From Srivijayan times until the sixteenth century, Riau is a natural part of greater Malay kingdoms or sultanates, in the heart of what is often called the Malay World, which stretches from eastern Sumatra to Borneo.
The Malay-related Orang Laut tribes inhabit the islands and form the backbone of most Malay kingdoms from Srivijaya to the Johor Sultanate for the control of trade routes going through the straits.After the fall of Malacca in 1511, the Riau islands become the center of political power of the mighty Sultanate of Johor or Johor-Riau, based on Bintan Island, and are for long considered the center of Malay culture.
European powers, struggling to control the regional trade routes, take advantage of political weaknesses within the sultanate.
Singapore island, which has for centuries been part of the same greater Malay kingdoms and sultanates, and under direct control of the Sultan of Johor, comes under British control.The Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 consolidates this separation, with the British controlling all territories north of the Singapore strait and the Dutch controlling territories from Riau to Java.
