Castilian War

Military conflict between Brunei and Spain

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|

Castilian War

Bruneian forces fighting Spanish forces
| Date| 16 April - 26 June 1578

|

Location|

Borneo, Mindanao, and Sulu

Result|  Status quo ante bellum
Belligerents
Brunei
Sulu Sultanate
Maguindanao
Supported by:
Ottoman Empire
Portuguese Empire[1]|

Spanish Empire

* Captaincy General of the Philippines
* Bruneian defectors

Commanders and leaders
Sultan Saiful Rijal
Bendahara Sakam
Pengiran Kestani[1]|  Francisco de Sande
Pengiran Seri Lela  or  †
Pengiran Seri Ratna †
Strength
1,000 men (royal guards)
an unknown number of indigenous warriors
62 guns
50 ships|

2,200 men:

* 200 Spaniards
* 200 Mexicans
* 1,500 Filipinos
* 300 Bruneians

40 ships
Casualties and losses

Unknown

170 artillery pieces; 27 ships and galleys captured[2]|  Unknown; presumably heavy[3]
17 men dead (by dysentery)[4]

The Castilian War, also called the Spanish Expedition to Borneo, was a conflict between the Spanish Empire and several Muslim states in Southeast Asia, including the Sultanates of Brunei, Sulu, and Maguindanao. It is also considered as part of the Ottoman-Habsburg War, and that war is the beginning of relations between Ottoman and Brunei in 1560 to 1578.[1]

## Background[edit]

Part of a series on the

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

Bruneian–Tundun War| 1500
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

* v
* t
* e

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.[citation needed]

### Spanish arrival in the Philippines[edit]

In 1565, Spain began to send several expeditions to the Philippines from their ports in Mexico. Under Miguel López de Legazpi, they settled in Cebu, which soon became the Spanish capital of the archipelago and its primary trading post.[citation needed]

The Spanish settlements soon began to encroach on the aspirations that Brunei had in the Philippines. Between 1485 and 1521, Sultan Bolkiah of Brunei had established the puppet state of Kota Serudong (also called the Kingdom of Maynila) to oppose the indigenous Kingdom of Tondo on the island of Luzon.[5] The Islamic presence in the region was also strengthened by the arrival of traders and missionaries from the areas of Malaysia and Indonesia.[6]

Despite Bruneian influence, Spanish colonization continued in the archipelago. In 1571, Miguel López launched an expedition from his capital in Cebu to conquer and Christianize the city of Manila, which became the new capital for the Spanish administration. Furthermore, the Visayan peoples of Madja-as and Cebu (who historically fought against Brunei's allies of Sulu and Maynila) aligned themselves with the Spaniards against Brunei. In 1576, Governor-General Francisco de Sande sent a request to meet with Sultan Saiful Rijal, expressing a desire for good relations with Brunei. However, In 1573, the Governor-General De Sande demanded both permission to proselytize Christianity in the region, and an end to Brunei's proselytizing of Islam. De Sande regarded Brunei as a threat to Spanish presence and religious efforts in the region, stating that "the Moros from Borneo preach the doctrine of Mohammed, converting all the Moros of the islands".[7][8] Sultan Rijal refused, expressing strong opposition to Spanish efforts to convert the Philippines, which he considered part of Dar al-Islam, the Muslim world.[citation needed]

## War[edit]

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.[9] 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.[10] 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.[11][12]

In addition to native Malay warriors, Bruneian forces were supported by the Ottomans who had been sent in several expeditions to the nearby Sultanate of Aceh and were composed of Turks, Egyptians, Swahilis, Somalis, Sindhis, Gujaratis, and Malabars.[13] These expeditionary forces spread to nearby Sultanates and taught local mujahideen new fighting tactics and techniques to forge cannons.[14] In addition, Muslim migration from the Ottoman Caliphate, Egypt, and Arabia brought numerous fighting men to the region of Borneo. Also Brunei was assisted by Portuguese captain, Pengiran Kestani.[1]

While early fighting was fierce, in the Siege 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.[15] 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 town 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.[16][17] After a short time, Saiful Rijal manage to make a force of around a thousand native warriors and was led by Bendahara Sakam in the Battle of Kota Batu, Bendahara Sakam 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.[citation needed]

## Aftermath[edit]

While the Spanish were unable to immediately subjugate Brunei, they did manage to prevent it from regaining a foothold in Luzon.[18] 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.[19] 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.[20]

