Parameswara (?-1414?) was a Sumatran prince who founded the Melakan Sultanate in Malaya. This kingdom became one of the strongest political powers in Southeast Asia during the 1400’s. Parameswara is a Sanskrit word meaning Lord of All.
According to Portuguese accounts, Parameswara was the son of a chief who served the Javanese king at Palembang, in Sumatra. When his father died, Parameswara declared himself independent of Java and escaped to what is now Singapore. There, he killed the local ruler and made himself chief. About 1400, he fled to Malaya and settled in Melaka, making himself ruler.
According to Chinese records, Parameswara went to China in 1411 to pay his respects to the emperor. In 1414, Parameswara’s death was announced by his son. The Chinese emperor then declared that the son should be the new ruler of Melaka.
Malay sources do not mention Parameswara. They state that the ruler who fled from Singapore and founded Melaka was Sultan Iskandar Shah.
