the chief administrators of Malacca were Dutch governors except for the brief period that the city was under British Residents during the Wars of Napoleon. The governors and residents list is as follows:

Governors of Malacca

Dutch graves in the ruined St Paul's Church, Melaka

Ruins of a Dutch fort.

Governors of Dutch Malacca (1641–1795)

Governors	From	Until
Johan van Twist	1641	1642
Jeremias van Vliet	1642	1645
Arnout de Vlamingh van Oudtshoorn	1645	1646
Jan Thyszoon Payart	1646	1662
Jan Anthonisz van Riebeeck	1662	1665
Balthasar Bort	1665	1679
Jacob Joriszoon Pits	1679	1680
Cornelis van Quaelberg	1680	1684
Nikolaas Schaghen	1684	1686
Dirk Komans (1st time)	1686	1686
Thomas Slicher	1686	1691
Dirk Komans (2nd time)	1691	1692
Gelmer Vosberg	1692	1697
Goevert van Hoorn	1697	1700
Bernhard Phoonsen	1700	1704
Johan Grotenhuys (acting)	1704	1704
Karel Bolner	1704	1707
Pieter Rooselaar	1707	1709
Willem Six	1709	1711
Willem Moerman	1711	1717
Herman van Suchtelen	1717	1726
Johan Frederik Gobius	1726	1730
Pieter Rochus Pasques de Chavonnes	1730	1735
Roger de Lavez	1735	1741
Willem Bernard Albinus	1741	1748
Pieter van Heemskerk	1748	1753
Willem Dekker	1753	1758
David Boelen	1758	1764
Thomas Schippers	1764	1771
Jan Crans	1771	1775
Pieter Gerardus de Bruijn	1775	1788
Abraham Couperus	1788	1795

British occupation

British Residents of Malacca (1795–1818)

Residents	From	Until
Archibald Brown	1795	1795
Thomas Parr	1795	1796
Richard Tolson	1796	1797
David Campbell	1797	1798
Aldwell Taylor	1798	1803
Willem Jacob Cranssen -Dutch Governor	1802
William Farquhar	1803	1818

Restoration to the Dutch

Governors of Dutch Malacca (1818–1825)

Governors	From	Until
Jan Samuel Timmermann Thijssen	1818	1822
A. Koek (acting)	1822	1824
Hendrik Stephanus van Son	1824	1825

Stad en Kasteel Malacca

The town and fortress of Malacca (1780)

The Dutch improved and expanded the Portuguese fortress and built walls to protect the harbor and expanded city. During their rule the famous city hall or Stadthuys was also constructed, which still stands today.

References

• De Witt, Dennis (2007). History of the Dutch in Malaysia. Malaysia: Nutmeg Publishing. ISBN 9789834351908.