History History

Recent discoveries attest to the ancient presence of man in Malaysia. In 1958, a 35,000-year-old skull was found in Borneo. On the peninsula, archaeological research unearthed remains dating back to 6000 BC. The first kingdoms were formed in the 2nd century AD with the arrival of the Indians, who brought with them not only spices, but also their religions and concepts of governance. From the 14th century onwards, Malacca became a key stop on maritime routes. Merchants and settlers from all over the world passed through. These visitors of an evening or a century shaped the country, bequeathing to it a legacy of populations on opposite sides of the globe. Indonesians, Indians, Chinese, then Portuguese, Dutch, landed in Malacca one after the other. Finally, at the end of the 18th century, the British took an interest in the region and colonized it, from Penang to Borneo. Malaysia, Singapore and the Sultanate of Brunei gained independence in 1963, 1965 and 1984 respectively. Pressed to rid itself of the explosive political situation in Southeast Asia, the United Kingdom created a geographic catch-all that brought together the region's kingdoms and sultanates. The result was the Federation of Malaysia.

See the top 10 associated with this file: Personnages historiques

65000 av. J.-C.

First human traces (microlithic tools unearthed at Niah in 2017).

Peintures rupestres de Niah © Dan Olsen - Shutterstock.com .jpg

4000 av. J.-C.

Farmers from Indochina reach the peninsula by land. They mix with the aboriginal populations and form the ethnic group of the Senoïs.

1000 av. J.-C.

The Proto-Malays, probably coming from Yunnan in China, are spreading throughout the archipelago. They are repelled by the Deutero-Malays who came from Cambodia around 300 BC. The latter are said to be the direct ancestors of the Malays.

600–1200

The Srivijaya empire. The powerful kingdom of Srivijaya, founded in central Java, set out to conquer new territories. Its political and commercial influence extended as far as Cambodia. In Malaysia, it founded trading posts in Kelantan, Terengganu, Malacca and Kedah. At the end of the 13th century, the kingdom of Srivijaya collapsed, giving way to the kingdom of Modjopahit. At the same time, a Thai kingdom was created in the north of the country. China began trading with Southeast Asia. It was in this context that the Thais and Javanese clashed for possession of the peninsula. The Malays, for their part, turned to the Chinese for protection.

1398

Foundation of the city of Malacca, on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula.

1511

The Portuguese take Malacca.

1641

The Dutch take Malacca from the Portuguese.

1786

The British bought the island of Penang and set up a free port to break the Dutch hegemony.

1819

Sir Stamford Raffles occupied the island of Singapore, which was then just a fishing village. He acquired trading rights in 1824 and made it the British economic and political centre in the region. As in Penang, the island is a free port and gradually it is populated by the Chinese.

1824

Signing of the Anglo-Dutch treaty. The Dutch cede Malacca to the British in exchange for the town of Bencoolen in Sumatra. They completely abandoned the Malay Peninsula. The British now hold the three most important ports in the region and have complete control of the Strait of Malacca.

1838

The British explorer James Brooke landed in Kuching and helped the Sultan of Brunei to quell a revolt. In 1841, the sultan enthroned him as the White Rajah of Sarawak. He and his dynasty expanded their territory at the expense of Brunei, until the British seized the territory in 1946.

1867

The British East India Company abandons the administration of the Colonies of the Straits in favour of the Colonial Office based in London.

1874

Signing of the Treaty of Pangkor. The rivalry between the Chinese and the Malay for control of the mines forces the Sultan of Pangkor to request British protection. The signing of the treaty legitimizes the control of the British, who bring down the Malay sultanates one by one. They give them advice, reorganize their administration and de facto colonize the region.

1882

The British Company of North Borneo is created to administer the Sabah region. It expands the territory, again at the expense of the Sultanate of Brunei.

1888

North Borneo becomes a British protectorate and two years later Labuan is annexed to it.

1895

The Sultanates of Pahang, Selangor, Perak and Negeri Sembilak form the Federated States of Malaysia under British rule. Their capital is Kuala Lumpur. The British bring in tens of thousands of Indians and Chinese to develop the country. The Malaysian mosaic is set up.

1909

The Kingdom of Siam cedes the states of Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu to the British, but they retain some autonomy.

1914

The Sultanate of Johor, in spite of its historical relationship of equality with the Crown, joins the 4 States inherited from the Kingdom of Siam, in the non-federated Malaysian States.

1941

The Japanese take Kelantan by surprise. In January 1942, they reached Kuala Lumpur by bicycle and on February 15, it was still an army of bicycles that landed in Singapore.

1945

The presence of the Japanese has given rise to a predominantly nationalist feeling among the Malaysian people. As for the Chinese, they are turning to communism. It was this new situation that the British Crown had to face when it recovered Malaysia at the end of the war.

1946

The British are working for the independence of Malaysia. They propose the creation of a Malaysian Federation based on equal rights and integration of non-Malays. The Malay people, who refused to consider themselves equal with the Chinese and the Indians, were in revolt. They found the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) to create a political opposition.

1948

The Communist Party of Malaysia went underground and started a guerrilla war against the colonial power. It has little support from the Chinese community. But the armed struggle will last 9 years and slow down the independence process.

1949

Rich Chinese businessmen founded the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) to counter the local Communist Party and represent the community at the independence table.

