User:Mhatopzz/Military history of Ternate Sultanate

The Sultanate of Ternate once maintained a considerable naval force in Maluku, which actively operated in the region. Dominating much of the eastern portion of the East Indies in the 16th to 17th century, Ternate became a regional power at the time, controlling the spice trade and launching naval expeditions to assist neighboring kingdoms fighting against the colonial power such as Spain and the Portuguese.

The success of the Ternateans under Sultan Baabullah in expelling Portugal in 1575, was the first indigenous victory of an archipelagic polity over western powers. The 20th-century writer Buya Hamka praised the victory of the Ternate people as it delayed the western occupation of the archipelago for 100 years while at the same time strengthening the position of Islam.