Sultan Kudarat and Mindanao's Struggle for Survival
A statue of Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat
The Spaniards first made contact with the Moro people of Mindanao in the 1540s, during the Villalobos Expedition. From that time, hostility was already evident between both sides, as expected between Christians and Muslims at the time. During the successful conquest of Luzon and Visayas, the Spaniards began to formulate plans in subdue Mindanao for the Spanish Crown.
From the time of Miguel López de Legazpi and his immediate successor Guido de Lavezaris, the Spaniards along with their Visayan allies, launched several invasions in northern Mindanao. They managed to gain some foothold, but any immediate inland expansions didn't materialize as the Spanish forces had struggled consolidating their positions due to harassment from Moro pirates. The battle for Mindanao had a brief respite in the early 1600s, as the Spanish shifted their focus on the Dutch and the Chinese pirate Limahong.
Magindanaw's rise to power began upon the crowning of Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat as sultan. A very talented and cunning person, he began to expand his territory through war and diplomacy, and by 1626 almost half of Mindanao was under his command. In 1632, Kudarat had secured an important alliance with the neighboring Sultanate of Sulu when he married one of Sultan Mawallil Wasit's daughters.
Also during Kudarat's reign, Magindanaw established trade agreements with the Dutch, particularly on the slave industry. Kudarat tried to make the Spaniards recognize his sovereignty, so he made an offer to the Spaniards allowing them to practice their religion inside Magindanaw territory.
However, peace remained elusive. In 1635, a fort was constructed in Zamboanga, in response to continued harassment by Sulu's pirates. Kudarat responded by ordering a series of raids in Visayas. War breaks out once again.
On 1637, Governor Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera led an expedition against the Moros and attacked Kota Batu, Magindanaw's capital. Kudarat led a fierce resistance of the town, but was eventually defeated and was forced to fall back. However the Spanish victory came with a price: Corcuera, who personally led the attack, was killed in action. The news sent shockwaves across the archipelago, while Kudarat used it as a powerful propaganda tool to rally the local leaders behind him, claiming that the Spanish leader's death was Allah's will.
As the Kudarat prepared for a counterattack, some Dutch (and Chinese) traders who wanted to gain the sultan's favor began to sell some firearms to Magindanaw. Kudarat still favored their swords and spears, but was convinced to try the weapons of the Europeans.
While the Tausug pirates from Sulu harassed the Spanish navy using their cannon-armed boats, Kudarat led a force of 8,000 to meet the Spaniards. The ensuing Battle of Lake Lanaw in 1638 saw the first use of firearms by the Moros, who quickly mastered them. Despite the few number of arquebuses, it was enough for the Moros as they won a hard fought victory, almost annihilating the Spanish troops.
The humiliating defeat brought the Spanish to negotiating table. In 1639, another treaty was signed between Kudarat and Spanish commander Pedro del Rio stipulating Spanish recognition of Magindanaw's sovereignty over central and south Mindanao, while in turn Kudarat swore to end the pirate raids in Visayas and recognized Spanish sovereignty over northern Mindanao and Zamboanga Peninsula. Peace was restored once again.
But Kudarat knew that the peace won't last, so he decide to modernize and strengthen his sultanate enough to resist future aggression. He instituted the first series of reforms. The sultan opened Magindanaw to all overseas trade, albeit with a few restrictions. Kudarat had also reorganized his government by creating an advisory council of elders and nobles, among others, to make it flexible. It was during his reign that the first incarnation of the Royal Magindanaw Army was born. Kudarat attempted to introduced a limited meritocratic system to his realm, avoiding to earn the ire of the local nobles. The important role of firearms in the Battle of Lanaw led to its increased popularity as a weapon, then being reproduced in large quantities replacing the old bow and arrow, which was now relegated to hunting and ceremonial use.
Sultan Kudarat won't live enough to see the fruit of most of the reforms he started. By modern standards, it wasn't enough to turn Magindanaw into a modern state. But it was enough for the sultanate to survive as a sovereign entity until the 19th century.
