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Between the creation of the early states and the renowned ‘Age of Commerce,’ one of the most significant times in the formation of early modern Southeast Asia occurred. The region is home to a bewildering array of early states, each with its unique origin, culture, and economy. The region underwent dramatic transformations, with states and empires rising and falling as traders, missionaries, and mercenaries interacted in an ever-widening sphere.
The beginning of the formation of the early state is generally dated to the first half of the seventeenth century, followed by the ‘Age of Commerce’. First states formed around seafront cities, which were considerably larger than previous communities. Some examples of maritime cities formed in the sixteenth-seventeenth centuries are Ayutthaya, Ayutthaya, Aceh, Hanoi, Pegu, and Demak (Reid 6). According to Reid, the population in these cities appeared to be more than 50,000 people (3).
Several features distinguish this time from the rest of the history for people living in the Indic SEA. First, the early state development resulted in Southeast Asia being remarkably highly urbanized, given that its overall population was significantly lower than that of, for example, Europe. In addition, the states were controlled mainly by dynasties, such as the Khmer Empire and the Javanese Majapahit, due to their military prowess and bureaucratic institutions. Another outcome of the formation of the states was involvement in commerce. The foreign trade that sustained these economies was organized around a set of indigenous states located strategically at the crossroads of the region’s major trading routes and maritime networks. A significant influence on people living in the region was imposed by Islam, which was spreading along major trade routes (Reid 2). It allowed people to participate in economic exchange and brought social relationships between the early states and the rest of the world.
The organization of the states had some weaknesses, which led to a weakening of the region. The centralization of the state apparatus was an unstable base for organizing a stable society. Local rulers, divided by internal strife, could not form a sufficiently powerful coalition. Also, Indic states became highly dependent on the silver influx from Europe. One of the causes of the crisis that erupted in Southeast Asia in the middle of the seventeenth century was the gradual decline of European silver imports after 1630 (Reid 9). Vietnam and China resisted European pressure, limited the activities of Europeans on their territory, or closed the country to Western traders.
The forces which brought the ‘Age of Commerce’ to an end were mostly European. The development of Southeast Asia was significantly influenced by the Europeans, who sought to monopolize foreign trade, and successfully took advantage of internal political conflicts and wars between states. Portuguese caused several downturns around 1500-1520, starting with Vasco da Gama’s arrival in 1498 when they started sinking all spice ships (Reid 7). As a result of European monopolization, the states of Southeast Asia were practically forced to stop their maritime trade, which led to the end of ‘Age of Commerce’.
Overall, Southeast Asia showed rapid development starting from the formation of the early state through the ‘Age of Commerce’. The markets of South-East Asia were the trade point of Europe, the Middle East, India, and the Far East. However, the influence of other countries brought the region to economic regression.
Work Cited
Reid, Anthony. “An ‘Age of Commerce’ in Southeast Asian History.” Modern Asian Studies, vol. 24, no. 1, 1990, pp. 1–30, Web.
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