Castilian War facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Spanish Expedition to Borneo/Castilian War Expedición española a Borneo Perang Kastila ڤراڠ كستيلا
Date March 1570–June 1578 Location Borneo, Mindanao, and Sulu Result Status quo ante bellum
Belligerents
Brunei Sulu Sultanate Sultanate Of Maguindanao	Spanish Empire Captaincy General of the Philippines Pro-Spanish Bruneians
Commanders and leaders
Sultan Saiful Rijal	Francisco de Sande Pengiran Seri Lela   † Pengiran Seri Ratna  †
Strength
1,000 Royal Guards	400 Spaniards 1,500 Filipinos 300 Borneans

The Castilian War, also known as the Spanish Expedition to Borneo, was a fight between the Spanish Empire and several Muslim kingdoms in Southeast Asia. These kingdoms included the Sultanates of Brunei, Sulu, and Maguindanao. This conflict happened because Spain wanted to control trade routes and spread Christianity in the region.

Why the War Started

After the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, European countries found it hard to get spices and other valuable goods from Southeast Asia. Strong empires like the Ottomans controlled the land routes. This made Europeans eager to find new sea routes to Asia to get a steady supply of spices.

Spain also wanted to spread Christianity in these areas, which were mostly Muslim. The Spanish Empire began to take control in the Philippines. Their efforts to spread Christianity there caused problems with the Sultanate of Brunei. Brunei, led by Sultan Saiful Rijal, was a powerful sea empire that reached from Borneo into the Philippines.

Spain Arrives in the Philippines

In 1565, Spain started sending ships to the Philippines from Mexico. Under Miguel López de Legazpi, they settled in Cebu. Cebu quickly became the Spanish capital and a main trading hub in the islands.

The Spanish settlements soon started to challenge Brunei's power in the Philippines. Between 1485 and 1521, Sultan Bolkiah of Brunei had set up a friendly kingdom called Kota Serudong (also known as the Kingdom of Maynila). This was done to oppose the local Kingdom of Tondo on the island of Luzon. The presence of Islam in the region also grew stronger with traders and missionaries arriving from Malaysia and Indonesia.

Despite Brunei's influence, Spain continued its colonization. In 1571, Miguel López led an expedition from Cebu to conquer the city of Manila. Manila then became the new capital for the Spanish government. Also, the Visayan people from Madja-as and Cebu joined the Spanish. They had historically fought against Brunei's allies, Sulu and Maynila.

In 1576, the Spanish Governor-General, Francisco de Sande, asked to meet with Sultan Saiful Rijal. He said he wanted good relations with Brunei. However, the Governor-General demanded two things: permission to spread Christianity in the region and an end to Brunei's efforts to spread Islam. De Sande saw Brunei as a threat to Spain's presence and religious goals. He believed that "the Moros from Borneo preach the doctrine of Mohammed, converting all the Moros of the islands." Sultan Rijal refused these demands. He strongly opposed Spain's attempts to convert the Philippines, which he considered part of the Muslim world.

The War Begins

Governor-General Francisco de Sande officially declared war on Brunei in 1578. He began preparing for a trip to Borneo. De Sande took the title of Captain-General. He gathered a fleet with 200 Spaniards, 200 Mexicans, 1,500 native Filipinos (from Luzon), and 300 Borneans. The Spanish force was quite diverse. Later documents showed that the soldiers included people of mixed Spanish and native heritage (mestizos), people of mixed African and European heritage (mulattoes), and "Indians" (from Peru and Mexico). Spanish officers led them, many of whom had fought with native Filipinos in other campaigns. The expedition started its journey in March. The Brunei campaign was one of several actions happening at that time, including fighting in Mindanao and Sulu.

Brunei's native Malay warriors received support from Ottoman forces. These Ottoman forces had been sent on several trips to the nearby Sultanate of Aceh. They included Turks, Egyptians, Swahilis, Somalis, Sindhis, Gujaratis, and Malabars. These groups spread to nearby Sultanates. They taught local Muslim fighters (mujahideen) new fighting methods and how to make cannons. Also, Muslim people moving from the Ottoman Caliphate, Egypt, and Arabia brought many fighters to Borneo.

Early fighting was intense, but Spain quickly invaded and took over Brunei's capital, Kota Batu, by April 16, 1578. Spain got help from two unhappy Bruneian nobles, Seri Lela and Seri Ratna. Seri Lela had offered Brunei as a kingdom that would pay tribute to Spain if he could get the throne back from his brother, Sultan Saiful Rijal. After taking the capital, the Spanish made Seri Lela the new Sultan and Seri Ratna the new Bendahara (head of the nobility).

With his capital fallen, Sultan Saiful Rijal and his court fled to the nearby town of Jerudong. There, they prepared to launch a counterattack to retake Kota Batu. While the Bruneians were getting ready, the Spanish force in the capital became very weak. Many soldiers got sick with cholera and dysentery. After a short time, Saiful Rijal led about a thousand native warriors. They were able to drive out the Spanish, who were outnumbered and had fewer guns. Before retreating, the Spanish burned and destroyed the city's mosque. After only 72 days, the Spanish returned to Manila on June 26.

What Happened Next

Even though the Spanish could not fully control Brunei right away, they did stop it from getting back its power in Luzon. Later, relations between Spain and Brunei got better, and trade started again. A letter from Governor-General Francisco de Tello de Guzmán in 1599 shows this, as he asked for a return to a normal relationship. With the end of this conflict, Spain could focus on the ongoing Spanish-Moro Wars in the Philippines.

As a result of the war, Brunei stopped being a powerful sea empire. It slowly gave up its plans to expand its territory. Instead, it became more of a city-state. Brunei has survived to this day as the oldest continuously Islamic political state.

See also

In Spanish: Guerra de Castilla (Borneo) para niños