Seven Hundred Years: A History of Singapore

Description

Assessments of Singapore's history invariably revolve around Sir Stamford Raffles' arrival in 1819. Before this date we ve been told 'nothing very much appears to have happened in Singapore'. Pre-1819 Singapore was a sleepy, historically insignificant fishing village, little more than the 'occasional resort of pirates'. This ambitious book, co-written by four of Singapore's foremost historians, offers an assertive re-evaluation of that view, firmly situating Singapore's starting point seven hundred years ago. Drawing on a multi-disciplinary range of archival, textual and cartographical records, as well as the latest archaeological discoveries, the authors cast a singular historical trajectory for Singapore over the past seven centuries, animating its history like never before. Written in a compelling and accessible manner, and richly illustrated with more than 200 artefacts, photographs, maps, art works and ephemera, this volume builds upon the foundations of an earlier book, Singapore: A 700-Year History. Extensively rewritten to incorporate ground-breaking research findings, Seven Hundred Years: A History of Singapore widens the historical lens and offers a vital new perspective on the story of Singapore. Contents Preface Introduction: Writing Singapore’s History 1 The 14th Century: Advent of a “Great City” 2 The 15th Century: Feeder Port and Homeland of Melaka’s Naval Forces 3 The 16th Century: Shahbandaria of the Johor Sultanate 4 The 17th Century: Contested Waterways 5 The 18th Century: From Malay Entrepôt to Colonial Port-City 6 The 19th Century: Port-City of the British Empire 7 The 20th Century 228Becoming a Global City-State Conclusion: Singapore’s Challenge Bibliography Image Credits Index