Megat Iskandar Shah (Sultan of Malacca)
Encyclopedia
Megat Iskandar Shah was the second Sultan
of Malacca
and also the son of Parameswara. The position of Megat Iskandar Shah as the second ruler of Malacca
has historically been contested.
In the 2005 book, Admiral Zheng He & Southeast Asia published by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Professor Wang Gungwu in his paper ‘The First Three Rulers of Melaka’ published in 1968, puts forward strong reasoning to support the fact that Megat Iskandar Shah was the second ruler of Malacca. This fact is recognised in Malaysian school text books.
It is to note that both Tomé Pires's
Suma Oriental as well as the Sejarah Melayu
(Malay Annals) do not have references to Megat Iskandar Shah but describe that Iskandar Shah (Parameswara) had ruled Malacca until 1424.
Sir Richard Winstedt
who earlier in 1935 supported the existence of Megat Iskandar Shah, soon after the Second World War
changed his opinion when he became aware of the descriptions from the Suma Oriental.
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
of Malacca
Malacca
Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...
and also the son of Parameswara. The position of Megat Iskandar Shah as the second ruler of Malacca
Malacca
Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...
has historically been contested.
In the 2005 book, Admiral Zheng He & Southeast Asia published by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Professor Wang Gungwu in his paper ‘The First Three Rulers of Melaka’ published in 1968, puts forward strong reasoning to support the fact that Megat Iskandar Shah was the second ruler of Malacca. This fact is recognised in Malaysian school text books.
It is to note that both Tomé Pires's
Tomé Pires
Tomé Pires was an apothecary from Lisbon who spent 1512 to 1515 in Malacca immediately after the Portuguese conquest, at a time when Europeans were only first arriving in South East Asia...
Suma Oriental as well as the Sejarah Melayu
Sejarah Melayu
Sejarah Melayu or Malay Annals is a Malay literary work which covers a period of over 600 years that chronicles the, then and now, Genealogies of Rulers in the Malay Archipelago...
(Malay Annals) do not have references to Megat Iskandar Shah but describe that Iskandar Shah (Parameswara) had ruled Malacca until 1424.
Sir Richard Winstedt
Richard Olaf Winstedt
Sir Richard Olaf Winstedt , or more commonly R.O. Winstedt, was an English Orientalist and colonial administrator with expertise in British Malaya.-Early life and education:...
who earlier in 1935 supported the existence of Megat Iskandar Shah, soon after the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
changed his opinion when he became aware of the descriptions from the Suma Oriental.