Before that there were no rajas but only village communities. Aceh was united by an aggressive new dynasty determined to eliminate foreign interference in the name of militant Islam, Aceh’s rise was thus an exact counterpoint to Portugal’s intrusion into the area in the period 1509-20.
Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah al-Khahar (reign until 1588) was another great ruler of Aceh. He expanded the armed forces developed trade and established close relationships with Islamic powers in the Middle East, especially with Turkey and in Africa namely Abyssinia and Egypt.
The political expansion of the Acehnese sultanate was continued by his successors, who attacked Malacca in 1573 and conquered the rich tin-producing state of Perak in the Malay Peninsula two years later.
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| Modern Aceh province |
During the reigned of Sultan Iskandar Muda (r 1607-1636), the kingdom became strong and prosperous because of his achievement in the development of international trade and commerce, political expansion and the establishment of close relations with foreign Islamic kingdoms that not only strengthened Aceh’s’ military forces but also intensified the kingdom’s Islamic faith.
By mid 1660s, it appears that the power of the kingdom of Aceh relative to the VOC was reduced. The influence of Aceh over her dependencies in Sumatra West Coast and Minangkabau hinterlands had diminished.
In contrast, the Dutch seemed successfully in making inroads into these areas and they took these minor rajas under the company’s protection.
Kingdom of Aceh
