Saiful Rijal (died ) was the sultan of Brunei from 1530 until 1581, the year he is alleged to have died. He was succeeded by his eldest son Shah Brunei. Its as during his reign, when the

Castilian War The Castilian War, also called the Spanish Expedition to Borneo, was a conflict between the Spanish Empire and several Muslim states in Southeast Asia, including the Sultanates of Brunei, Sulu, and Maguindanao. It is also considered as part of ...

occurred between the empires of the

Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. In addition to the Philippines, he was also renowned for spreading Islamic teachings throughout Borneo. According to folk tales about his

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

being located on King's Island (''Pulau Raja'') in Jerudong. The sultan was also known as Sultan Lixar, and Sultan Nula Alan by the Spaniards.

Reign

Ascension

Pengiran Muda Saiful Rijal was the eldest son of Sultan Abdul Kahar, therefore making him the successor to the throne after his father's abdication in 1530. A significant statement from the Boxer Codex, likely written by a Tagalog merchant who lived in Brunei, describes Saiful Rijal as a cheerful and stout man, noting that he was fifty-eight years old in 1589. This suggests that Saiful Rijal was born in 1531. Given the timeline, a direct father-to-son succession between 1514/15 and 1531 is genetically implausible. Therefore, if these dates are accurate and considering the four sultans from Sharif Ali to Abdul Kahar, it indicates that there must have been a succession of brothers at some point in the royal lineage. There is no information of when Saiful Rijal began to govern, but he was co- regnant with his father, Abdul Kahar, in 1578.

Castilian War

Exchanges between the Bornean port cities and the

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance-speaking ethnic group native to the Iberian Peninsula, primarily associated with the modern nation-state of Spain. Genetically and ethnolinguistically, Spaniards belong to the broader Southern a ...

who had taken control of the Philippine islands by seizing

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

in 1571 and

Cebu Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...

in 1565. Manila charged Brunei of conducting Muslim

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

activities in the Philippines because of the Spaniards' zealous proselytising efforts to convert the entire archipelago to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. In a letter dated 13 April 1578, to Brunei's Sultan Saiful Rijal, the Spanish Governor of the Philippines, Francisco de Sande, made the following accusation and gave the following order. Brunei disregarded the order as well as the accusations. In revenge, the Spaniards attacked and took control of Brunei in the same month in 1578. Additionally with the assistance of two defectors, Pengiran Seri Lela and Pengiran Seri Ratna. When the Spaniards captured the capital, he chose to move the country's capital to Saragua, further emphasizing the importance of

Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...

. He also had to retreat to Piragong, in Ulu Sungai Brunei to strengthen the Brunei army. Moreover, to demonstrates the significant impact Brunei had on the nearby areas at the time, the Sultan ordered the reconstruction of their capital city when the Spaniards left Brunei probably in late July 1578.

Death

Sultan Saiful Rijal reportedly became ill near Bintala, but he later reportedly recovered and went back to Brunei. He resided in Istana Mazagong in Sungai Kedayan, where he allegedly died. He is buried at Kianggeh Muslim Cemetery.

Personal life

Sultan Saiful Rijal had the following issue: * Sultan Shah Brunei, 8th Sultan of Brunei * Sultan Muhammad Hasan, 9th Sultan of Brunei * Pengiran Anak Kasim * Raja Bonda (Puteri Lamturak), consort to Sultan Abdul Ghafur Muhiuddin Shah

Legacy

* IBTE Sultan Saiful Rijal Campus, school in

Bandar Seri Begawan Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) is the capital and largest city of Brunei. It is officially a Municipalities of Brunei, municipal area () with an area of and an estimated population of 100,700 as of 2007. It is part of Brunei–Muara District, the s ...

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rijal, Saiful 1581 deaths 16th-century sultans of Brunei Year of birth unknown