Origins & Early Life

Parameswara (1344 – c. 1414), thought to be the same person named in the Malay Annals as Iskandar Shah, was the last king of Singapura and the founder of the Malacca Sultanate. According to the Malay Annals, he ruled Singapura from 1389 to 1398. The king fled the island kingdom after a Majapahit naval invasion in 1398 and founded his new stronghold on the mouth of Bertam river (Malacca River) in 1402.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Within decades, the new city grew rapidly to become the capital of the Malacca Sultanate. Portuguese accounts however, written a hundred years after his death, suggest he was from Palembang in Sumatra and usurped the throne of Singapura; he was driven out, either by Siam or Majapahit, and went on to found Malacca. The name Parameswara is found in Portuguese sources such as Suma Oriental, and written Paramicura or Parimicura. Parameswara is a Hindu name derived from the Sanskrit word Parameśvara (Sanskrit: परमेश्वर), a concept literally meaning the "Supreme Lord". The word "parama" meaning "the supreme" is added to Ishvara as an intensifier.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Parameśvara is also one of the names of Lord Shiva. However, the name Parameswara is not found in the Malay Annals, which tell a...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Amda Seyon I — Contemporary (Died in 1344) (1344): Emperor of Ethiopia and prominent figure of the Solomonic dynasty (1314-1344)
• Simone Martini — Contemporary (Died in 1344) (1344): Master painter of the International Gothic style, profoundly influencing 14th-century Italian art.
• Jami — Contemporary (Born in 1414) (1414): Master Persian poet and theologian, renowned for mystical Sufi literature.
• Baha' al-Din Naqshband — Historical peer (Died in 1389) (1389): Founder of the Naqshbandi Sufi order, a major figure in Islamic mysticism.
• Cosimo de' Medici — Historical peer (Born in 1389) (1389): Banker and patron who established the Medici family's rule over Renaissance Florence.
• Hongwu Emperor — Historical peer (Died in 1398) (1398): Founder of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor of China (1368–1398)
• Moctezuma I — Historical peer (Born in 1398) (1398): Fifth Tlatoani of Tenochtitlan, who consolidated the early Aztec Empire.
• Muhammad Shah of Brunei — Historical peer (Died in 1402) (1402): Founder of the Sultanate of Brunei, reigning from the mid-14th century to 1402.
• Nezahualcoyotl (tlatoani) — Historical peer (Born in 1402) (1402): Poet-King of Texcoco, a philosopher, warrior, and architect of pre-Columbian Mexico.
• 1344 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1344
• 1414 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1414