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "Brunei Civil War". Borneo History.
2. ^ Saunders, Graham E. (1994). A History of Brunei. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 55\. ISBN 967-65-3049-2.
3. ^ Saunders, Graham E. (1994). A History of Brunei. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 57\. ISBN 967-65-3049-2.
4. ^ Bala, Bilcher (2005). Thalassocracy: A History of the Medieval Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. p. 160\. ISBN 9789832643746.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
5. ^ "Pusat Sejarah Brunei" (in Malay). Government of Brunei Darussalam. Archived from the original on 15 April 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
6. ^ Agoncillo 1990, p. 22
7. ^ McAmis 2002, p. 35.
8. ^ Nicholl, Robert (1975). European sources for the history of the Sultanate of Brunei in the Sixteenth Century. Muzium Brunei. OCLC 4777019.
9. ^ United States. War Dept (1903). Annual reports. Vol. 3\. Government Printing Office. p. 379.
10. ^ Letter from Fajardo to Felipe III From Manila, August 15 1620 (From the Spanish Archives of the Indies): "The infantry does not amount to two hundred men, in three companies. If these men were that number, and Spaniards, it would not be so bad; but, although I have not seen them, because they have not yet arrived here, I am told that they are, as at other times, for the most part boys, mestizos, and mulattoes, with some Indians (Native Americans). There is no little cause for regret in the great sums that reënforcements of such men waste for, and cost, your Majesty. I cannot see what betterment there will be until your Majesty shall provide it, since I do not think, that more can be done in Nueva Spaña, although the viceroy must be endeavoring to do so, as he is ordered."
11. ^ McAmis 2002, p. 33
12. ^ "Letter from Francisco de Sande to Felipe II, 1578". Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
13. ^ The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia by Nicholas Tarling p.39
14. ^ Cambridge illustrated atlas, warfare: Renaissance to revolution, 1492–1792 by Jeremy Black p.16 [1]
15. ^ Melo Alip 1964, p. 201,317
16. ^ Frankham 2008, p. 278
17. ^ Atiyah 2002, p. 71
18. ^ Oxford Business Group 2009, p. 9
19. ^ "The era of Sultan Muhammad Hassan". The Brunei Times. 1 March 2009. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
20. ^ Donoso, Isaac (Autumn 2014). "Manila y la empresa imperial del Sultanato de Brunei en el siglo XVI". Revista Filipina, Segunda Etapa. Revista semestral de lengua y literatura hispanofilipina. (in Spanish). 2 (1): 23. Retrieved 29 December 2015.

## References[edit]

* Agoncillo, Teodoro A. (1990), History of the Filipino people, R.P. Garcia, ISBN 978-971-8711-06-4
* McAmis, Robert Day (2002), Malay Muslims: the history and challenge of resurgent Islam in Southeast Asia, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, ISBN 978-0-8028-4945-8
* Saunders, Graham E. (2002), A history of Brunei, Routledge, ISBN 978-0-7007-1698-2
* Melo Alip, Eufronio (1964), Political and cultural history of the Philippines, Volumes 1-2
* The Report: Brunei Darussalam 2009, Oxford Business Group, 2009, ISBN 978-1-907065-09-5
* Frankham, Steve (2008), Footprint Borneo, Footprint Guides, ISBN 978-1-906098-14-8
* Atiyah, Jeremy (2002), Rough guide to Southeast Asia, Rough Guide, ISBN 978-1-85828-893-2

* v
* t
* e

Brunei articles

History|

* Bruneian Empire
* Bruneian-Tundun War
* Castilian War
* Brunei Civil War
* White Rajahs
* British Borneo
* Japanese occupation
* Borneo campaign
* British Military Administration
* Brunei revolt
* South-east Asia regional history

Geography|

* Border
* Borneo
* Municipalities
* Districts
* Mukims
* Villages
* Rivers
* Islands
* Wildlife
* Climate change
* Environmental issues
* Protected areas

Politics|

* Administrative divisions
* Politics
* Foreign relations
* Human rights
* LGBT
* Capital punishment

Government|

* Cabinet
* Defence
* Military
* Fire and Rescue
* Law enforcement
* Parliament
* State Customs and Traditions
* Sultan

Economy|

* Dollar (currency)
* Companies
* Telecommunications
* Tourism
* Transport
* Airports

Society|

* Cuisine
* Culture
* Demographics
* Bruneian
* Ethnicity
* Education
* Healthcare
* Housing
* Languages
* Media
* Film
* Music
* Melayu Islam Beraja (national philosophy)
* Prostitution
* Religion
* Sex trafficking
* Sport

