Castilian War

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History of Brunei
Pre-Sultanate
Old Brunei 1368 to 1888
House of Bolkiah (15th century – present)
Sultanate of Sulu 1405 to 1578 Rajahnate of Maynila 1500s to 1571 Tondo 1500s to 1571 Castilian War 1578 Civil War 1660–1673 Sarawak 15th century to 1841 Labuan 15th century to 1846 Sabah (North Borneo) 15th century to 1865 British protected state 1888–1984 Japanese occupation 1942–1945 Borneo campaign 1945 British Military Administration 1945–1946 Revolt 1962
Timeline Sultans

After the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, European states were separated from important sources of spices and other luxury goods in Southeast Asia by a series of strong and hostile nations, including the Ottomans, Persians, Arabs, Indians, and Malays. Because of this, they were eager to gain a permanent foothold in Southeast Asia to secure a steady supply of spices. In addition, Spain sought to forcibly proselytize the region and increase the acceptance of Christianity in the predominantly Muslim countries of the area. The Spanish Empire first began to establish control in the Philippine archipelago. Their attempts to spread Christianity in the archipelago caused conflict with the Sultanate of Brunei, then ruled by Sultan Saiful Rijal, which was a dominant maritime empire stretching from Borneo into the Philippines.

Governor-General Francisco de Sande officially declared war against Brunei in 1578, and began preparations for an expedition to Borneo. De Sande assumed the title of Capitán-General and assembled a fleet carrying 200 Spaniards, 200 Mexicans, 1,500 native Filipinos (Luzones), and 300 Borneans.[7] The racial composition of the Spanish force was shown to be diverse by later documents that stated the infantry was made up of mestizos, mulattoes, and "Indians" (from Peru and Mexico), led by Spanish officers who had previously fought with native Filipinos in military campaigns across Southeast Asia.[8] The expedition began their journey in March, and the Bruneian campaign was one of several that was undertaken at the time, including action in Mindanao and Sulu.[9][10]

In addition to native Malay warriors, they were supported by Ottoman forces that had been sent in several expeditions to the nearby Sultanate of Aceh and were composed of Turks, Egyptians, Swahilis, Somalis, Sindhis, Gujaratis, and Malabars.[11] These expeditionary forces spread to nearby Sultanates and taught local mujahideen new fighting tactics and techniques to forge cannons.[12] In addition, Muslim migration from the Ottoman Caliphate, Egypt, and Arabia brought numerous fighting men to the region of Borneo.

While early fighting was fierce, in the Battle of Kota Batu, Spain was quickly able to invade and conquer the capital of Brunei, by 16 April 1578. Spain enlisted the help of two disgruntled Bruneian nobles, Seri Lela and Seri Ratna, the former of whom had arrived to offer Brunei as a tributary in exchange for recovering the throne from his brother, the current Sultan Saiful Rijal.[13] After taking the capital, the Spanish installed Seri Lela as Sultan and Seri Ratna as the new Bendahara, or head of the nobility.

With the fall of his capital, Sultan Saiful Rijal and his court fled to the nearby down of Jerudong, where they prepared to launch a counterattack and retake Kota Batu. While the Bruneians were gathering themselves for an assault, the Spanish force occupying the capital greatly weakened by an outbreak of cholera and dysentery.[14][15] After a short time, Saiful Rijal led a force of around a thousand native warriors who were able to drive out the outnumbered and outgunned Spaniards. Before their retreat, they burned and destroyed the city's mosque. After just 72 days, the Spanish returned to Manila on 26 June.

While the Spanish were unable to immediately subjugate Brunei, they did manage to prevent it from regaining a foothold in Luzon.[16] Relations between the two nations later improved and trade resumed, as evidenced by a 1599 letter from Governor-General Francisco de Tello de Guzmán in which he asked for a return to a normal relationship.[17] With the end of hostilities, Spain was able to focus its attention towards the ongoing Spanish-Moro Wars in the Philippines.

As a result of the conflict, Brunei ceased to be an empire at sea. It gradually set aside its policies of territorial expansion and developed into a city-state, surviving to the modern day as the oldest continuously Islamic political entity.[18]