Latest / Majapahit: The Empire That Once Ruled Indonesia — Fexingo History
Majapahit's Ambassadors: Tomé Pires and the Portuguese Encounter
In the early 16th century, as Majapahit crumbled, a Portuguese apothecary named Tomé Pires arrived in Southeast Asia. His Suma Oriental, written around 1515, preserves a vivid snapshot of the empire's final decades—its trade, its politics, and its decline. This episode explores what Pires saw and heard: Majapahit's waning power, the rise of Demak, the bustling port of Sunda Kelapa, and the complex web of alliances and rivalries that shaped Java's transition from Hindu-Buddhist rule to Islamic sultanates. We examine Pires's reliability, his encounters with Javanese nobles…
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