gotlost
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Ships from the West
Subhatra Bhumiprabhas
Special to The Nation January 20, 2012 1:00 am
The Portuguese in Siam five centuries ago were far tamer than their cousins trampling through Malaya
The Portuguese - the first Europeans to hunt for treasure in Southeast Asia - got off to a poor start, spending two years in the early 1500s violently establishing a foothold in the Malay state of Malacca. Lesson learned, they were more diplomatic in Pegu, Sumatra and Siam.
Just how peaceful their history was in old Thailand will be examined in a conference in Ayutthaya next week on the 500th anniversary of Siamese relations with the West.
Over two days, dozens of scholars will describe what happened half a millennium ago when the hulking, bearded strangers (think of the frightening farang "guardian" statues at Wat Po) first appeared on these shores.
"Malacca was where East met West, and the Portuguese came to take over the maritime trade," historian Charnvit Kasetsiri told reporters during a recent preliminary tour in Malacca, once known as "the Emporium of the East".
The Maritime Museum makes it clear that the Malays still fume about Portugal's invasion. With a replica of the Portuguese ship Flor de la Mar bearing witness, the version of history as told by the loser has it that the wealth of sultans was piled onto that boat and carried off to Europe, along with dozens of skilled female weavers, calligraphers and dancers.
Much more tragically, they didn't get far - the Flor de la Mar sank in a storm off Sumatra.
Also among its haul were letters and gifts that King Ramathibodi II of Ayutthaya was sending to King Manuel I of Portugal.
First contact with Siam occurred before the conquest of Malacca. The viceroy of Portuguese India, Alfonso de Albuquerque, sent his envoy Duarte Fernandes to Siam to make acquaintance. The relationship has continued uninterrupted ever since.
In 1516 Ramathibodi II granted riverside land for a Portuguese settlement and permission to erect a wooden cross, thus guaranteeing their right to worship God as they chose. In return, the Siamese received lucrative market access to Malacca, its erstwhile trading rival. Apart from the lost lives and letters, it all sounds pleasant enough, and this was mainly to the credit of the Portuguese lan
Subhatra Bhumiprabhas
Special to The Nation January 20, 2012 1:00 am
The Portuguese in Siam five centuries ago were far tamer than their cousins trampling through Malaya
The Portuguese - the first Europeans to hunt for treasure in Southeast Asia - got off to a poor start, spending two years in the early 1500s violently establishing a foothold in the Malay state of Malacca. Lesson learned, they were more diplomatic in Pegu, Sumatra and Siam.
Just how peaceful their history was in old Thailand will be examined in a conference in Ayutthaya next week on the 500th anniversary of Siamese relations with the West.
Over two days, dozens of scholars will describe what happened half a millennium ago when the hulking, bearded strangers (think of the frightening farang "guardian" statues at Wat Po) first appeared on these shores.
"Malacca was where East met West, and the Portuguese came to take over the maritime trade," historian Charnvit Kasetsiri told reporters during a recent preliminary tour in Malacca, once known as "the Emporium of the East".
The Maritime Museum makes it clear that the Malays still fume about Portugal's invasion. With a replica of the Portuguese ship Flor de la Mar bearing witness, the version of history as told by the loser has it that the wealth of sultans was piled onto that boat and carried off to Europe, along with dozens of skilled female weavers, calligraphers and dancers.
Much more tragically, they didn't get far - the Flor de la Mar sank in a storm off Sumatra.
Also among its haul were letters and gifts that King Ramathibodi II of Ayutthaya was sending to King Manuel I of Portugal.
First contact with Siam occurred before the conquest of Malacca. The viceroy of Portuguese India, Alfonso de Albuquerque, sent his envoy Duarte Fernandes to Siam to make acquaintance. The relationship has continued uninterrupted ever since.
In 1516 Ramathibodi II granted riverside land for a Portuguese settlement and permission to erect a wooden cross, thus guaranteeing their right to worship God as they chose. In return, the Siamese received lucrative market access to Malacca, its erstwhile trading rival. Apart from the lost lives and letters, it all sounds pleasant enough, and this was mainly to the credit of the Portuguese lan