The Sultanate of Tidore (Jawi: ; sometimes ) was a sultanate in Southeast Asia, centered on Tidore in the Maluku Islands (presently in North Maluku, Indonesia). It was also known as Duko, its ruler carrying the title Kië ma-kolano (Ruler of the Mountain). Tidore was a rival of the Sultanate of Ternate for control of the spice trade and had an important historical role as binding the archipelagic civilizations of Indonesia to the Papuan world.Trajectories of the early-modern kingdoms in eastern Indonesia According to extant historical records, in particular the genealogies of the kings of Ternate and Tidore, the inaugural Tidorese king was Sahjati or Muhammad Naqil whose enthronement is dated 1081 in local tradition. However, the accuracy of the tradition that Tidore emerged as a polity as early as the 11th century is considered debatable. Islam was only made the official state religion in the late 15th century through the ninth King of Tidore, Sultan Jamaluddin. He was influenced by the preachings of Syekh Mansur, originally from Arabia.Sejarah Kerajaan Tidore. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Sultans tended to ally with either Spain or Portugal to maintain their political role but were finally drawn into the Dutch sphere of power in 1663. Despite a period of anti-colonial rebellion in 1780–1810, the Dutch grip on the sultanate increased until decolonization in the 1940s. Meanwhile, Tidore's suzerainty over Raja Ampat and western Papua was acknowledged by the colonial state.Heather Sutherland (2021) Seaways and Gatekeepers; Trade and State in the Eastern Archipelagos of Southeast Asia, c. 1600-c. 1906. Singapore: NUS Press, p. 190-2, 225-6, 266-8, 368-70. In modern times, the sultanate has been revived as a cultural institution.Kirsten Jäger (2018) Das Sultanat Jailolo; Die Revitalisierung von "traditionellen" politischen Gemeinwesen in Indonesien. Berlin: Lit Verlag, p. 196.
Origins
According to later historical traditions, the four kingdoms of North Maluku (Ternate, Tidore, Bacan, and Jailolo) had a common root. A story that arose after the introduction of Islam says that the common ancestor was an Arab, Jafar Sadik, who married a heavenly nymph (bidadari) and sired four sons, of whom Sahjati became the first kolano (ruler) of Tidore.C. F. van Fraassen (1987), Ternate, de Molukken en de Indonesische Archipel. Leiden: Rijksuniversiteit te Leiden, Vol. I, pp. 16–18. The term kolano might be a Javanese loanword borrowed from the name of the character in Panji tales, pointing at early cultural influences from Java. The first eight kolanos are proto-historical as there are no contemporary sources on Tidore until the early 16th century.F. S. A. de Clercq (1890). Bijdragen tot de kennis der Residentie Ternate. Leiden: Brill, p. 321. The ninth, Ciri Leliatu, was reportedly converted to Islam by an Arab, Syekh Mansur, and named his oldest son after the preacher.P. J. B. C. Robidé van der Aa (1879). Reizen naar Nederlandsch Nieuw-Guinea. 's-Gravenhage: M. Nijhoff, pp. 18–19. According to European sources, Islam was accepted by the North Malukan elite in about the 1460s–1470s. Ciri Leliatu's son Sultan al-Mansur ruled when the Portuguese first visited Maluku in 1512 and met the remnants of the Magellan expedition in 1521.Willard A. Hanna & Des Alwi (1990), Turbulent times past in Ternate and Tidore. Banda Naira: Rumah Budaya Banda Naira, p. 20–25. By that time the sultanate lived in an uneasy and ambiguous relationship with its close neighbour Ternate. Though frequently at war, the Tidore rulers held a ritual precedence position since their daughters regularly married Ternatan sultans and princes.Extensive genealogical explanation in C. F. van Fraassen (1987), Vol. II, pp. 13–30.
Geographical extent
Together, the two sultanates Ternate and Tidore exercised suzerainty over a huge area from Sulawesi to West Papua. Supposedly, the ninth Tidore ruler Ciri Leliatu invaded the Papuan island Gebe, a local power center, in the late 15th century and thereby gained access to valuable forest products of the Raja Ampat Islands and New Guinea.Leonard Andaya (1993), p. 105; P. J. B. C. Robidé van der Aa (1879), p. 19. According to records in the Sonyine Malige Museum, the start of Tidore's influence in these quarters was due to his son, al-Mansur or Ibnu Mansur, who bonded a naval leader of Waigeo, Gurabesi from Biak (later known by the European title Kapitan), as well as with a Sangaji of Patani, Sahmardan. According to tradition they launched an expedition to Papua in 1453 and created bonds with Papuan villages with Gurabesi's assistance.Leonard Andaya (1993), p. 105. These regions were held separately by the Korano Ngaruha ( Four Kings) or Raja Ampat. The four sub-kings were Kolano Salawati, Kolano Waigeo, Kolano Waigama, and Kolano Umsowol or Lilinta. Furthermore, the Papoua Gam Sio ( The Papua Nine Negeri) included Sangaji Umka, Gimalaha Usba, Sangaji Barei, Sangaji Boser, Gimalaha Kafdarun, Sangaji Wakeri, Gimalaha Warijo, Sangaji Mar, and Gimalaha Warasay. Lastly, the Mafor Soa Raha ( The Mafor Four Soa) included Sangaji Rumberpon, Sangaji Rumansar, Sangaji Angaradifa, and Sangaji Waropen. Historical tradition also relates that Tidore in 1498 attacked Sran centered on Adi island in West Papua and installed a vassal king (later known by the European title Mayor). The first vassal ruler, Wanggita, was followed by his descendants for three generations; their influence extended to Karufa and Arguni Bay. However, the Papuan dependencies were only documented by Europeans in the 17th century.F. C. Kamma (1948). "De verhouding tussen Tidore en de Papoese eilanden in legende en historie", Indonesië 1947–49, I, p. 552; Tidore-Papuan relations in general discussed in Leonard Andaya (1993), p. 99–110. Considering that New Guinea had little economic value for them, the Dutch promoted Tidore as suzerain of Papua. By 1849, Tidore's borders had been extended to the proximity of the current international border between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Tidore furthermore ruled over parts of Halmahera and islands close by, especially the Gamrange area in the southeast (Maba, Weda, and Patani). At times, Tidore controlled East Seram and laid claims to outlying places such as Buru and Aru.Muridan Widjojo (2009). The revolt of Prince Nuku: Cross-cultural alliance-making in Maluku, c. 1780-1810. Leiden: Brill, p. 52–53; Hans Hägerdal & Emilie Wellfelt (2019), "Tamalola: Transregional connectivities, Islam, and anti-colonialism on an Indonesian island", Wacana, No. 20–23.
