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Resisting colonial rule: An anecdote of Borneo’s remaining sultanate
Unlike other kingdoms across the Malay Archipelago, Brunei was among those that successfully resisted colonization and remained a sovereign state for centuries before it was made a British protectorate in 1888.
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God save the sultan: Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (center left) delivers a speech on Oct. 5, 2017 accompanied by Queen Saleha to mark the golden jubilee of his accession to the throne, during a ceremony held in the throne hall of Istana Nurul Iman in Bandar Seri Begawan. (AFP/Brunei Prime Minister’s Office)
T
he Malay Archipelago was home to numerous kingdoms that ruled over the region for hundreds of years. Srivijaya was once a rich thalassocracy dominating the seas from Southeast Asia as far away as Madagascar.
The Sultanate of Malacca emerged in the 15th century and in less than 100 years, became one of the richest maritime nations in Southeast Asia. This maritime empire was short-lived with the coming of the Portuguese in 1511. Despite colonization, the sultanate left a long-lasting legacy immortalized in the name of one of the busiest strait in the world, the Malacca Strait.
Nevertheless, this is not a tale of Malacca. This is a tale of what was once a great Malay thalassocracy on the island of Borneo (Kalimantan), the Sultanate of Brunei.
During its early days in the 12th century, Brunei was a vassal state of the powerful Javanese kingdom of Majapahit that ruled over most parts of the Malay Archipelago. The fall of Majapahit in the 14th century allowed Brunei to get free of Majapahit dominance and it gradually became a leading thalassocracy in the region.
Brunei reached its golden age in the late 15th century during the reign of Sultan Bolkiah and possessed far-flung territories extending into the modern day territory of the Philippines.
Just like how the Portuguese wanted to exert power over Malacca, the Spaniards were adamant about spreading their cloak of influence over Brunei. Brunei’s resistance to Spanish colonial conquest resulted in the outbreak of the Castilian War in 1578.
Earlier in 1576, the Spanish governor in Manila, Francisco de Sande, went to Brunei to seek an audience with Sultan Saiful Rijal. The Spanish initially intended to forge good relationships with Brunei and to obtain permission to spread Christianity in Brunei. At the same time, the Spanish demanded that Brunei not introduce an Islamic influence into the Philippines archipelago.
