The Sulu Archipelago is a chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean, in the southwestern Philippines. The archipelago forms the northern limit of the Celebes Sea and southern limit of the Sulu Sea. The Sulu Archipelago islands are within the Mindanao island group, consisting of the Philippines provinces of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi; hence the archipelago is sometimes referred to as Basulta, derived from the first syllables of the three provinces.
The Moro Rebellion (1902–1913) was an armed conflict between the Moro people and the United States military during the Philippine–American War. The rebellion occurred after the conclusion of the conflict between the United States and First Philippine Republic, and saw the US move to impose its authority over the Muslim states in Mindanao, Jolo and the neighboring Sulu Archipelago.
The Sultanate of Sulu was a Sunni Muslim state that ruled the Sulu Archipelago, coastal areas of Zamboanga City and certain portions of Palawan in the today's Philippines, alongside parts of present-day Sabah and North Kalimantan in north-eastern Borneo.
The Tausūg, are an ethnic group of the Philippines and Malaysia. A small population can also be found in the northern part of North Kalimantan, Indonesia. The Tausūg are part of the wider political identity of Muslim Filipinos of western Mindanao, the Sulu archipelago, and southern Palawan, collectively referred to as the Moro people. The Tausugs originally had an independent state known as the Sultanate of Sulu, which once exercised sovereignty over the present day provinces of Basilan, Palawan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga City, eastern part of Sabah and eastern part of North Kalimantan. They are also known in the Malay language as Suluk.
Jolo is a volcanic island in the southwest Philippines and the primary island of the province of Sulu, on which the capital of the same name is situated. It is located in the Sulu Archipelago, between Borneo and Mindanao, and has a population of approximately 500,000 people.
The Moro people or Bangsamoro people are the 13 Muslim-majority ethnolinguistic Austronesian groups of Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan, native to the region known as the Bangsamoro. As Muslim-majority ethnic groups, they form the largest non-Christian population in the Philippines, and according the 2020 census conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority, they comprise about 6.4% of the country's total population, or 6.9 million people. However, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) estimates that the population is closer to about 11% of the country's total population, or 10.7 million people, attributing the difference to a number of factors.
Jamalul ibni Punjungan Kiram III was a former self-proclaimed Sultan of the Sulu Sultanate who claimed to be "the poorest sultan in the world". He was known as an unsuccessful candidate for senator in the Philippine general elections in 2007. In 2013, Kiram III sparked a controversy when he revived a dispute between the Philippines and Malaysia by leading an intrusion into the eastern part of Sabah. His daughter is Princess Jacel Kiram, a proponent of the Sabah claim of the Philippines in 2016.
Sultan Muwallil Wasit, is the 9th Sultan of Sulu and was also known as Rajah Bongsu I. His birth name was Pangiran Shahbandar Maharajalela, and was the youngest son of former Sultan of Brunei Muhammad Hassan. He reigned in Sulu after his uncle, Sultan Batara Shah Tengah died without an heir. He was most likely sent to Sulu to end dynastic troubles there, as he was begot of the marriage of Batara Tengah's Sister, and the Sultan of Brunei. On his coming to Sulu in 1609, he was brought by his father Sultan Muhammad Hassan brought along with his royal symbol's called as "Pulau Janggi" and "Sepong Janggi". This royal symbol was a symbol of brotherhood between the Sultanate of Sulu and the Sultanate of Brunei and as a royal proof that Raja Bongsu-I really belonged to the royal family of Brunei.
Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram is the head of the Royal House of Sulu, a position which he has held since 16 February 1986. As the eldest son of the former Sultan Mohammad Mahakuttah Abdulla Kiram, he is a claimant to the defunct throne of the Sultanate of Sulu. As the last Crown Prince officially recognized by the Philippine government, he is the 35th Sultan of Sulu.
The Royal House of Sulu is an Islamic royal house which ruled the Sulu Sultanate. In 1962, the Philippine Government under the leadership of President Diosdado Macapagal, who himself was a distant cousin of the Sulu Sultans, counting among his ancestors Princess Laila Menchanai of Sulu, the great-grandmother of the Muslim king of Manila, Rajah Sulayman, officially recognized the continued existence of the Royal Sultanate of Sulu.
The Spanish–Moro conflict was a series of battles in the Philippines lasting more than three centuries. It began during the Spanish Philippines and lasted until the Spanish–American War, when Spain finally began to subjugate the Moro people after centuries of attempts to do so. Spain ultimately conquered portions of the Mindanao and Jolo islands and turned the Sultanate of Sulu into a protectorate, establishing geographic dominance over the region until the Spanish-American War. Moro resistance continued.
The 2013 Lahad Datu standoff, also known as the Lahad Datu incursion or Operation Daulat, was a military conflict in Lahad Datu, Malaysia. The conflict began on 11 February, when 235 militants arrived in Lahad Datu by boat, and ended on 24 March. The militants, self proclaimed as "Royal Security Forces of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo", were sent by Jamalul Kiram III, a claimant to the throne of the Sultanate of Sulu.
The Spanish occupation of Jolo or Battle of Jolo was a military expedition in the 1630s to pacify the Moro of the Sulu Sultanate. The expedition, personally led by Sebastian de Corcuera, the then Governor-General of the Spanish East Indies was a follow-up expedition to the earlier successful campaigns against the Maguindanao Sultanate under Sultan Qudarat. It was initially successful, partly due to an epidemic within the Sultan Wasit's fort early in the campaign, resulting in the Sulu forces retreating to Tawi-Tawi.
Jamalul Kiram II was the sultan of Sulu from 1894 to 1915. During his long reign, he signed treaties with several nations. He served under both Spain and the United States.
The Lahad Datu District is an administrative district in the Malaysian state of Sabah, part of the Tawau Division which includes the districts of Kunak, Lahad Datu, Semporna and Tawau. The capital of the district is in Lahad Datu Town.
Abd ul-Bagui Butu Rasul, better known as Hadji Butu, was a Filipino statesman, politician and senator during the 4th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Philippine Legislatures, representing the 12th senatorial district.
The Kiram–Bates Treaty, also known as the Bates Treaty, was a treaty signed by the United States and the Sultanate of Sulu during the Philippine–American War. The treaty functioned to prevent the entry of the Sulu Sultanate into the Philippine–American War while the United States concentrated its forces in northern Luzon.
Sultan Harun Ar-Rashid was a sultan of Sulu from 1886 to 1894. He was confirmed a sultan by the Spanish colonial government and was appointed in September 24, 1886. His reign ended in 1894 due to the lack of support from fellow Sulus and regional unrest. He was removed from appointment by Spanish authorities.
Mohammed Badarud-Din II (d.1884), was sultan of Sulu from 1881 to 1884. He succeeded Jamal ul-Azam shortly after his death. He became sultan at the age of 19 and died in 1884 at the age of 22.
Mohammad Pulalun Kiram was sultan of Sulu from 1844 to 1862. He succeeded his father, Jamalul Kiram I. During his reign, Spanish expedition to Sulu was led by Governor-General Narciso Claveria y Zaldua and subsequent conflict with the Spanish military under Governor-General Juan Antonio de Urbiztondo. As sultan, he was known for his political administration making the Royal House of Kiram extend its influence and fame among Sulus.
