Tanjungpinang

Tanjungpinang stands on Bintan, among the islands and waterways at the southern entrance to the Strait of Malacca. The port of Riau developed into a centre of Malay trade and learning, connected with Johor, the surrounding islands and merchants from across the seas. Malay and Bugis rulers shared power in the kingdom, whose influence rested on both its court and its maritime connections.

In 1722 Bugis leaders helped a Johor ruler recover his position and obtained the office of Yang di-Pertuan Muda. Raja Haji, who held that office from 1777, governed from Hulu Riau and built defences around the approaches to the port. During war with the Dutch East India Company, his forces repelled an attack at Tanjungpinang in January 1784 and destroyed the Dutch flagship. Raja Haji then took the war to Malacca, where he was killed in June. Dutch forces returned later that year and defeated the defenders of Riau. A settlement imposed after the fighting established a Dutch garrison at Tanjungpinang and curtailed the power of the Bugis leaders. Across the water, Penyengat remained closely associated with the ruling families, preserving their place in the history of this island court.

The later city of Batam also lies here.