Sukadana

Sukadana was a prominent port and Malay court on the southwestern coast of Borneo. From its position near the mouths of western rivers, its rulers drew upon the products of a wide hinterland and maintained connections with the maritime world beyond the island. Diamonds attracted foreign merchants, while nearby Karimata supplied iron and metal goods to markets as far away as Java.

By the early seventeenth century Sukadana's ruler had embraced Islam. Dutch traders established a post there by 1607, and the English followed in 1612. English merchants were advised to obtain gold at Banjarmasin and exchange it for diamonds at Sukadana. In 1622 forces from the Javanese kingdom of Mataram attacked the port, an expedition that brought the wealth of western Borneo into the contests of powers across the Java Sea. The court later shifted its seat inland, towards the Matan and Ketapang area.