Symbols|

* Anthem
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* Flag

* Outline
* Index

* Category

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Spanish Empire

Timeline–immersed

* Catholic Monarchs
* Conquest of the Americas, Asia and the Pacific
* Treaty of Tordesillas
* Italian Wars
* Habsburgs
* Golden Age
* War of the League of Cognac
* Encomiendas
* New Laws in favour of the indigenous
* Expulsion of the Moriscos
* Ottoman–Habsburg wars
* French Wars of Religion
* Bruneian–Spanish conflict
* Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604)
* Piracy in the Caribbean
* Eighty Years' War
* Spanish–Moro conflict
* Thirty Years' War
* Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659)
* Portuguese Restoration War
* War of the Spanish Succession
* Queen Anne's War
* Bourbons
* Bourbon Reforms
* War of Jenkins' Ear
* Treaty of Madrid (1750)
* Seven Years' War
* Nootka Convention
* Napoleonic invasion
* Third Treaty of San Ildefonso
* Independence of Spanish continental Americas
* Adams–Onís Treaty
* Liberal constitution
* Carlist Wars
* Spanish–American War
* German–Spanish Treaty (1899)
* Spanish Civil War
* Independence of Morocco
* Independence of Equatorial Guinea
* Western Sahara conflict

Territories

Europe

* Spain
* Crown of Castille
* Crown of Aragon
* Union with Portugal
* Gibraltar
* Southern Italy (Kingdoms of Naples, Sicily and Sardinia)
* Milan
* Union with Holy Roman Empire
* Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, northernmost France
* Franche-Comté
* Pyrénées-Orientales

Asia

* Philippines
* Pacific Islands (Guam, Mariana, Caroline, Micronesia, Palau)
* Northern Taiwan
* Tidore

North America

* New Spain (Coastal Alaska, Central United States (Spanish Louisiana), Western United States (Spanish Texas), Florida, Mexico [es], Central America (Captaincy General of Yucatan), Spanish Caribbean)

Central America

* Captaincy General of Guatemala
* Cuba
* Dominican Republic
* Puerto Rico
* Trinidad
* Jamaica
* Haiti
* Aruba
* Curazao
* Bonaire
* Belize

South America

* New Granada (Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Venezuela, part of Guyana, a northernmost portion of Brazilian Amazon)
* Peru (Peru, Acre, Chile)
* Río de la Plata (Argentina, Paraguay, Charcas (Bolivia), Banda Oriental (Uruguay), Misiones Orientales, Malvinas)

Africa

* Equatorial Guinea
* Northern Africa (Western Sahara, Spanish Morocco, Tripoli, Tunis, Peñón of Algiers, Oran, Béjaïa, Ifni and Cape Juby)

Antarctica

* Terra Australis

Administration

* Archivo de Indias
* Council of the Indies
* Cabildo
* Exequatur
* Laws of the Indies
* Papal bull
* Royal Decree of Graces
* Trial of residence
* School of Salamanca

Administrative subdivisions

| Viceroyalties|

* Columbian
* New Spain
* New Granada
* Perú
* Río de la Plata

|

Captaincies General|

* Chile
* Cuba
* Guatemala
* Philippines
* Provincias Internas
* Puerto Rico
* Santo Domingo
* Venezuela
* Yucatán

Governorates|

* Castilla de Oro
* Cuba
* La Florida
* La Luisiana
* New Andalusia (1501–1513)
* New Andalusia
* New Castile
* New Navarre
* New Toledo
* Paraguay
* Río de la Plata
* Terra Australis

Audiencias|

* Bogotá
* Buenos Aires
* Caracas
* Charcas
* Concepción
* Cusco
* Guadalajara
* Guatemala
* Lima
* Manila
* Mexico
* Panamá
* Quito
* Santiago
* Santo Domingo

Economy

| Currencies|

* Dollar (Peso)
* Real
* Maravedí
* Escudo
* Columnario
* Doubloon

|

Trade|

* Manila galleon
* Spanish treasure fleet
* Casa de Contratación
* Spanish Road
* Guipuzcoan Company of Caracas
* Barcelona Trading Company
* Consulate of the Sea
* Camino Real de Tierra Adentro
* Commerce Consulate of Buenos Aires

Military

| Armies|

* Tercio
* Army of Flanders
* Free Company of Volunteers of Catalonia
* Indian auxiliaries
* Spanish Armada
* Ships of the line
* Royalists
* Legión

|

Strategists|

* Duke of Alba
* Antonio de Leyva
* Martín de Goiti
* Alfonso d'Avalos
* García de Toledo Osorio
* Duke of Savoy
* Álvaro de Bazán the Elder
* John of Austria
* Charles Bonaventure de Longueval
* Pedro de Zubiaur
* Ambrosio Spinola
* Blas de Lezo
* Bernardo de Gálvez