1955

The UMNO, the MCA and the Malayan Indian Congress (MIC) are forming a coalition for the parliamentary elections. They won all but one seat. This victory laid the foundation for a coalition, inclusive and multi-ethnic political system.

1957

On 31 August, Merdeka (Independence) was proclaimed and the Federation of Malaysia was formed. The UMNO wins the most important portfolios. The sultans of each state occupy the throne in rotation.

1958

Discovery of a 35,000-year-old female skull in Niah, Sarawak.

1963

Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak join the Federation. Singapore's integration threatens to tip the Malaysian population into ethnic minorities. Tensions between the Chinese and Malay communities intensify. Brunei chooses to remain under British protectorate.

1965

Singapore secedes.

1969

Riots between Chinese and Malaysian communities cause hundreds of deaths in Kuala Lumpur. The government creates the concept of bumiputra ("sons of the soil") which gives special status to the Malay and aboriginal populations.

1981

Dr. Mahathir Mohamad becomes Prime Minister. He puts in place a strong democracy accompanied by unbridled industrialization.

1984

Brunei achieves independence on January1.

Drapeau du Brunei © Paul Cowan - Shutterstock.com.jpg

1997

Malaysia is severely affected by the global economic crisis. Mahathir refuses to comply with IMF demands to get his country out of the crisis.

2000

The economic crisis is creating a serious political crisis. Anwar Ibrahim, Mahathir's heir-designate, criticizes the decisions taken by the Prime Minister to counter the currency crisis. He finds himself accused of sodomy and corruption and ends up in prison.

2003

Abdullah Badawi is appointed Prime Minister and takes over as Mahathir's successor. He gets Anwar released.

2008

Unable to deal with the corruption, Badawi is forced to resign. Najib Razak takes over. Faced with the rise of radical Islam and inter-ethnic tensions, he promotes a philosophy of Satu Malaysia, "One Malaysia", without much success.

2012

The Man of Perak, a skeleton dating back to 11000 B.C. is discovered in the Lenggong Valley. The valley includes 4 sites that allow us to trace the history of the hominid from 1.83 million years ago to 300 BC. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

2013

For the parliamentary elections, Malaysians have to choose between the still dominant but increasingly contested UMNO and opposition parties led by Anwar. UMNO narrowly won the elections and Najib Razak remained in office.

2016

A gigantic case of corruption shakes the power. Malaysian leaders are suspected of having embezzled billions of ringgits from a hedge fund. Major protests lead to Najib's dismissal.

2018

For the first time since independence, the opposition came to power. Pakatan Harapan (PH) won 113 of the 222 seats. It is in fact a party founded by Mahathir, who thus became the oldest incumbent Prime Minister in the world at the age of 92!

2020

Following the political crisis that led to the resignation of Prime Minister Mahatir, Yassin Muhyiddin, of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) party, was elected head of state.

2021

Ismail Sabri Yaakob was elected Prime Minister in August 2021 following a multi-party coalition.

2022

Pakatan Harapan (PH) leader Anwar Ibrahim is sworn in as the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia on November 24, 2022.

2023

On October 27, 2023, Ibrahim Ismail was appointed 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia), replacing Abdullah of Pahang.

Top 10: Personnages historiques

Historical figures of Malaysia

A country born out of the ashes of the Second World War, Malaysia has few important historical figures. There is little cult of personality, and Malaysian heroes are actually the first politicians to rule the country. And since they tend to cling to power, there aren't many of them: there have been just 6 since 1957.

The Man of Perak (11000 BC)

This skeleton discovered in 1991 is the oldest found in Asia. It belongs to the Negrito ethnic group.

Parameswara (1344-1414)

Prince of the Indonesian Srivijaya dynasty, he founded the port city of Melaka at the end of the 14th century.

Megat Iskander Shah (?-1424)

Son of Parameswara, he probably converted to Islam making Melaka a sultanate.

Sir Robert Fullerton (1773-1831)

A British civil servant in India, he became the first governor of the Colonies of the Straits in 1826 and was based in Penang.

James Brooke (1803-1868)

He inherits from the Sultan of Brunei the title of White Rajah of Sarawak. The dynasty died out in 1946 by decision of the British government.

01_Tunku Abdul Rahman © vkilikov - Shutterstock.com.jpg

Tunku Abdul Rahman (1903-1990)

Prime Minister of the Federation of Malaysia in 1957. He held the office until 1970.

02_Mahahir Mohamad © Abdul Razak Latif - Shutterstock.com.jpg

Mahathir Mohamad (1925- )

His political destiny is based on the history of the country. Prime Minister from 1981 to 2003 for the UMNO, he returned to power with his opposition party in 2018.

03_Hassanal Bolkiah © vkilikov - Shutterstock.com.jpg

Hassanal Bolkiah (1946-)

The 29th Sultan of Brunei reigns over his people as absolute monarch. He is also Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Minister of Finance and Inspector General of Police.

04_Lee Hsien Loong © zahimmohd - Shutterstock.Com.jpg

Lee Hsien Loong (1952- )

Prime Minister of Singapore since 2004. He is the son of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

05_Najib Razak © 360b - Shutterstok.com.jpg

Najib Razak (1953- )

Prime Minister of Malaysia from 2009 to 2018, he "fell" following a huge corruption scandal.

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