Bruneian–Sulu War

Bruneian–Sulu War
Date 1769 – 1788 Location Borneo, the Philippines Result Bruneian Victory All Bruneian lands reclaimed Pirates continue to raid Brunei until the arrival of James Brooke
Belligerents
Bruneian Empire Rajahnate of Mengkabong	Sulu Sultanate Pirates Spanish Empire (1769)
Commanders and leaders
Omar Ali Saifuddien I Awang Aliwaddin Pengiran Temenggong Ampa Sharif Ali Raja Tua of Mengkabong	Azim ud-Din I Datu Teting Charles III Simón de Anda y Salazar
Units involved
Bruneian Army
Strength
Unknown (bigger than the Sulu army) 2,000 Sama-Bajau	Unknown Unknown (smaller than the Bruneian army)
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown Unknown

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

Background

After Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin learned about the situation in Manila of the Philippines, due to it being Bruneian territory, he was displeased. As a result, he commanded an attack on Sultan Alimuddin in Manila with his forces under the command of Pehin Orang Kaya Di-Gadong Seri Lela Awang Aliwaddin in 1769.

Later, conflict over Sabah resurfaced, which started after which a promise made by Sultan Muhyiddin to the Sultan of Sulu, if the Sulu helped him win the Brunei Civil War, he would reward them with Eastern Sabah. The war went in his favor, however Sultan Muhyiddin claimed that the Sulu did not help him and only saw the allied Bruneian forces fight. Years later, Sulu attacked Brunei in 1771, after the Sultan of Brunei had become severely weakened by a previous war. Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin signed a deal with the British Empire in June 1774 to secure outside support. The British were looking for a storehouse along the way to Canton and received exclusive rights to the pepper trade in exchange for their military assistance.

War

A Bruneian warrior in the 18th century

In retaliation, Brunei sent the a mission to reconquer Manila, however 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, therefore Manila was under Spanish rule when the siege began. The siege was successful, as Manila was captured by the Brunei sultanate.

The Sulu Sultanate in retaliation, despatch a force under the command of Datu Teting to attack Balambangan in 1775, its leaders sought safety in Labuan after the British quickly established a presence in Brunei. 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.

In 1788, A Sulu army attacked Kampong Sembulan as an attempt to invade Brunei, who previously burned Pulau Balambangan prior to arriving to Kampong Sembulan. They were defeated by Pengiran Temenggong Ampa, Sharif Amir and Raja Tua of Mengkabong. Sharif Ali later became the caretaker of Kampong Sembulan.

Aftermath

James Brooke in 1847 by Francis Grant who caused the eventual fall of Brunei.

Thanks to their numerical and military advantage over Sulu, Brunei effectively defeated the Sulu Sultanate. Though piracy raids continued after the war, Brunei reclaimed all of their lost territory in the war against Sulu. Brunei stopped any more Sulu invasions against Brunei. The war was pivotal for restoring Brunei's dominance in Borneo and stopped anymore colonial incursions into Brunei until the mid–19th century when James Brooke arrived.

Who would later be responsible of one of many factors that caused the decline of the Bruneian Sultanate, declining heavily into 1870 to 1888. Which eventually forced Sultan Anak Hashim to sign the Protectorate Agreement in 1888.