Brunei was once an empire and a strong presence in Southeast Asia. Why did you come down later?

There are always some countries in history that once had great scenery, but now they have become tiny places, and Brunei is one of them. Brunei, as a Southeast Asian country, had a glorious imperial period and had close contacts with China, the most typical of which was the suzerain-vassal relationship between the two countries. However, after the opening of the new air route, Brunei experienced the invasion of European powers, and its national strength plummeted and its territorial area was greatly reduced. Today, Brunei is a small country with a population of only one million, and it is also split in two by Malaysia, so it is called a "tiny place".

First, Brunei, a small country that has been dormant for a long time.

As early as the 6th century AD, Brunei had direct contact with the Liang Dynasty in China. At this time, the connection between Brunei and Liang Dynasty was mainly Buddhism, because the ruler who had actual sovereignty over Brunei was a Buddhist. In order to close the distance with the Emperor of Liang Dynasty, he also specially sent a carpet.

During the Sui Dynasty, the king of Brunei was awed by the power of the Sui Dynasty and once took his prince to the Sui Dynasty to show his loyalty. Like Koryo and Turk, the King of Brunei was accepted by the Emperor of Sui Dynasty and became a vassal state of Sui Dynasty.

During the Tang Dynasty, because the Li Dynasty advocated opening up, it had closer exchanges with neighboring countries. At this time, Brunei's name in China's classics is "Boli". "Old Books of the Tang Dynasty" has a special description of Brunei in Boli period: "Its king wears leather-shaped flowers with pearls inside, sitting on a golden bed, and the maid decorates it with golden flowers or holds a peacock fan for drawing. Walk to catch elephants, sing to blow, preach for fun. " The main reason for Li Po's close contact with China is that she established herself in Southeast Asia with the help of China in Sui and Tang Dynasties.

In fact, apart from surrendering to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Brunei was also wary of neighboring vassal States, for fear that one short step would make a lasting regret. Therefore, King Brunei often surrendered to neighboring countries, such as the Kingdom of Sri Lanka and the Kingdom of Brazil. From the 9th century to14th century, Brunei has been in a dormant state, carefully becoming a vassal state of a powerful country.

Second, the road to the rise of Brunei, a weak country

The rise of Brunei can be traced back to14th century. At this time, many Chinese lived in Brunei, mainly on the southeast coast, and they had long been dissatisfied with slavery in Java. At this time, Islam was introduced into Brunei. Because of its systematicness and maturity, Islam quickly replaced the original beliefs of Brunei people. In order to consolidate his rule and cater to the people's beliefs, King Bali changed his country into an Islamic country, and a large number of Brunei people United under the banner of Islamic beliefs and decided to rebel against the Java Empire.

Sultan Machmer Shah and China forces led by Fujian immigrants Huang Ping in the Ming Dynasty jointly formed a new Brunei State, which became the Islamic monarchy of Brunei. Brunei's independence is the turning point of its development and the foundation of its becoming a huge empire. After independence, Brunei began to use its geographical location to develop business. As the Straits of Malacca is an important transit center for world trade, many goods have to pass through it, and the nearby Brunei region has also benefited from it.

After the economic strength of Brunei countries increased, it began to expand to the surrounding areas. Brunei's expansion to the periphery has two favorable factors. First, Brunei's expansion was easily recognized by the Ming Dynasty, because Huang Ping was not only from China, but also closely related to the Ming Dynasty. Secondly, most of the Chinese in Brunei come from the southeast coastal areas of China, and they have advanced farming techniques and combat techniques, so Brunei has a great chance of winning.

/kloc-In the 6th century, Brunei has completely occupied the whole of kalimantan island and parts of the Philippines, thus becoming one of the most powerful countries in Southeast Asia. However, Brunei's prosperity did not last long, and it was gradually destroyed by external forces. This is the colonial aggression of European countries. As early as the15th century, Europeans began to expand overseas. At this time, the United States was the main target of Europeans, and the evil "triangle trade" happened at this time.

Third, the decline of Brunei Empire.

Later, Asian countries became the new targets of European colonial expansion, especially Southeast Asia and South Asia. The Brunei Empire collapsed in this invasion and became a tiny country. 15 1 1 year, Portugal invaded Malacca. With the blessing of western advanced gunpowder, Malacca was quickly captured and controlled by Portuguese troops, and Brunei's trade gradually declined. 157 1 year, Portugal seized Manila city under the control of Brunei by force, and seven years later, it seized Sulu country under the control of Brunei by the same means. Under the invasion of western colonialists, Brunei's territory was gradually lost.

/kloc-In the 0/7th century, the Brunei Empire has never changed the status quo of being invaded by European countries. The Dutch colonists came from Portugal and Spain. Because the Netherlands pays attention to the development of business, the aggression against Brunei is more concentrated on commercial aggression, and it has not shaken the foundation of Brunei. However, the arrival of Britain was a major blow to the Brunei Empire.

1688, after the glorious revolution, Britain eased the sharp contradictions at home, so Britain began to look overseas and began colonial aggression against Southeast Asia and South Asia. 1843, a rebellion broke out in Sarawak. At the expense of Sarawak's status as the provincial capital, Brunei Minister Hashim got the support of British gunpowder and firearms, which actually buried the hidden danger of the decline of Brunei Empire.

A few years later, Britain's Brooke led a colonial army to attack the central city of Brunei and directly looted the capital of Brunei. Sultans Of Brunei panicked and had to admit the special power of Britain. At the same time, Americans set foot on the land of Brunei, and Sudan was forced to make political deals with the United States to balance the British aggression. At the beginning of the 20th century, oil was discovered in the only remaining coastal areas of Brunei, which aroused the interest of the great powers, and Brunei once again became a "lighthouse" in the eyes of the great powers.

The outbreak of World War II once again pushed Brunei into the abyss of disaster, because this time the aggressor was Japan. 194 1 year, Japan invaded Brunei, directly occupied Brunei, and carried out destructive development of Brunei, which led to a long-term economic downturn in Brunei after the war. 198 1 year, Brunei finally achieved complete independence, but at this time, Brunei has become a tiny country, and its resources have long been divided up by British and other colonists.

Fourth, summary.

Brunei was once a small country in Southeast Asia. Through the joint efforts of Brunei people and China people, it finally developed into a great empire. However, when it was invaded by European powers, it was only gradually reduced in the face of advanced technology. However, although Brunei has a small area and a small population, the people of Brunei live a very comfortable life, and the national welfare policy is relatively perfect, which is very low-key internationally. This land is also called "exquisite island".

There are two main reasons for the decline of Brunei Empire. On the one hand, the constant invasion of foreign powers is the external cause of Brunei's decline, because all the resources Brunei used to develop its economy were taken away by the powers; On the other hand, Brunei's internal pursuit of the throne and power is an important reason. Some important members of the royal family often collude with foreign countries to fight for power, which leads to the increasingly serious internal crisis in Brunei.