It happened in 1662 (14 Rabiul Akhir, 1072 A.H.
), According to a Brunei selesilah or history
occurred an event with significant political
implications for Brunei and Sulu. Dahil ito sa
matinding sama ng loob(grudge) sa pagkamatay ng
anak ni Bendahara Abdul Mubin which is killed by
son of Sultan Muhammad Ali (twelfth Brunei
Sultan). So, pumunta si Bendahara Abdul Mubin
together with his followers sa Sultan’s palace and
killed the sultan after voicing their complaints but
not believing that justice would be served. Si
Bendahara Abdul Mubin ay pamangking ni Sultan
Muhammad Ali as well apo ng Sultan Hasan (the
ninth Brunei Sultan). Dahil sa pagkamtay ng pang
labing dalawang Sultan, Bedahara Abdul Mubin
was able to have himself as Sultan. The new Sultan
then nominitaed his cousin (who is also grandson of
Sultan Hasan) Pangiran Bongsu as Bendahara
(Bendahara, is the chief minister, second to Sultan
in rank, power, and authority). After a few years,
some elders of Kadeians, a tribe near Brunei, and
other unsatisfied Sultan subjects, encouraged
Bendahara Pangiran Bongsu to be Sultan. So, the
Bendahara raised the standard of revolt and
assumed the tilte of Sultan Muaddin (or Muhyidden,
on other versions). Tinawag na “usurper” (means
mang-aagaw) Si Sultan Abdul Mubbin for killing
the Sultan Muhammad Ali. Sultan. Sultan Abdul
Mubin strategically plan and fortified or strengthen
himself in Pulao Chermin. Pulao Chermin is an
island located near the mouth of the river in Brunei.
At the same time, the base of Sultan Muaddin where
in Brunei. Which made result of having 2 rajahs.
Nagkaroon ng conflict ang dalawang rajahs and the
conflict is said to have lasted ten years. So, the
commercial activities had ceased, and the economic
situation had deteriorated. Sultan Muaddin
dispatched an envoy to the Sulu Sultan, requesting
his assistance and promising him the Brunei
territories in North Borneo as a grateful
compensation or reward.
version:
Because of having two rajahs, which is one in the
island and one in Bruni the people of the territories
to the west supported the Sultan of Bruni, while the
provinces to the north supported the Island Rajah.
After the war lasted for a while, conflict arose
among the people of Bruni, who insisted on peace,
and peace was eventually established.
After they recovered from the war, they went to
battle again, so the people in Island were devastated
which led them to flead to Kinarut, ngunit
sinunadan sila ng mga Brunians at doon itinuloy
ang laban. Kalaunay umurong sa laban ang Bruni
kaya’t pansamantalang natigil ang laban.
Bumalik si Sultan Abdul Mubin sa Pulao Chermin
at muling sinimulan ang laban di nagtagal
nakaranas ng taggutom ang Bruni dahil lahat ng
pangangalakal na dumaraan sa ilog ay pinipigilan
ng mga tao sa Isla. Kaya’t nagpadala ng sulat si
Sultan Muaddin sa Batara ng Soolook, kung saan
humuhingi ng tulong. So pinuntahan ng Batara ng
Soolook si Sultan Abdul Mubin sa Isla at kinausap
sa pagpunta ng Batara ng Soolook sa Isla may
kasama itong limang barko. Walang kaalam-alam
ang Sultan na susuportahan pala nito ang Sultan
Muaddin. Pagkagaling sa Isla, kay Sultan Muaddin
nanamn siya pumunta.After having feasted and
drank, humingi ng tulong ang Sultan Muaddin sa
pagpaslang sa kanyang mga kalaban sa Isla kay
Batara ng Soolook. Piningako niya na kapag natalo
ang Isla, sng lupa mula sa North to Kinami ay
magiging kaniya. Pagkatangggap ng Batara ng
Soolook sa alok ng Sultan Muaddin naghanda ang
mga tao sa Bruni sa pagatake nila sa Isla. At
pumuwesto sa Bukit Chindana and Didaliton at ang
mga Soolook naman they took the possession of the
Island of Kayang Arang and continue the conflict.
Dahil rito, naging maliit ang Chansa ni Sultan
Muaddin manalo sa laban. They smashed all royal
emblems, including the Johor crown and the
Chinese Kamanah, and rammed them into a cannon,
which they blasted out to the sea, and so the Johor
crown was lost.
Pangiran Kawat was the one who killed Sultan
Abdul Abdul Mubin togother with his people and
women. Sultan Abdul Mubin was garroted in
mosque. Half of the Rajas in the island asked to
surrender as captives and became prisoners, and
those who remain at the present time are called Raja
Raja Pulao.
