MALAY ANNAL : THE KRUSENSTERN VERSION

The Krusenstern version of the Malay Annals (known in Malay as Sulalat al-Salatin) is one of the most significant and oldest surviving manuscripts of this classical masterpiece.

Named after the Baltic-German navigator Adam Johann von Krusenstern (Ivan Fyodorovich Kruzenshtern), it provides a unique window into Malay history and the evolution of the text itself.

Key Facts and History

• Origin: Adam Johann von Krusenstern commissioned or acquired the manuscript in Melaka in 1798 while serving as a volunteer in the English navy during a voyage from India to China.
• Current Location: It is currently held in the St. Petersburg Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It was presented to the Royal Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg in 1802.
• Age: It was copied in 1213 AH (roughly June 1798 to May 1799 AD). For a long time, it was considered the oldest known copy of the Sulalat al-Salatin, though some scholars argue it is the second oldest after the Raffles MS No. 18.
• Authorship/Scribes: The manuscript was written in Jawi script by at least three copyists: Haji Muhammad Tahir al-Jawi, Muhammad Zakat Long, and Ibrahim Jamrut.

Notable Features

Feature	Description
Language	Written in Classical Malay using the Arabic-based Jawi script.
Watermark	The paper features a watermark dated 1794, confirming its late 18th-century origin.
Content	Like other versions, it traces the genealogy of the Melaka Sultans from Raja Iskandar Zulkarnain (Alexander the Great) to the fall of Melaka in 1511 and beyond.
Modern Edition	A major Rumi (Latin) transliteration and facsimile edition was published in 2016 by Professor Emeritus Dr. Ahmat Adam, making it widely accessible to modern researchers.

Why It Matters

Gemini said

The Krusenstern version is prized by philologists because it lacks some of the later "sanitizations" or edits found in versions compiled during the British colonial era (like the Shellabear or Winstedt versions). It preserves archaic spellings and specific narrative details that help historians reconstruct the "original" form of the annals before they were heavily adapted for 19th-century printed editions.

THE SHELLABEAR / RAFFLES MS 18 VERSION

The Malay Annals (Sulalat al-Salatin) exist in over 30 known manuscripts, but the Raffles MS 18 and the Shellabear versions represent the two most distinct "branches" of the text.

While the Krusenstern version you mentioned earlier is a physical manuscript, these two are often used as the primary benchmarks for comparing the "Longer" and "Shorter" versions of the history of the Melaka Sultanate.

Comparison of Versions

Feature	Raffles MS 18 (The "Older" Version)	Shellabear Version (The "Standard" Version)
Origin	Dated around 1612. Linked to the Johor court (specifically Tun Seri Lanang).	Compiled much later, based on an 1815 manuscript.
Length	Often called the "Shorter Version." It ends abruptly shortly after the Portuguese conquest of Melaka (1511).	Known as the "Longer Version." It continues the lineage into the Johor-Riau Sultanate.
Tone	More archaic, "raw," and focuses heavily on the genealogy and the wa'ad (covenant) between ruler and subject.	More "refined" for 19th-century educational use; includes more moralizing anecdotes.
Editor	Sir Stamford Raffles acquired it; later transcribed by C.C. Brown.	Compiled and edited by Rev. William Shellabear in 1896 for the Methodist Publishing House.

Key Structural Differences

1. The Opening Narrative

The Raffles 18 version is famous for its "Covenant" (Wa'ad) between Sang Sapurba (the progenitor of Malay kings) and Demang Lebar Daun (the representative of the people). This scene establishes the legal and social framework of Malay kingship—that a king must not shame his subjects, and subjects must never commit treason (derhaka).

The Shellabear version retains this but places it within a more structured, almost "textbook" narrative flow that was intended for use in colonial schools in the late 1800s.

2. The Ending and Continuity

• Raffles 18: Ends with the fall of Melaka and the flight of the Sultan. It feels like a tragedy or a closed chapter of history.
• Shellabear: Acts as a bridge. It extends the story to show how the Melaka dynasty survived and evolved into the Johor Sultanate. This version became the "standard" because it provided a continuous history that reached closer to the modern era.

3. Language and Script

The Raffles 18 manuscript is prized by linguists for its use of 17th-century Malay, which contains older grammatical structures. The Shellabear version was the first to be widely printed in both Jawi and Rumi (Latin) scripts, which effectively "standardized" the story for the Malay public in the 20th century.

Why the Distinction Matters

If you are looking for the historical political philosophy of the Malays, Raffles 18 is the definitive source. However, if you are looking for the cultural "epic" that shaped modern Malay identity and literature, the Shellabear version is the one most people are familiar with.

Reference:

1. Open Edition Journals: One More Version of the Sejarah Melayu
2. Indo Medieval: The Portuguese Come to Melaka - Sulalat al-Salatin (The Malay Annals)

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25/3/2026: 7.24 p.m