Ayutthaya's energies during much of the fifteenth…

Ayutthaya's energies during much of the fifteenth century are directed toward the Malay Peninsula, where the great trading port of Malacca contests Thai claims to sovereignty.

Malacca and other Malay states south of Tambralinga had become Muslim early in the century, and hereafter Islam will serve as a symbol of Malay solidarity against the Thai.

Although the Thai fail to make a vassal state of Malacca, Ayutthaya continues to control the lucrative trade on the isthmus, which attracts Chinese traders of specialty goods for the luxury markets of China.