High Middle Ages · South Asia · War

1003

Rajaraja Chola conquers the Maldives

1003

The Tamil emperor extended his maritime dominion southward, sending a fleet to seize the coral atolls of the Maldives and establish Chola authority over the Indian Ocean's central shipping lanes. The conquest demonstrated a naval reach unprecedented in South Asian history, projecting Tamil power across thousands of miles of open water from the Coromandel coast.

More from 1003 High Middle Ages

In context

Also in 1003 (3 other events on record)

Thorfinn Karlsefni sails for Vinland · North America · Exploration
Sweyn Forkbeard invades England · Europe · War
Sweyn Forkbeard destroys Exeter · Europe · War

Before and after in South Asia

Before: 1002: Chola dynasty resurgent under Rajaraja
After: 1007: Mahmud of Ghazni raids Bhatinda

Before and after in War

Before: November 13, 1002: St. Brice's Day Massacre
After: 1004: Pisan and Genoese fleets raid Mahdia

Era

High Middle Ages (1000–1300), one of 1,306 events from that era on Saeculum.