Bumalik si Sultan Muaddin dala ang lahat ng mga
bihag sa isla, at ang Batara ng Soolook ay bumalik
narin sa Soolook dala ang mga mga bihag at
plunder (kinuha na gamit sa isla) kasama na rito ang
baril na nasa isla, at iba pang kagamitan; maging
ang mga Royal Guns, na dinala sa isla ay ibinigay
sa Batara ng Soolook.
So that’s the first version which made by
Hugh Low, the important part here to remember is,
ang mga Sulus ay may malaking bahagi sa civil war
at ang artillery na dinala nila Sulu ay bigay sakanila,
mpresumably as part of compensation for their
martial efforts.
Ang pangalawang version naman nag appeared
noong 1957, this version gives additional details,
though reduces the role of the Sulu Sultan in
helping the Sultan Muaddin in defeating Sultan
Abdul Mubin. This version based on the selisilah
owned by the Brunei Sultan which Hugh Low was
not allowed to see while in Brunei.
According to the second version, Sultan Muaddin
sent an envoy to the Sulu Sultan, at ipinangako niya
sa sakanya na kapag natalo nila ang Sultan Abdul
Mubin sa Pulao Chermin ibibigay niya ang Sabah sa
Sulu bilang kabayaran.Tinggap naman ito ng Sulu
ng Sultan, which is according to this version the
Sulu Sultan had long desire to the land.
The version went on saying that the Brunei did all
the fight with the Sulus were just merely watching.
Sabi rin sa version na ito na dumating lang ang mga
Sulus ng itaas ni Sultan Abdul Mubin ang flag na
nagsasabing sumko ito. Pinayagan ni Sultan
Muaddin ang Sulu Sultan na kunin ang kanilang
gusting kunin, kaya ang mga Sulu ay nagnakaw ng
mga ari-arian at kumuha ng mga bihag kasama na
ang concubine ng Sultan Abdul Mubbin. But Sulu
Versions claimed that the Sulus did all the fighting,
with Bruneis and the Rajah of Brunei were just
standing by.
(may makakapag sabi ba kung ano ang pinagkaiba
ng dalawang version?)
Kung napansin niyo ang pinagkaiba ng dalawang
version, magkaiba ang kanilang pananaw kung saan
sa pangalawang version sinabi ng walang ginawang
pakikipaglaban ang Suluss at ang artillery na
kanilang dinala sa Sulu ay hindi bigay kundi kanila
lamang itong inangkin.
(may I ask again, kung kayo alin ang mas
pinaniniwalaan ninyo?)
Kasi ang pangalawang version ay hindi convincing,
because in the first place, he failed to win in the
civil war with his own resources. And also bakit pa
siya hihingi ng tulong sa Sulu. In general, alam ng
karamihan na ang Sulu, ay hindi tumakas sa isang
labanan, sa halip ay handa panga sila sa labanang
mangyayari sa Brunei.
So, Hindi katulad unang version na malinaw at
inamin na ang Sulu ay may mahalagang papel sa
laban.
But both versions agreed in the part where the Sulu
Sultan was invited by the Brunei Rajah and offered
Sabah in return for the requested help that is given.
In general Sulu oral traditions agree on this also. So
this highlight the Sulu warriors duty and fighting
abilities.
On the said reported, which the two brothers,
Nkhoda Sangkalang and Nakhoda Anggi who led
600 soldiers into the conflict and asserted the two to
have been mantris. The Sulu versions did not agree
on the number of warriors that participated in the
battle. In some cases, the figure had been
exaggerated possibly to emphasize the epic and
heroic character of the whole affair.
So that is why, it is understandable why the first of
these Brunei versions would try to minimize the
fighting role of the Sulu warriors and why the
second version should deny it entirely. Hindi lang
ito dahil sa kung sino ang makakakuha ng credit for
the victory but the Brunei pride were involved in
reporting the incident.
According to the obesrvations of Hugh Low that are
revealing:
Ayon sa Soolook legend(tradition), both sides ay
humingi ng tulong sa Soolook fleet, and the
Commander sided with the Bruni Sultan, dahil sa
inalok nitong bansa na pagmamay ari ng kanyang
kaaway, at malapit rin ito sa Soolook. Ayon
sakanila Soolooks did all the fighting and Bruni just
merely looking at them. But the Present Yang Di
Pertuan and the Selisilah of the Pangiran Kasuma
deny all the assistance of Soolooks, sinasabing hindi
sila nakarating hanggang sa makuha ang isla, at
ninakaw nila ang royal guns Si Membung at Raja
Andrei, na sinasabi ng Soolooks na bigay ito
sakanila tanda ng kasunduan. Ang mga baril na ito
ay kinuha ng mga Kastila mula sa mga Soolook
kaya’t kinuha ng mga Soolooks and Orang Kaya
Malik, he may not be noble, but he was a person of
great consideration on the side of Island. The
present Yang never let Hugh Low see the copy of
the Selisilah, so, Pangiran Kasuma heard that he
obtained the authentic copy and said that it
contained the true version, that which is presently
used to mask the Bruneians disgrace.
