Final answer:
The Srivijaya Empire became powerful through its control and taxation of trade in the Strait of Malacca, a key maritime route. Malacca's rise with similar advantages, effective governance, and legal systems eventually surpassed Srivijaya, marking Malacca's golden age in trade and culture.
Step-by-step explanation:
The control of the Strait of Malacca made Srivijaya a powerful center of trade due to various strategic and economic factors. This narrow strait, located between what is now Sumatra and Malaysia, was crucial as the most direct maritime route connecting the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea, making it a vital artery for trade between India, Southeast Asia, and China. By controlling and taxing this heavily frequented trade route from around 650, the Srivijaya Empire was able to amass significant wealth and influence in the region. Additionally, the ability to manage and protect merchants from piracy further solidified Srivijaya's reputation as a reliable and powerful trading hub.
However, the emergence of the Malaccan Sultanate, which was situated in a similarly advantageous geographical location, eventually usurped Srivijaya's prominence in trade. The Malaccan rulers enhanced the city's desirability for conducting business not only because of its strategic location but also by ensuring order and legal regulation for merchants and sailors. This advancement facilitated the development of Malacca into the primary port for exquisite merchandise, such as Indian cloth, Chinese porcelain, and spices from the Malay Archipelago.
As a result of these factors, the Malacca Sultanate became the preeminent power, overshadowing Srivijaya's prior dominance in regional trade. By the fifteenth century, Malacca had become the epicenter of commerce in the Indian Ocean, illustriously marked by a golden age of wealth, cultural diversity, and the proliferation of the Malay language as the lingua franca of trade across Southeast Asia.