At a period when sea navigation depended more on the skill and courage of sailors than on technology, men were none the less able to build maritime regional empires that stretched from Indochina to the Indonesian Archipelago. This book, which draws on a huge body of archaeological and documentary research, provides a much-needed overview of the history of the Malay Peninsula and insular Southeast Asia from its earliest times up till the 16th century. It also provides an in-depth analysis of the international context of the political, economic and social evolution of these kingdoms, and so provides a useful background to the modern history of the region. An impressive collection of charts, reproductions of major stone inscriptions and an extensive glossary of Sanskrit, old Malay, Javanese and Tamil words and names are also included. Book jacket.

This book provides an overview of the Indianised kingdoms in premodern Southeast Asia. Pulling together multiple secondary sources, it studies the kingdoms in the Malay Archipelago, such as Langkasuka, one of the oldest kingdoms located on the cross-roads between India and China. It also examines kingdoms in greater Southeast Asia, including Chola, Srivijaya, Funan, Champa, Sailendra, Majapahit, Angkor and Ayutthaya, detailing how they all had connections with the kingdoms of the Malay Archipelago aforementioned. Sparked by a traveller’s curiosity, the book captures some of the ongoing efforts in uncovering the history of this period, and addresses a dearth in Malaysia’s often Malacca-centric historiography.

This book attempts to give an accurate history of the Malay peninsula from the first centuries of the Chrisitan era to the 14th century, a story of city states and chiefdoms directly connected with the commercial relationship of the maritime Silk Road.

The Nusantara Kingdoms refer to a network of kingdoms that once ruled the Indonesian archipelago before the colonial period. The history of the Nusantara Kingdoms dates back to the 4th century AD, when the Indonesian archipelago became a crucial trading center in Southeast Asia. The Nusantara Kingdoms had varied characteristics depending on their geographical location, religion, culture, and relationships with other kingdoms. The glory of the Nusantara Kingdoms also influenced the development of arts, architecture, and literature in the Indonesian region. In this book, we will delve further into the history of the Nusantara Kingdoms and their cultural heritage that is still visible today.

A new, comprehensive, one volume history of Southeast Asia that spans prehistory to the present. Ricklefs brings together colleagues at the National University of Singapore whose expertise covers the entire region, encompassing political, social, economic, religious and cultural history. Opening with an account of the ethnic groups and initial cultural and social structures of Southeast Asia, the book moves through the early 'classical' states, the arrival of new global religions and the impact of non-indigenous actors. The history of early modern states and their colonial successors is followed by analysis of World War II across the region, Offering a definitive account of decolonisation and early post-colonial nation-building, the text then transports us to modern-day Southeast Asia, exploring its place in a world recovering from the financial crisis. The distinguished author team provide an authoritative and accessible narrative, drawing upon the latest research and offering detailed guidance on further reading. A landmark contribution to the field, this is an essential text for scholars, students and anyone interested in Southeast Asia.

This book presents extensive new research findings on and new thinking about Southeast Asia in this interesting, richly diverse, but much understudied period. It examines the wide and well-developed trading networks, explores the different kinds of regimes and the nature of power and security, considers urban growth, international relations and the beginnings of European involvement with the region, and discusses religious factors, in particular the spread and impact of Christianity. One key theme of the book is the consideration of how well-developed Southeast Asia was before the onset of European involvement, and, how, during the peak of the commercial boom in the 1500s and 1600s, many polities in Southeast Asia were not far behind Europe in terms of socio-economic progress and attainments.