Dutch Malacca

Governorate of Malacca Gouvernement Malacca (Dutch) Melaka Belanda (Malay)
1641–1795 1818–1825
Flag until 1795 Coat of arms
Malacca between 1750 and 1796
Dutch Malacca, ca. 1724–26
Status	Colony of the Dutch East India Company (1641–1795) Part of the Dutch East Indies (1818–1825)
Capital	Malacca Town
Common languages	Dutch, Malay
Governor
• 1641–42	Jan van Twist
• 1824–25	Hendrik S. van Son
British Resident
• 1795	Archibald Brown
• 1803–18	William Farquhar
Historical era	Imperialism
• Established	14 January 1641
• British occupation	1795–1818
• Relinquished by treaty	1 March 1825
Preceded by Succeeded by Portuguese Malacca Straits Settlements

Governorate of Malacca Gouvernement Malacca
Governorates of Dutch East Indies
1818–1825
Flag
Map of the governorate of Malacca.
Capital	Malacca Town
History
• Established	1818
• Relinquished by treaty	1 March 1825
Succeeded by Straits Settlements
Today part of	Malacca, Malaysia

Dutch Malacca (1641–1825) was the longest period that Malacca was under foreign control. The Dutch ruled for almost 183 years with intermittent British occupation during the French Revolutionary and later the Napoleonic Wars (1795–1815). This era saw relative peace with little serious interruption from the Malay sultanates due to the understanding forged between the Dutch and the Sultanate of Johor in 1606. This period also marked the decline of Malacca's importance. The Dutch preferred Batavia (present-day Jakarta) as their economic and administrative centre in the region and their hold in Malacca was to prevent the loss of the city to other European powers and, subsequently, the competition that would come with it. Thus, in the 17th century, with Malacca ceasing to be an important port, the Johor Sultanate became the dominant local power in the region due to the opening of its ports and the alliance with the Dutch.