Lanun War

Lanun War
Date 1769 – 1830 (61 years) Location Borneo Philippines Result Bruneian victory continuing via Pacification of Lanun
Belligerents
Bruneian Empire Rajahnate of Mengkabong	The Philippines (until 1764) Sulu Sultanate Pirates	Kingdom of Spain (1769) Captaincy General of the Philippines (1769)
Commanders and leaders
Omar Ali Saifuddien I   # Muhammad Tajuddin Awang Aliwaddin Pengiran Temenggong Ampa Sharif Ali Raja Tua of Mengkabong [a] Muhammad Kanzul Alam Muhammad Alam Omar Ali Saifuddin II	Ferdinand I   # [b] Muhammad Israil  Azim ud-Din II Datu Teting  Sharaf ud-Din Azim ud-Din III Aliyud-Din Shakirullah Jamalul Kiram I	Charles III   # José Antonio Raón y Gutiérrez
Units involved
Bruneian Army Bruneian Navy	Sulu Army Moro pirates	Spanish Army Spanish garrison in Manila
Strength
around ~1,000–8,000+ warriors. [1] [2] [3] 2,000 Sama-Bajau [3]	estimated 4,000+ estimated 112,000 over the years	estimated 4,000 men
Casualties and losses
Heavy	Heavy	Unknown

The Lanun War (Tausug; Parrang Lanun, Malay : ڤراڠ لانون‎, romanized: Perang Lanun) also called the Bruneian-Sulu War was a conflict between the Sulu Sultanate and the Bruneian Empire. Brunei also fought Spain briefly as well.

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 ^{[2] [4]}

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] [3]}

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. They were later defeated by again Pengiran Temenggong Ampa, Sharif Amir and Raja Tua of Mengkabong (in today's Tuaran District, Sabah, Malaysia). Sharif Ali later became the caretaker of Kampung Sembulan, now in present-day Kota Kinabalu, one of the many coastal villages in Sabah that stands until today although most land from sea has been reclaimed due to development. ^[3]

During the reign of Muhammad Kanzul Alam, Due to the threat posed by pirate activity along the coast of Borneo in the 19th century, the sultan of Banjarmasin sought British aid, which in turn caught the government in British Bengal's attention. To prevent piracy and safeguard British commerce, the British dispatched Captain Robert C. Garnham to blockade Bornean ports, with the exception of Pontianak, Banjarmasin, and Brunei, by taking advantage of a power vacuum in West Borneo caused by the Dutch's emphasis on Europe. Kanzul Alam was forewarned by Garnham to obey or risk British action. Although local sources indicate that the sultan's court approved the arrangement, Garnham swiftly wrapped up his business and departed Brunei because he was uncomfortable with Muhammad Alam's severe and irritable manner during the audience. ^{[13] [14] [15]}

In 1828, around the Brunei Bay and its surrounding area, the Bruneian navy and local flotillas attempted to intercept a major slave raiding party mostly succeeded as the Iranun fled to not risk high casualties. ^{[14] [16]}

Minor skirmishes with the pirates ended in 1830, as the pirates were often busy with the Europeans and Brunei began their pacification of the pirates in 1831. ^[14]

Aftermath

Piracy did continue until 1862, however it be noted that piracy by 1830 was in its closing stages due to increase combined arms of European-Bruneian anti-piracy efforts. ^{[14] [16]}

Notes

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

References

1. Blair & Robertson. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBlairRobertson (help)
2. Saunders, Graham (2003). A History of Brunei (2nd ed.). London: Routledge. ISBN   9781315029573.
3. Santos, Jason (5 December 2020). "History of Sembulan: home to remnants of ancient Brunei army Part 1". The Vibe.
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. Haji Mail & Anwar 2016, p. 15. sfn error: no target: CITEREFHaji_MailAnwar2016 (help)
14. Warren, James (2019-12-31), "Three. The Iranun and Balangingi Slaving Voyage: Middle Passages in the Sulu Zone", Many Middle Passages, University of California Press, pp. 52–71, retrieved 2026-01-09
15. Mohammad, Mohammad Sham; Ali, Ismail; Abdullah, Mohd Firdaus (2023-11-03). "PELANUNAN DAN PEMBURUAN HAMBA DI TUNGKU, BORNEO UTARA (1840–1879)". e-Bangi Journal of Social Science and Humanities. 20 (4). doi:10.17576/ebangi.2023.2004.29. ISSN   1823-884X.
16. Swift, Michael; Tarling, Nicholas (1964). "Piracy and Politics in the Malay World". The Australian Quarterly. 36 (2): 109. doi:10.2307/20633968. ISSN   0005-0091.