Story of Sultan Kudarat

Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat (1581–1671) was the 7th Sultan of Maguindanao from 1619 to 1671.
During his reign, he successfully fought off Spanish invasions and hindered the spread of Roman
Catholicism in the island of Mindanao much like the other Muslim rulers of the southern Philippine
archipelago. He was a direct descendant of Shariff Kabungsuwan, a Malay-Arab Johor noble who
brought Islam to Mindanao between the 13th and 14th century. [1] The Soccsksargen province of Sultan
Kudarat is named after him, together with the Municipality of Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, where his
descendants of Datus and rulers are still the current political leaders.
Rule and sovereignty

Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat, the Corralat according to prolific Spanish historian Combes.[clarification
needed]
The word Dipatuan is Malay in origin and means "master" or "sir." The word Qudarat is
Arabic and means "power." The letters d and q and r and / are interchangeable in Moro, and
Qudarat is commonly pronounced qudlat or kurlat; hence the corrupted form "Corralat."
Sultan Kudarat overshadowed his father, Buisan, and ruled with a strong hand. He was probably
the strongest and greatest Mindanao sultan that ever lived. He fought the Spaniards well and held
their sovereignty in check for many years. His sea warriors constantly attacked Luzon and
Visayas for allowing themselves to become foot soldiers of the newly arrived Iberians, and
providing them provisions and passage. His sultanate controlled the southern seas for a long
time.[citation needed]
In 1636, General Corcuera led an expedition against him and after considerable difficulty
reduced his fort and defeated his forces. Kudarat had a large quantity of gunpowder and firearms,
and his fort was strongly fortified. The Spaniards captured 8 bronze cannons, 27 Lantaka or
culverins, and 100 muskets.
In 1645, his relations with then Imperial Spain had undergone a distinct change. He had become
more powerful, but he was naturally desirous of peace and made a treaty with the Spanish
government. This treaty was in the nature of an alliance for mutual aid and protection. It secured
better commercial facilities and gave the Jesuits the privilege of building a church in the sultan's
capital. Thirteen years later hostilities were renewed and another campaign was directed against
Simway. This time Kudarat succeeded in blocking the river at different places and successfully
checked the invasion.
Kudarat was the most famous ruler of the Maguindanaoans. He succeeded his father as Sultan of
Maguindanao in 1619 and was titled Katchil.
In 1619–1621, there was a war between him and the Rajah Buayan that was either dynastic in
character or a contest for primacy in the Pulangi. Both sides asked help from the Dutch East
Indies who decided to stay neutral but who warned them that the war was only to the advantage
of the Spanish conquistador.
In 1622, Kudarat appeared to have suffered some reverses which led him to sail to Cebu to
pillage some artillery from the Spaniards. Soon after this, he was able to hold his own against
attempts of Buayan Sultanate to solely control the lucrative Pulangi waterways.
In 1625–1626, because its Datu, an ally of Kudarat, was ousted, Kudarat attacked the island of
Sarangani, burned its capital, slew scores of his enemies, and captured many others. The people
of Sarangani were then made part of the Sultanate and tributary to him.
In 1627, Sultan Munkay Datu Maputi (Amunkaya), whose father, Rajah Buayan Silongan is the
instructor of then young Kudarat in Kampilan and Kalis martial arts. Rajah Buayan Silongan and
his brother, Datu Mangubal are the ones who led the first Mindanao defense against the
Conquistador Figueroa, thus Kudarat grew up in his experienced court inland the Buayan
Sultanate. This successor and young ruler of Buayan, recognized Kudarat as his co-equal partner
in the defense of the great length of Pulangi. The next year, the Dutch sent an ambassador to
discuss plans for a concerted effort against the Spaniards. Kudarat knew that the Dutch were
using him as a tool for their own imperialistic policies; so he put in a few conditions of his own
which the Dutch were not willing to accept. At this time, Kudarat was rightly apprehensive about
Spanish missionary activities in areas like Butuan, Caraga, and Dapitan which the Iranun feared
would be used as bases against them in the future as the usual coloniser pattern of the Spaniards
in the Visayas.
The garrisoning of the Lumad into Reducciones in Caraga caused Kudarat to act. He induced the
people there to resist with the result that it took the Spaniards more than two years to pacify the
indigenous of Caraga. The Spaniards blamed the fierceness of the resistance to the persuasion
and Kudarat's aid.
In 1634, his men called the Sulugs to join him in an attack on the Spanish Reduccion in Dapitan
and further on the Visayas where Europeans always get men to populate most of their villages.
To protect their settlements and contain the activities of the Maguindanaoans, the Spaniards, on
Jesuit advice, built a strong fort in Sambuwangan (Zamboanga) the year after. Fear of the
growing strength of Kudarat led the Spaniards to lead an expedition inland to Mindanao in 1637.
The aims were to destroy his Kota (cottas), capture or kill him, and make Catholics of the
Muslims as well as the non-Muslim Lumads in Mindanao. Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera, the
experienced Spanish governor general from the Mexico, personally led the expedition. He also
brought with his thousands of soldiers and settlers from Peru.[2]
Kudarat's capital of Lamitan (close to the present Baras) fell on March 13, 1637, and one of the
first things the Spaniards did was to burn its Mosque. Kudarat, with 2,000 of his warriors,
retreated to three cottas in the nearby heights. In spite of the determined and brave defense of the
Iranun, the cottas fell one by one. The Spaniards were able to capture treasures, signifying the
accumulation of many years. Kudarat was wounded in the defense and he was brought to the
interior of the Butig area by his warriors to recover. In a short while, he was able to raise a new
army and get the sympathy of the Samal in Zamboanga and the Iranun on Illana Bay area.
Soon, Spanish shipping, forts and garrisons began to be harassed. The Spaniards, too, were
having trouble with Buayan Sultanate's Datu Maputi attack, who, while happy about Kudarat's
former reverses, had "no intention to have the Spaniards as his new masters".
In 1639, the Spaniards invaded the lands of the Maranaos. Kudarat hurried there to have a
conference with the datus of the Lake Lanao. He explained to them the effects of submitting to
the Spaniards and appealed to Maranao pride and love of independence. In a matter of months,
the Spaniards were forced to leave hurriedly the lands of the Maranaos for safer parts towards
Zamboanga, which is Fort Pilar, and never ventured to inland Lanao again.

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Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat (1581–1671) was the 7th Sultan of Maguindanao from 1619 to 1671.

Rule and sovereignty

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