Mariners|

* Christopher Columbus
* Pinzón brothers
* Ferdinand Magellan
* Juan Sebastián Elcano
* Juan de la Cosa
* Juan Ponce de León
* Miguel López de Legazpi
* Pedro Menéndez de Avilés
* Sebastián de Ocampo
* Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
* Alonso de Ojeda
* Vasco Núñez de Balboa
* Alonso de Salazar
* Andrés de Urdaneta
* Antonio de Ulloa
* Ruy López de Villalobos
* Diego Columbus
* Alonso de Ercilla
* Nicolás de Ovando
* Juan de Ayala
* Sebastián Vizcaíno
* Juan Fernández
* Luis Fajardo
* Felipe González de Ahedo

Conquistadors|

* Hernán Cortés
* Francisco Pizarro
* Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada
* Hernán Pérez de Quesada
* Francisco Vázquez de Coronado
* Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar
* Pedro de Valdivia
* Gaspar de Portolà
* Pere Fages i Beleta
* Joan Orpí
* Pedro de Alvarado
* Martín de Ursúa
* Diego de Almagro
* Pánfilo de Narváez
* Diego de Mazariegos
* Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera
* Pere d'Alberní i Teixidor
* García López de Cárdenas

Notable battles|

| Old World|

| Won|

* Comuneros
* Bicocca
* Rome (1527)
* Landriano
* Pavia
* Tunis
* Mühlberg
* St. Quentin
* Gravelines
* Malta
* Lepanto
* Antwerp
* Azores
* Mons
* Gembloux
* Ostend
* English Armada
* Cape Celidonia
* White Mountain
* Breda
* Nördlingen
* Valenciennes
* Ceuta
* Bitonto
* Bailén
* Vitoria
* Tetouan
* Alhucemas

|

Lost|

* Capo d'Orso
* Vienna (1529)
* Preveza
* Siege of Castelnuovo
* Algiers
* Ceresole
* Balearic Islands (1558)
* Djerba
* Tunis
* Spanish Armada
* Leiden
* Rocroi
* Downs
* Montes Claros
* Passaro
* Manila Bay
* Trafalgar
* Somosierra
* Annual
* Mactan

New World|

| Won|

* Tenochtitlan
* Cajamarca
* Cusco
* Bogotá savanna
* Penco
* Mataquito
* Guadalupe Island
* Recife
* San Juan (1595)
* Bahia
* Colonia del Sacramento
* Comuneros (Paraguay)
* Cartagena de Indias
* Cuerno Verde
* Túpac Amaru II
* Túpac Katari
* Pensacola
* Newfoundland
* San Juan (1797)

|

Lost|

* La Noche Triste
* Iguape
* Tucapel
* Guiana
* Curalaba
* Comuneros (New Granada)
* Trinidad (1797)
* Chacabuco
* Boyacá
* Carabobo
* Pichincha
* Ayacucho
* Guam
* Santiago de Cuba
* Asomante

Spanish conquests

* Canary Islands
* The Americas
* Aztec
* Maya
* Chiapas
* Yucatán
* Guatemala
* Petén
* El Salvador
* Honduras
* Nicaragua
* Chibchan Nations
* Colombia
* Chile
* Inca
* Philippines

Other civil topics

* Spanish missions in the Americas
* Architecture
* Mesoamerican Codices
* Cusco painting tradition
* Indochristian painting in New Spain
* Quito painting tradition
* Tapada limeña
* Academia Antártica
* Colonial universities in Hispanic America
* Colonial universities in the Philippines
* General Archive of the Indies
* Colonial Spanish Horse
* Mustang
* Castas
* Criollos in the colonial society
* Old inquisition
* Slavery in Spanish Empire
* Asiento
* Law of coartación (which allowed slaves to buy their freedom, and that of others)
* Great Potosí Mint Fraud of 1649

* v
* t
* e

Armed conflicts involving Philippines

Early modern|

* Mactan
* Dagami
* Bangkusay Channel
* Manila (1574)
* Borneo expedition
* Conspiracy of the Maharlikas
* Eighty Years' War
* Cagayan and Dingras
* Cambodia expedition
* Magalat
* Igorot
* Formosa expedition
* First Battle of San Salvador
* Second Battle of San Salvador
* Sumuroy
* Manila (1762)
* Cochinchina expedition
* Cavite

Late modern|

* Philippine Revolution
* Spanish–American War
* Philippine–American War
* Moro (1899−1913)
* World War II
* Japanese invasion
* Allied invasion
* Hukbalahap
* New People's Army
* Moro (1969−2019)
* Cold War
* Korean War
* Vietnam War

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