Peter Borschberg

Forthcoming Conference Paper

With reference to the history of the Singapore and Melaka Straits and surrounding regions, Matelieff is known tor three things: he launched a massive naval assault on Melaka and the Portuguese armada over several months in 1606; he signed two landmark treaties with Johor and also spearheaded an agreement of Aceh which was signed by his deputy Olivier de Vivere in 1607. This paper specifically examines the epistolary memorials of Matelieff and their value for understanding the thinking of the early Dutch East India Company (VOC) and the formulation of their strategic deliberations for the region. This paper sets out to forensically examine a series of documents written by the admiral after his return to the Netherlands in the autumn of 1608. They include important epistolary reports that were addressed to the senior statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt and the famous father of international law, Hugo Grotius.

 

 

The Memorials  of Admiral Cornelis Matelieff de Jonge and their Value for the History of the Singapore Straits and the Johor River Region

Date: 6/March/2010