Administration
The base of Tidorese society was the soa, socio-political units headed by bobato (headmen). A bobato was a state official but also a guardian of the interests of his community. On the basic level in the outlying areas (Halmahera, etc.) were various kimelaha or gimalaha (local leaders formally appointed by the sultan), who in turn stood under sangaji (honoured princes) who lorded as vassals over various territories belonging to the Sultanate. At the center was a state council consisting of 31 members including the 27 bobato, two hukum (magistrates), one kapiten laut (sea lord), and a jojau (chief minister). Moreover, the sultan employed utusan or envoys who visited the various outer areas under Tidore's sway and collected tributes.Muridan Widjojo (2009), p. 47–49. If these levies (which could be in the form of slaves or their value equivalent in massoy, nutmeg, turtle shell, and other goods) were not met, a punitive Hongi expedition would be launched on behalf of the sultan of Tidore, usually by other rajas of different regions under him.
Alliance with Spain
Tidore established a loose alliance with the Spanish in the sixteenth century, starting with the visit of the Magellan expedition in 1521. The aim was to counter the power of Ternate, which had allied with the Portuguese since 1512. At the start, this did not mean much due to the rare Spanish visits, and Tidore suffered a series of serious defeats at the hands of the Portuguese in 1524, 1526, 1529, 1536, and 1560. However, the Ternatan sultan Babullah broke with the Portuguese in 1570 and greatly expanded his territory in all directions. Feeling slighted, the Tidorese under Gapi Baguna allied with the Portuguese and allowed them to build a fort on their island in 1578.Hubert Jacobs (1980) Documenta Malucensia, Vol. II. Rome: Jesuit Historical Institute, p. 9*; Leonard Andaya (1993), p. 133. After the merger of Portugal and Spain in 1581, Spain, already established in the Philippines, took over the Iberian initiative and carried out several more or less abortive interventions in Maluku to strengthen Iberian influence in the region. Since the Spanish and Portuguese realms were administered separately under the Habsburg kings, the Portuguese were however able to hang on for the next 24 years and kept several forts on the island. There was also a limited presence of Catholic missionaries in Tidore, who managed to convert a few members of the elite.Hubert Jacobs (1980), Documenta Molucensia, Vol. II. Rome: Jesuit Historical Institute. While there was much mutual distrust between the Tidorese and the Spaniards and Portuguese, for Tidore the Spanish presence helped resist incursions by their Ternatan enemy. Nevertheless, it lost vital territories in Halmahera by the end of the 16th century, which had supplied Tidore Island with sago, a vital stock of food.Leonard Anadaya (1993), p. 169–70.
Arrival of the VOC
In 1605, the Dutch of the United East India Company (VOC) took over Ambon as a part of their policy to control the lucrative trade in spices. The next step was to invade Tidore and defeat the Portuguese garrison in May in the same year. This was basically the end of the Portuguese presence in Maluku. However, the Spaniards soon retaliated; they launched a major attack on Ternate from their Philippines base in April 1606 and were assisted by the Tidorese. The enterprise was successful, the power of Ternate was curbed, and Tidore was allowed to take over certain Ternatan dependencies. This in turn alerted the VOC since Spain and the Dutch Republic were at war in Europe, and their rivalry had global implications. The VOC allied with the new Ternatan sultan and launched their own expedition in 1607 that recovered part of Ternate.Margaret Makepeace, "Middleton, Sir Henry (d. 1613)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online ed., January 2008 As a result, Ternate became heavily dependent on the Dutch, who also made incursions in Tidore over the next years and secured some coastal forts. Sultan Mole Majimu of Tidore held on to his allegiance to Spain, although some Tidorese princes leaned towards Ternate and the VOC. By this time the royal clan had split into two rivalling lineages which made for rapid throne shifts. The Spanish authorities found the sultans to be a nuisance rather than a help to the Spanish power.Hubert Jacobs (1984), Documenta Molucensia, Vol. III. Rome: Jesuit Historical Institute, p. 6.