Apostate War

Apostate War
Date 1769 – 1790 (21 years) Location Borneo Philippines Result Bruneian-Ottoman victory Pirate activity ends in 1830 [a]
Belligerents
Bruneian Empire Ottoman Empire	Sulu Sultanate Kingdom of Spain (1769) Captaincy General of the Philippines (1769)
Commanders and leaders
Omar Ali Saifuddien I   # Muhammad Tajuddin Awang Aliwaddin Pengiran Temenggong Ampa Embo Ali Raja Tua of Mengkabong [b]	Ferdinand I   # [c] Muhammad Israil  Azim ud-Din II Datu Teting  Charles III   # José Antonio Raón y Gutiérrez
Units involved
Bruneian Army Bruneian Navy	Sulu Army Moro pirates Spanish Army Spanish garrison in Manila
Strength
above ~12,000+ warriors. [1] 2,000 Sama-Bajau [2]	estimated 8,000 estimated 4,000 men
Casualties and losses
estimated 4,000	estimated 6,000+

The Apostate War (Tausug; Parrang Murtad, Malay : ڤراڠ مرتد‎, romanized: Perang Murtad) also called the Bruneian-Sulu War was a conflict between the Sulu Sultanate and the Bruneian Empire. Brunei also fought Spain briefly as well and also part of the Ottoman-Habsburg war.

This war was also the first time Brunei ever used flintlock muskets, as they began acquiring them in the late 17th century and early 18th century ^{[3] [4]} when Ottoman musketeers and canon-maker via Aceh come to the Island of Borneo.

Background

The Sultan of Sulu was instated by the British to control Manila in 1763. ^[5] Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin who learned about the situation in Manila, he was displeased as Azim ud-Din I was a apostate. ^{[6] [ citation needed ]} As a result, he commanded an attack on the Sulu Sultanate in Manila with his forces under the command of Pehin Orang Kaya Di-Gadong Seri Lela Awang Aliwaddin. ^[7]

War

A Bruneian warrior in the 18th century

The mission did not arrive in Manila until 1769 because the expedition's preparations took so long. Sultan Azim ud-Din I (Alimuddin) had already departed Manila for Sulu in 1764 after the Treaty of Paris, therefore Manila was under Spanish rule when the siege began. ^[8] The siege was successful besieged for Brunei, capturing it in the process. ^[9]

The Sulu Sultanate then despatched a force under the command of Datu Teting to attack Balambangan in 1775, the leaders of Balambangan sought safety in Labuan after the British quickly established a presence in Brunei. ^[10] When the two forces clashed, Datu Teting surrendered and his troops fled back to Sulu after learning that the warriors of Brunei, led by Pengiran Temenggong Ampa, were far too strong for them to defeat. ^{[11] [2]}

In 1788, A Sulu army attacked many coastal villages around Sabah as an attempt to invade Brunei, ^[12] lead by Datu Teting who previously burned Balambangan before retreating, arriving to Kampung Sembulan in said year. In Kinarut they were defeated by Illanun warriors from Marudu, Mengkabong, Tempasuk and Abai ^[13] who likely defected to Brunei and were commanded by Malay chiefs from said places. They later advanced to Sembulan expecting to meet the Sulu again at said place. ^{[14] [15]}

They were later defeated by again Pengiran Temenggong Ampa, Sharif Amir and Raja Tua of Mengkabong (in today's Tuaran District, Sabah, Malaysia). ^[2] The Bruneians numbered more than 5,000 soldiers, 2,000 were Sama-Bajau, Johor seafarers and Illanun warriors who previously fought in the Battle of Kinarut and defeated the "Mundu army" who were made up of Banguingui warriors. ^{[15] [16] [17] [14]}

Aftermath

After defeating the Sulu, a Hulubalang who fought in the battle, Embo Ali alternatively known as Embo Amirullah became the official "caretaker" of Kampung Sembulan and stayed connected with Brunei until 1790. ^{[18] [19]} Embo Ali's family was also the participants in the Marudu expedition against James Brooke in support Pengiran Yusof and Syarif Osman during the Anglo-Bruneian War, Gaya and Pandasan War. ^{[19] [18]} Moro pirates continued to occasionally raid Brunei until 1830 when European pressure against the pirates forced them to stop raiding.

