[Webinar] Rebel Princes, Sea Skirmishes, and a Royal Plot: 18th-century Singapore’s Changing Fortunes in Perspective

Readers may be interested in this upcoming webinar on 25 April about Singapore in the 18th century. Zoom registration link here.

What was going on in and around Singapore in the 18th century? Historians have often puzzled over this century of silence on the island, seemingly anomalous to the drama convulsing the region, which has given rise to much suggestion and speculation. Based on further finds in the archival records of the Dutch East India Company as well as a close reading of diplomatic letters, relations deposited in Melaka, and local chronicles, this talk will attempt to fill this gap by locating Singapore more narrowly as a place and player during the significant events of the Malay world. The focus will be on the elusive figure of the Raja Negara of Singapore and the role he played in the vicissitudes and crises in the lower half of the Straits in the 18th century. Far from being a sleepy fishing village, Singapore would come to be defined by the journeys of rebel princes, a series of sea skirmishes, and a half-remembered royal plot, which helped set the stage for its transformation in the early 19th century. The Temasek History Research Centre is pleased to bring you this talk.

Source: Rebel Princes, Sea Skirmishes, and a Royal Plot: 18th-century Singapore’s Changing Fortunes in Perspective – ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute