page_title: History of George Town, Penang
section_title: Establishment
hierarchical_section_title: History of George Town, Penang / Establishment
caption_attribution_description: English: Statue of Francis Light, Georgetown, Malaysia.
context_page_description: George Town, the capital city of the State of Penang, is the second largest city in Malaysia and the economic centre of the country's northern region. The history of George Town began with its establishment by Captain Francis Light of the British East India Company in 1786. Founded as a free port, George Town became the first British settlement in Southeast Asia and prospered in the 19th century as one of the vital British entrepôts within the region. It briefly became the capital of the Straits Settlements, a British crown colony which also consisted of Singapore and Malacca.
  During World War II, George Town was militarily occupied by the Japanese Empire between 1941 and 1945. At the war's end, it became the first city in British Malaya to be liberated, under Operation Jurist. Following the dissolution of the Straits Settlements in 1946, Penang was merged into the Federation of Malaya. Despite a secessionist movement that originated from the city, the merger with Malaya went ahead and the federation attained independence from the British Empire in 1957.
context_section_description: For centuries prior to the arrival of the British East India Company in the Malay Peninsula in the late 18th century, Penang Island had formed part of the Sultanate of Kedah. As a Siamese vassal kingdom, Kedah had maintained an uneasy and somewhat turbulent diplomatic relationship with its mightier northern neighbour.
  In the 1770s, the British East India Company, seeking to expand its presence into Southeast Asia, instructed Francis Light to form trade relations in the Malay Peninsula. At the time, in the aftermath of the Burmese–Siamese War, Kedah was facing the threat of military invasion by both Siam and Burma, as well as an internal Bugis rebellion.
  Aware of the unfolding situation, Light landed in Kedah, proceeded to form cordial relations with the then Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Muhammad Jiwa Zainal Adilin II, and promised British military assistance. To illustrate his commitment, Light led a force to recapture a Bugis-held fort for the Sultan, who reciprocated by offering Penang Island. Light subsequently wrote to his superiors regarding the offer, arguing that Penang Island could serve as a "convenient magazine for trade", and its strategic location would allow the British to check Dutch and French territorial gains in Southeast Asia. He added that, with the other ports in the region, such as Aceh and Phuket, riddled with piracy and ruled by despotic governments, the British East India Company could seize the opportunity to establish a tranquil harbour on Penang Island conducive for free trade, also noting that if "Malay, Bugis and Chinese will come to reside here, it will become the Exchange of the East if not loaded with impositions and restrictions".
  However, nothing materialised until 1786, when Light was finally ordered to acquire Penang Island from Kedah. By then, the British were fighting the Thirteen American Colonies, which were backed by France and the Netherlands. Faced with the Dutch dominance of the East Indies (now Indonesia) and a growing French threat, the British East India Company sought control of Penang Island as a Royal Navy repair base, and a trading post between China and the Indian subcontinent.
  Light negotiated the cession of Penang Island to the British East India Company with the new Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Abdullah Mukarram Shah, in exchange for British military protection and a lease of 6,000 Spanish dollars to pay off Kedah's debts to Siam. With the agreement between Light and the Kedah Sultan fruitfully concluded, Light and his entourage sailed on to Penang Island, where they arrived on 17 July 1786.
  The site where Light first landed was originally a mangrove swamp covered in thick jungle. To expedite the clearing of the vegetation, Light ordered his vessels to fire silver coins into the jungle. Fort Cornwallis would later be constructed at the spot where Light first set foot.
  Once enough land was cleared, creating what is now the Esplanade, a simple ceremony was held on 11 August, during which the Union Jack was flown for the first time. This marked the formal possession of Penang Island by the British East India Company in the name of King George III. The island was renamed the Prince of Wales Island after the heir to the British throne, while the new settlement of George Town was founded in honour of King George III.
  Thus, George Town became the first British settlement in Southeast Asia and heralded the start of British colonialism in the Malay Peninsula. Indeed, during the next century, the settlement would serve as a springboard for further British expansion of territory and influence in the region.
  Unbeknownst to Sultan Abdullah, however, Light had acted with neither the authority nor the approval of his superiors in India. When Light reneged on his promise of British military assistance against Siam, in 1791 the Kedah Sultan assembled an army and a fleet of pirates in what is now Seberang Perai to recapture the Prince of Wales Island. In response, the British East India Company reinforced the garrison on the island with two companies from Calcutta. Having failed to persuade the
caption: A bronze statue of Francis Light still stands within Fort Cornwallis to this day.
exif: {}