Notes

1. Started from 1770
2. "Raja Tua" is a title, not a name.
3. Ferdinand I's Muslim name is Azim ud-Din I

References

1. James Brooke 1846. sfn error: no target: CITEREFJames_Brooke1846 (help)
2. Santos, Jason (5 December 2020). "History of Sembulan: home to remnants of ancient Brunei army Part 1". The Vibe.
3. Saunders, Graham (2003). A History of Brunei (2nd ed.). London: Routledge. ISBN   9781315029573.
4. Keppel, Captain (1846). "THE EXPEDITION TO BORNEO OF H.M.S. DIDO FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF PIRACY: WITH EXTRACTS FROM THE JOURNAL OF JAMES BROOKE, ESQ., OF SARAWAK". The Daily Brunei Resources. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
5. Tracy, Nicholas (1995). Manila Ransomed. University of Exeter Press. pp. 73–74, 106. ISBN   0859894266.
6. Larousse & Pontificia Università gregoriana. Centre "Cultures and Religions." 2001 , p.  77 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFLaroussePontificia_Università_gregoriana._Centre_"Cultures_and_Religions."2001 (help)
7. Masa silam sarana masa depan: kumpulan kertas kerja Seminar Sejarah Brunei II (in Malay). Jabatan Pusat Sejarah, Kementerian Kebudayaan, Belia dan Sukan. 1999. p. 18. ISBN   978-99917-34-16-3.
8. al-Sufri (Haji), Awang Mohd Jamil (2002). Survival of Brunei: A Historical Perspective. Brunei History Centre, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. p. 36. ISBN   978-99917-34-18-7.
9. 50 Years Historical Moments of Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, 1958-2008 (in Malay). Ministry of Religious Affairs, Negara Brunei Darussalam. 2008. p. 68. ISBN   978-99917-922-0-0.
10. Vienne, Marie-Sybille de (2015-03-09). Brunei: From the Age of Commerce to the 21st Century. NUS Press. p. 74. ISBN   978-9971-69-818-8.
11. History, Borneo (2014-12-29). "Borneo History: Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien I". Borneo History. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
12. Warren, James Francis (1981). The Sulu Zone, 1768-1898. ISBN   9789971693862.
13. Bin Mohd Asi, Jeffri (2008). "1788 Simbulan: History of Sembulan Lama". Kajian Awal, Catatan Lisan dan Tarsilah Keluarga Besar.
14. Bin Mohd Asi, Jeffri (2008). "1788 Simbulan: History of Sembulan Lama". Kajian Awal, Catatan Lisan dan Tarsilah Keluarga Besar.
15. Santos, Jason (5 December 2020). "History of Sembulan: home to remnants of ancient Brunei army Part 1". The Vibe.
16. Mail, Asbol (2021). "The Role of The Military, The Bruneian Political Power and The Malay Realm (14th – 19th Century): From a Historical Perspective". Academy of Bruneian Studies.
17. Al-Sufri, Haji Awang Mohd. Jamil (1997-12-01). "Sultan Tengah (Sultan Sarawak Pertama dan Terakhir)". The Sarawak Museum Journal. XLVII (68): 265–291. doi:10.61507/smj22-1997-hm77-13. ISSN   0375-3050.
18. Santos, Jason (5 December 2020). "History of Sembulan: home to remnants of ancient Brunei army Part 1". The Vibe.
19. Bin Mohd Asi, Jeffri (2008). "1788 Simbulan: History of Sembulan Lama". Kajian Awal, Catatan Lisan dan Tarsilah Keluarga Besar.