State Building in South East Asia
In all parts of this region, increased trade spurred the development of empires. Merchants found all sea routes to trade spices from the spice islands and take goods from Asia to South Asia to be traded. Increased trade created increased wealth, and with that wealth, empires rose. Increased trade also brought foreign religions such as Hinduism, Confucianism, Islam, and Buddhism. Rulers used these foreign ideologies to legitimize their rule.
Sea Based Empires |
Land Based Empires |
SrivijayaEmpireSrivijaya is one example of an empire that rose because of sea trade.Srivijaya sailors began to control the important choke point between the Malay Peninsula below the Khmer empire and the Island of Sumatra.
Srivijaya was able to rise due to plentiful gold supplies allowing them to create a navy that controlled the sea. That navy soon came to control the trade of spices like nutmeg, cloves, and mace. That control created a relatively peaceful sea road for merchants allowing increased trade. Srivijaya was also able to create a large bureaucracy filled with clerks and officials using resources from the taxation of trade. Trade also brought religion. Srivijaya became a Buddhism nation. They adhered to Mahayana Buddhism. Merchants from India and China would create their communities in this region. Buddhism was used by the rulers to legitimize their rule. The idea of karma allowed them to claim past good deeds meant they were the legitimate rulers. They would build Buddhist temples such as Borobudur (below) on the Island of Java. Majapahit EmpireWatch the video below and answer this. What was the importance of the Majapahit? What gave them their power to rule? What was the main religion?
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Khmer EmpireThe Khmer Empire, or the Angkorian Empire, is yet another example of an empire that grew due to trade. They ruled what we call Cambodia today from the 9th Century to the 15th Century when the nation was a Hindu/Buddhist empire in Southeast Asia. The Khmer Empire ruled a large land-based empire based on the production of rice. They created large irrigation projects allowing for an agricultural surplus that allowed for the creation of a large bureaucracy and army.
Khamer rulers used Hinduism to legitimize their rule. They used the idea that they were born into the ruling class via karma. They also created monumental architecture such as Angkor Wat (below) to legitimize their rule and illustrate their power. Later, Hindu rulers changed to Buddhist beliefs. As a result, Angor Wat has both a Hindu and Buddhist structure. Angkor Wat, located in northwest Cambodia, is the largest religious structure in the form of a temple complex in the world by land area, measuring 162.6 hectares.
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Arrival of Islam to South East Asia
The expansion of trade facilitated the diffusion of Islam to the South East region. In around the 7th Century, Islam began to spread through Sufi missionaries and merchants to South East Asia. Many of the merchants used the monsoon winds to travel to and from India and South East Asia. That meant the merchants spent significant time in South East Asia. These Muslim merchants and missionaries began to build diasporic communities- a group of people that dispersed outside of their homeland. Many of these empires became Muslim. Southeast Asia became a region where all religions and people from all parts of the world resided. These Sufi missionaries played a significant role in spreading the faith by syncretizing Islamic ideas with existing local beliefs and religious notions. For example, jinn, which are Islamic spiritual entities, came to include spirits native to Java. Animist traditions became become integral to the practice of Islam.
Prior to Islam's arrival women in Southeast Asia had fewer restrictions and a larger role in public life than women in societies during this period. Women could own property together with their husbands and could start a divorce. Women were merchants, gladiators, warriors, and members of the palace staff. Women were poets, artists and religious teachers.
Once Islam was established, existing local customs regarding religion, marriage and the role of women blended with Islamic models.
Once Islam was established, existing local customs regarding religion, marriage and the role of women blended with Islamic models.