Ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East (Vol. I: Champa; Vol. II: Suvarnadvipa) v2.c14.t4.70

v2.c14.t4.70

Jean De Barros, to whom we owe this detailed information, no doubt derived his facts from indigenous sources, and it is impossible not to trace in them the hand of Siamese officials who wanted to hide their discomfiture by an alleged acknowledgment of the suzerainty of Siam on the part of Malacca. The History of the Ming Dynasty clearly refers to hostilities between Siam and Malacca in 1419 A.D. in the reign of Sekandar Shah, and also, after his death, in 1431 A.D. From the general nature of the case also it would appear more likely that hostilities continued between the two countries, rather than that Malacca accepted the suzerainty of Siam. In any case the suzerainty of Siam must have been more nominal than real, and even that was repudiated, as Barros himself affirms,² by the successors of Sekandar.