TheMalay Annals (Malay:Sejarah Melayu,Jawi:سجاره ملايو), originally titledSulalatus Salatin (Genealogy of Kings),[1] is a literary work that gives a romanticised history of the origin, evolution and destruction of theMalacca Sultanate.[2] The work, composed in the 17th century by court historians, draws from earlier accounts prior to that century,[3][4] is considered one of the finest literary and historical works in theMalay language.
The original text has undergone numerous changes, with the oldest surviving version from 1612, through the rewriting effort commissioned by the thenregent ofJohor,Raja Abdullah.[5][6] It was originally written inClassical Malay on traditional paper in oldJawi script, but today exists in 32 different manuscripts, including those inRumi script.[7] Notwithstanding some of its mystical contents, historians have looked at the text as a primary source of information on past events verifiable by other historical sources, in theMalay world.[8] In 2001, theMalay Annals was listed on UNESCO'sMemory of the World Programme International Register.[9] Today, more than 30 manuscript copies survive, but the 1612 copy is believed to contain the earliest changes to the original text.[10]
There are a large number of manuscripts of theMalay Annals and its related texts. The manuscripts are scattered over libraries in various countries: in Malaysia (Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka),[11] in Indonesia (Jakarta, Museum Pusat), in the United Kingdom (mainly in London), in the Netherlands (Leiden).[12] Not all of these manuscripts have the same value; some are fragmentary or otherwise incomplete; others are just copies of existing manuscripts, and some are copies of the printed text.[13] A version of theMalay Annals dated 1612, acquired by SirStamford Raffles and codedRaffles MS no.18 orRaffles Manuscript 18, is considered the oldest and the most faithful to the original.[14]
There is a possibility thatRaffles MS no.18 version has developed from a genealogicalking-list complete with the periods of reigns and dates. This king-list was subsequently enlarged by various stories and historically relevant material which was inserted in suitable places, but at the same time it lost its dates.[15] Unknown Malay texts titledSoelalet Essalatina orSulalatu'l-Salatina, that is referred to by Petrus Van der Vorm andFrançois Valentijn in their worksCollectanea Malaica Vocabularia ("Collection of Malay Vocabulary") (1677) andOud En New Oost Indien ("A Short History of East Indies") (1726) respectively, could have existed in the form of a king-list.[16]
However, the introduction ofRaffles MS no.18 describes that the manuscript originates from another manuscript known as theHikayat Melayu, which may trace its origin to the time of theMalacca Sultanate (1400–1511).[17][18][19] The manuscript was brought together when the last ruler,Mahmud Shah, fled thePortuguese invasion in 1511 toKampar. In 1536, during the Portuguese attack onJohor Lama, where the exiled sultan established his base, the manuscript was seized by the Portuguese soldiers and brought toGoa,Portuguese India.[20] Decades later, in the early 17th century, the manuscript was returned to Johor from Goa by a nobleman[21] identified asOrang Kaya Sogoh. However, historian Abdul Samad Ahmad provides an alternative view, suggesting that the manuscript was returned fromGowa,Sulawesi instead ofGoa, India. His argument is based on the fact that during Malacca's time as an important regionalentrepôt, it had established strong trading and diplomatic ties with regional kingdoms, including Gowa, and some copies of theHikayat Melayu could have been spread toSulawesi long before the arrival of Portuguese.[22] Another view, from William Linehan, tried to argue that Goa ought to readguha orgua, and that the reference was to Gua, a place located north ofKuala Lipis in Pahang, where a copy of theMalay Annals had been preserved and later brought to Johor and edited there in 1612.[23]
On 13 May 1612, during the reign of SultanAlauddin Riayat Shah III of Johor, the regent of Johor,Yang di-Pertuan Di Hilir Raja Abdullah also known asRaja Bongsu, had commissioned the rewriting and compilation work of the manuscript to thebendaharaTun Sri Lanang.[24][25] In 1613, the Johorean capital, Batu Sawar was sacked by theAceh Sultanate and Alauddin Riayat Shah, and his entire court, including Tun Sri Lanang and Raja Abdullah was captured and exiled toAceh. Although Tun Sri Lanang managed to complete the bulk of theMalay Annals in Johor, he completed his work during his captivity in Aceh.
