History of Malacca is very interesting and engaging. No historians have been able to tell the exact date when the city was founded. From the Government records it can be deduced that the city was founded in the year 1390. But according to some historians the city was founded in between 1376 and 1400. 1390. The history of the Malacca is invariably linked with the tale of the legendary Hindu prince Parameswara. The founding of the city is attributed to him.

According to the legend the prince had gone out for hunting on one day, and he was resting under a tree. While resting he observed that his dog had cornered a mouse-deer or 'pelandok', but then the mouse deer boldly faced the dog and forced the dog into the river water. Parameswara was fascinated by the courage of the mouse-deer and he decided to construct a city on the same spot. And in this manner Malacca or Melaka was born. According to many people the city's name was derived from the name of the tree the prince was sitting under.

In due course of time Malacca prospered and expanded, later on Parameswara converted to Islam, thus becoming the first Malaysian prince to become a Muslim and Islam became the official religion of the city. After Parameswara, the place was ruled by Iskandar Shah, who died in the year 1424. During his reign Malacca became a well known commercial hub attracting Javanese, Indian, Arab and Chinese sea-merchants.

However, Malcca soon caught the eye of the Portuguese and they invaded the land lead by Alfonso d'Albuquerque, during the 15th century. The Portuguese continued their rule for the next 130 years, after which Malacca became the colony of the Dutch. The Dutch after a fierce battle with the Portuguese that lasted for 8 months finally was able to capture Malacca. The Dutch Successfully ruled for the next century and a half until the British arrived and the Dutch in the year 1795 surrendered the city to the British.