Sejarah Melayu Reloaded

The chapter begins with the story of Semerluki, the prince of Mengkasar. There is a city in Mengkasar named Balului, and it is so powerful that all the other cities (of Mengkasar) fall under its dominion. The king of Balului is named Keraeng Mejukok and he is married to seven sisters, all daughters of Keraeng …

Read More →

The chapter begins with Sultan Mansur Syah deciding to invade Siak, a territory which used to be a great kingdom ruled by the descendants of the Raja of Pagar Ruyung, who was a descendent of Sang Sapurba, who had came down from Bukit Si Guntang Maha Miru (a sacred place that had similarly been cited …

Read More →

This short chapter is about the Raja of China. When the envoys who had escorted the Raja of China’s daughter to Melaka come back to China, the letter they bring from Sultan Mansur Syah is paraded in a procession, and when it reaches the audience-​hall, the chief minister reads it out. Once the Raja of …

Read More →

The last part of the chapter begins with Sultan Mansur Syah sending Tun Telanai and Mentri Jana Putera as envoys to China to give obeisance (“kirim sembah”) to his father-​in-​law, the Raja of China. Tun Telanai and Mentri Jana Putera set sail for China but, with the will of Almighty God, they encounter a big …

Read More →

The chapter continues with the news that Sultan Mansur Syah refuses to live again in the palace where Hang Kasturi was killed (talk about bad chi!). So he asks Bendahara Paduka Raja to build a new one. The Bendahara himself supervises the construction. The manuscript goes on at length to describe how very swanky this …

Read More →

The chapter continues with Sultan Mansur Syah and his large posse coming back to Melaka. All the big honchos of the palace come to the port to greet him, bringing all manner of drums, pipes and trumpets. There are more ships than anyone can count. All the chiefs pay homage to him, and he and …

Read More →

The chapter continues with Sultan Mansur Syah determined to get hold of the Majapahit princess Radin Galuh Cendera Kirana’s hand (and other body-​parts). He instructs his Bendahara Paduka Raja to get a fleet ready. Bendahara Paduka Raja gets a fleet of 500 large vessels and an uncountable (“tiada terbilang”) number of smaller ones. The fleet also …

Read More →

The chapter begins with the news that the ruler Batara Majapahit (whose ancestor we met in Chapter 4) has died. He had no sons but leaves a daughter, Radin Galuh Awi Kesuma, and she is made to occupy the throne by the Prime Minister, whose title is Patih Aria Gajah Mada. One day, a toddy-​tapper (“penyadap”) …

Read More →

The chapter continues when the failed Siamese army goes back home. The war-​chief Awi Dicu presents himself to King Bubunnya and explains what happened. Bubunnya has a son, Cau Pandan, who tells his father that HE will conquer Melaka instead. (Well, why didn’t he offer the first time?) So the king tells the prince and …

Read More →

The chapter begins in Siam, a kingdom known in ancient times as Syahrun-​Nuwi (and which we read about in Chapter 6–2). All the regions below the wind are subject to Siam, and its Raja’s name is Bubunnya. When Bubunnya hears that Melaka is a big kingdom that is not subject to Siam, he sends a …

Read More →