Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index The Sultanate of Malacca was founded by Parameshwara, a Srivijayan prince who escaped the Majapahit capture of Palembang. In 1402, he founded a new capital, Melaka, at the chokepoint of the strait between Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. In 1414, he converted to Islam and became the Sultan of Melacca. The Majapahit Empire was not able to control or compete with his rising power or the spread of Islam within the archipelago. The Sultanate fell in 1511 with the arrival of the Portugese, under Alphonso d'Albuquerque, during their search for a route to the Spice Islands. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.