State Organization of the Malacca Sultanate

Abstract

The article traces the state system of the Malacca Sultanate in the XIV–XV centuries. Starting with the pre-Malacca socio-political situation on the Malay Peninsula, it follows the Islamization processes, which brought about the Singaporean governmental pattern. Further Islamization changed the state and society in accordance with the Islamic law of Sharia. The research also featured the Malacca Code, the first unified legislative act in the Malay Archipelago. The Code combined the Islamic law with some elements of the customary law. It regulated a wide range of issues, including trade, family relations, legal proceedings, and state management. The leading political figures included the Sultan and his ministers Bendahara, Temenggong, Laksamana, and Shahbandar. The Islamic legal system affected the traditional social structure of Malacca. However, the two systems coexisted as a single unity throughout the entire XV century.