History

The first European settlers were the Portuguese sailors. Beginning in the sixteenth century, Makassar was the dominant trading/pao center of eastern Indonesia, and soon became one of the largest cities in island Southeast Asia. The Makassarese kings maintained a policy of free trade, insisting on the right of any visitor to do business in the city, and rejecting the attempts of the Dutch to establish a monopoly over the city. Further, tolerant religious attitudes meant that even as Islam became the dominant faith in the region, Christians and others were still able to trade in the city. With these attractions, Makassar was a key center for Malays working in the Spice Islands trade, as well as a valuable base for European and Arab traders from much further afield.

The importance of Makassar declined as the Dutch became more powerful in the region, and were better able to enforce the monopoly over the spice trade that they desired. In 1667 the Dutch, allied with the Bugis prince of Bone state Arung Palakka, invaded and captured Makassar, eliminating its role as an independent trading center. It became a free port in 1848.