Maldives—History

The history of the Maldives is buried in obscurity owing to the islands' geographical isolation and their comparative insignificance throughout the centuries, even though they are strategically located along the sea routes between Europe and the Far East and were well known to ancient Arabian sailors. Significantly, the Arabs converted the people of the Maldives to Islam in 1153. Since then Islam has been the state religion. As stipulated in its constitution, each Maldivian citizen is a Muslim. The history of the Maldives under the ruling sultans is recorded continuously from 1153 to 1821 in the Maldivian Tarikh (a chronicle); it covers the reign of eighty-three sultans. Sultans continued to rule the Maldives until 1968, though their political power steadily diminished. The last sultan, Muhammad Fareed Didi, was a titular ruler only.

At certain times casual visitors to the Maldives and sailors recorded valuable eyewitness accounts of the islands and their inhabitants. It is not known when the Maldives were discovered or who the first settlers were, and whether they migrated from India or Sri Lanka is disputed. Probably the oldest historical source, the work of the fourth-century classical writer Ammianus Marcellinus (320–390), carefully differentiated the islanders of the Maldives, whom he called "Divi," from the islanders of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), whom he called "Serendivi." However, the famed Maldivian "Koimala Kalo" legend of the twelfth century describes the peaceful arrival on the Maldives of Ceylonese royalty, who were invited to settle there with the consent of the friendly aboriginal community of Giravaru Island.

Brief and vague notices of the Maldives appear in writings by Ptolemy (second century) around 150 CE, Moses Chorenensis in the late fourth century, and Cosmas Indicopleustes between 530 and 550. Arab travelers recorded valuable historical accounts, among them those of Lamma Mas-Oodhi in 947, Al-Becrooni in 1030, and Al-Idrisi (1099–1186). The greatest early Arab traveler, Ibn Battutah (1304–1368/69) visited the Maldives twice: first for a year and a half, from the beginning of 1343 until middle of 1344, and again two years later for a short visit at the end of 1346. Married to several Maldivian women, he was assimilated into the indigenous society.

Until the European colonial era beginning in the sixteenth century, practically all of the Indian sea trade remained in the hands of Arab traders. The early Portuguese commander Afonso de Albuquerque (1453–1515) in 1510 forced the sultan of the Maldives to pay a tribute to the Indian Cannanore Raja. After two unsuccessful expeditions to the Maldives, the Portuguese in 1558 captured the capital, Malé, which they ruled for fifteen years, until expelled by a Maldivian guerrilla force. The Portuguese introduced Christianity for the only time in Maldivian history. In the seventeenth century, when Dutch, British, and French vessels also competed for the Maldivian trade, the Portuguese launched two fresh, unsuccessful attacks. Several times in the middle of the century Indian rulers attacked the Maldives, particularly Malé, from the Malabar Coast. In 1752 an expedition of the raja of Cannanore conquered Malé, destroying the palace and most of the town. The Malabar rulers, supported by the Portuguese colonial power in India, constantly harassed the Maldives. Subsequently the Maldivian sultan formed an alliance with the French rulers in Pondicherry, India, to protect the Maldives.

In 1887 the Maldivian sultan formalized an alliance with the British, who ruled the neighboring country of Ceylon. While the British government promised to protect the Maldives from foreign enemies and to abstain from interfering in local administration, the sultan agreed to pay tribute to the British government. The tribute obligation was lifted in 1948, but the Maldives retained the status of British protectorate. During World War II the British built a staging post on Gan Island in the South Maldivian Addu Atoll. In 1957 the post was converted into a British Royal Air Force base, which was abandoned in 1976. In 1953 the Maldives experienced a brief seven months as a republic with Amin Didi (d. 1954) as president. Though very modern (Westernized), the people of the Maldives disagreed with his politics and banished him on 31 December 1953 to Kurumba island, where he died. In spite of his ouster, Didi is considered the father of Maldivian nationalism. In 1965 the Maldives gained independence and membership in the United Nations.

On 11 November 1968, President Ibrahim Nasir, who had taken over government from the last sultan, Muhammad Farid Didi, that same year, declared the (second) Republic of the Maldives and promulgated a new constitution that declared the Maldives an Islamic republic and vested great power in the president. He aimed at improving the economy and promoted the Maldives as a tourist destination. The political climate became unfavorable in 1974, escalating to actual revolt. Nasir resigned and fled to Singapore amid changes of political mismanagement. In 1978 Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (b. 1937) was elected president of the Maldives. Credited with bringing economic and social progress to the country, he has subsequently been reelected four times. The Maldives is a strong member of the Nonaligned Countries and the Small Island States.

Bell, H. C. P. (1881, 1921) "The Maldive Islands: Monograph on the History, Archaeology, and Epigraphy." Ceylon Government Sessional Papers nos. 53 (1881) and 15 (1921).

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