The Memoirs and Memorials of Jacques De Coutre: Security, Trade and Society in 16th- and 17th-Century Southeast Asia

Jacques de Coutre was a Flemish gem trader who spent nearly a decade in Southeast Asia at the turn of the 17th century. He left history a substantial autobiography written in Spanish and preserved in the National Library of Spain in Madrid. Written in the form of a picaresque tale, with an acute eye for the cultures he encountered, the memoirs tell the story of his adventures in the trading centres of Melaka, Ayutthaya, Cambodia, Patani, Pahang, Johor, Brunei and Manila. Narrowly escaping death several times, De Coutre was drawn into dangerous intrigues among the representatives of European power, fortune hunters and schemers, and the rulers and courtiers of Pahang, Patani, Siam and Johor. In addition to his autobiography, De Coutre wrote memorials to the crowns of Spain and Portugal with recommendations to improve the fortunes of the Iberian powers in Southeast Asia, especially against the backdrop of early Dutch political and commercial penetration. Translated into English for the first time, these materials offer a valuable first-hand account of the early colonial challenges in Southeast Asia and insights into the societies of the region that includes present-day Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines. The book features 62 lavishly illustrated maps and drawings, including previously unpublished examples.