In 1821, the English translation ofRaffles MS no.18 byJohn Leyden was posthumously published in London.[26] It included a foreword by Raffles himself, introducing the text and explaining its relevance in highlighting the potential congeniality of Malayans to British rule.[27] It was then followed by the edited version inMalay byAbdullah Abdul Kadir, published in Singapore in 1831 and the compilation byÉdouard Dulaurier in 1849.[28] In 1915,William Shellabear's edition was published. It is considered as a hybrid long text, primarily based on Abdullah and Dulaurier's version but containing extracts from other texts as well.[29] It was then followed by another translation ofRaffles MS no.18, this time byRichard Olaf Winstedt in 1938.[30] Another important version, compiled by Malaysian historian Abdul Samad Ahmad in 1979, uses the original title of the text,Sulalatus Salatin. Abdul Samad's compilation was based on three manuscripts that he named as A, B and C, kept in the library ofDewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Kuala Lumpur.[31] Two of the manuscripts, alternatively named asMS86 andMS86a by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, were later referred in the nomination form submitted forUNESCO'sMemory of the World Programme International Register.[32]
TheMalay Annals is historical literature written in the form of narrative-prose with its main theme being lauding the greatness and superiority of Malacca.[33] The narration, while seemingly relating the story of the reign of the sultans of Malacca until thedestruction of the sultanate by the Portuguese in 1511 and beyond, deals with a core issue of Malay statehood and historiography, the relationship between rulers and ruled.[34] TheMalay Annals are prefaced by a celebration of the greatness ofGod, the ProphetMuhammad and hiscompanions. They begin with a genealogical account of the first sultan of Malacca who is said to be descended fromRaja Iskandar Zulkarnain. TheMalay Annals cover the founding of Malacca and its rise to power; its relationship with neighbouring kingdoms and distant countries; the advent of Islam and its spread in Malacca and the region as a whole; the history of the royalty in the region including battles won or lost, marriage ties and diplomatic relationships; the administrative hierarchy that ruled Malacca; the greatness of its rulers and administrators, including thebendaharaTun Perak andlaksamana,Hang Tuah. TheMalay Annals conclude with the account of Malacca's defeat by the Portuguese forces in 1511, resulting not only in the downfall of Malacca, but also in the eventual re-emergence of the Malacca-modelled sultanates in other parts of the region, including Johor, Perak and Pahang.[35]
TheMalay Annals have had a great influence on the history, culture, and development of Malay civilisation, which confronted major cultural transformation through the centuries. Through courtly chronicles like theMalay Annals, the Malaccan tradition developed in the 15th century was transmitted onwards and fostered a Malay identity. These chronicles became an important source of instruction for Malacca's successor states, as they enshrined the sanctity and authority of a Malay ruler (daulat), in his role in maintaining the cohesion of the realm, and legitimized the increasingly absolutist governments these states adopted in the competitive environment.[47] The documents were used by Johor to promote the idea that Malacca and Johor were the centre of Malay culture, during competition with Malay polities in Sumatra.[48]Tun Sri Lanang wrote as follows at the beginning of theMalay Annals:[49]
The royal command of His Majesty, "That we ask theBendahara for thehikayat be produced in the nature of the events and speech of Malay kings and their customs and traditions as well; so it would known by all our descendants who succeed us, remembered by them; therupon will they benefit from it.
TheMalay Annals and other Malay manuscripts remain the subject of study for the 'people who succeeded' from the time the works were produced.[50]
There are a number of English translations of theMalay Annals, the first of which is byJohn Leyden published in 1821 with an introduction by SirStamford Raffles.[51] Another one by C.C. Brown was published in 1952.
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