According to Alexander Dalrymple, na nasa Sulu
noong 1761 and 1764 and who had travelled in
Borneo, na ang teritoryo ng Sabah ay ipinisa sa mga
kamay ng Sulu bilang kabayaran sa role nito sa civil
war.
Sooloo was independent sovereignty as early as the
beginning of the sixteenth century, its dominion was
not as wide as stated above. Palawan, the
NorthWest and North parts of Borneo and the
neighboring islands were acquired from the King of
Borneo in the Beginning of the present century as
payment for Sooloo assistance in a civil war in the
kingdom of Borneo. Around 1704, the Sultan of
Borneo ceded(give up) the north parts of Borneo
from Keemannees northward, along with the
Palawan Isalands, Banguey, Balambagan and other
places to the Sooloos.
According to all evidence, following Brunei's civil
war, neither Sultan Muaddin nor his successors
opposed or questioned that Sabah then belonged to
Sulu. According to Hugh Low: Mr. Jesse, who was
resident in Bruni for the East India Company in
1774, and Sir Stamford Raffles, who was familiar
with the history of the Malay States, (see p. 268,
Vol. I, third para.) appear to have regarded the
cession to the Soolooks as unquestionable by the
Brunians at the time the same countries were given
over to the English by these latter people."
PICTURES!
The relevant section of Raffles’ paper that Hugh
Low refers to is as follows:
The sovereignty of which has been long claimed by
the Sulu government ay matatagpuan sa North-east
ng Borneo proper, so, this territory together with
islands off the coast, where ceded to the English by
the Sulus for upwards of forty years, while the
government of Borneo proper had no objection to
this. This ceded district, exteding from the river of
Kimanis on the northwest, which forms the
boundary of Borneo proper, to the great bay on the
northeast.

The ceded territories of North Borneo to Sulu were
unquestioned the time that Sulu took over it. This is
because Bruneis’ political and economic power was
slowly deteriorating sa kalagnitnaan ng seventeenth
century.
Regarding Brunei’s commercial downturn, it is also
thought owing to the Dutch monopoly, which
prohibited time-honored Bruneian trading
operations, many members of the Brunei dynasty
began to raise tribute on the up-country tribes in
Brunei in order to replenish their coffers. The
situation deteriorated to the point where unrest
among the Chinese settlers and the up-country
people was thought to have contributed to the
existence of two Rajahs and the ensuing civil war.
Furthermore, after the cession, the Sulus were
forced to subjugate some of the coastal peoples and
put some of their datus there in control. Again,
around 1769, the Sulus under the leadership of royal
datus had to wage war on the Orang Tedong
(Tiruns) of Kuran and Berow (Buru) and force them
to pay tribute." The point here is that after the
cession, it was necessary for the Sulus to
demonstrate that they had the effective power to
keep the territory tributary to them. Before the
cession the Brunei send occasional expeditions to
gather tribute from some of the people int the
territory.
Take note the Selisilah version reported by Hugh
Low claimed that “the land from the North as far
westward as Kimani should belong to Soolook”
This implies that not all of the regions in Borneo
under Sulu authority were necessarily similar or
confined to the cession from Brunei. British visitors
to Sulu and Borneo in the second half of the
eighteenth century and the early part of the
nineteenth century assumed that the Sulu sultan's
domains on the island of Borneo included all of the
coastal areas from the Kimanis River to the present
Doemaring (called "Dumaring" by Dalrymple) or
even up to the Tapedurian river close to what is now
called Tanjong Mangkalihat, a cape where the
Straits of Makassar meets the Celebes Sea.
Furthermore, the Sulu sultans claimed to have
formerly held sovereignty all the way up to
Balikpapan, which is much farther south than
Tanjong Mangkalihat.
Dalrymple split Borneo's Sulu dominions into four
parts: Tirun, Mangidara, Malludu, and Kinneballu
(or Pappal). The first extended from Tapedurian
River to Cape Unsong, the second from Unsong to
the vicinity of Lubuk Bay, and the third from
Tanjong Sampanmangio. The fourth runs from this
point to the Kimanis River, which lies a few miles
east of Brunei city."
According to some modern academics, the
cession of Sabah to Sulu occurred in 1704 and
Darymple wrote that the cession occurred
“around the year 1704”. The authors of the
Sejarah Berunai wrote that Brunei's civil war
ended in 1672. But, once again, this date is only
an estimate, although it may be close to the real
day.