Stamford Raffles

Lieutenant-Governor during the British occupation of Java, who later founded the port of Singapore.

Life

Company clerk

At fourteen Raffles became a clerk with the British East India Company. He was later posted to Penang, learned Malay and studied the history and customs of the Malay world.

Lieutenant-Governor of Java

In 1811 Britain took advantage of the Napoleonic Wars to occupy Java, and he became Lieutenant-Governor. He introduced land-tax reform, organized surveys, rediscovered Borobudur and wrote The History of Java. In 1816 Java was returned to the Netherlands.

Singapore

In 1819 he established a British port on the island of Singapore at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, and Singapore went on to become the most important port in Southeast Asia. He died in England in 1826.

Legacy

Raffles was the founder of Singapore, and his surveys of Java spurred research into Indonesia's ancient civilizations.

Major works & achievements

• The History of Java

Did you know? He was born aboard a ship in the waters off Jamaica.

Key dates

• 1795Joined the East India Company
• 1811Became Lieutenant-Governor of Java
• 1814Organized the clearing of Borobudur (approx.)
• 1817Published The History of Java
• 1819Founded the port of Singapore
• 1826Died