User:Mhatopzz/Sultanate of Ternate

The Sultanate of Ternate (Jawi alphabet: كسلطانن ترنتاي), was a Muslim dynasty from Ternate that ruled Maluku from 1486 to 1915 and one of the oldest sultanates in Indonesia. The Sultanate was founded by Zainal Abidin, a former Ternatean Kolano (ruler) who converted to Islam and claimed the title of Sultan. During Bayan Sirrullah reign, Ternate made its first contact with the Europeans, particularly the Portuguese in 1512, it quickly gained attractions in the 16th to the 17th century as it was an important spice trading site, and many Europeans including the Spanish, the English, and the Dutch came to trade. Ternate once went into conflict with the Portuguese as their presence was weakened during the Ternatean–Portuguese wars. It reached its Golden Age during the reign of Sultan Baabullah (1570–1583) after defeating the Portuguese and expanded to the eastern part of Indonesia.

Ternate and other places in North Maluku are one of the few places to be influenced by the Islamic culture in the Malay archipelago, making Muslim kingdoms able to emerge and thrive in the region. Ternate became a significant trading point from the 15th to the 18th century, it was a major producer of cloves, attracting merchants from around the world, including Europe, particularly from the Iberian Peninsula, and later the Netherlands. Much of the information about this empire was recorded during the period of European contact from 1511 onwards, although some traditional chronicles like Hikayat Tanah Hitu and Hikayat Bacan had recorded earlier history about Ternate prior to the 16th century.

Legacy
The eastern Indonesian archipelago empire led by Ternate had indeed fallen apart since the middle of the 17th century but the influence of Ternate as a kingdom with a long history continued to be felt until centuries later. Ternate has a very large share in the eastern archipelago culture, especially Sulawesi (north and east coast) and Maluku. These influences include religion, customs and language.

As the first kingdom to embrace Islam, Ternate had a large role in the efforts to convert and introduce Islamic Sharia in the eastern part of the archipelago and the southern part of the Philippines. The form of the organization of the empire and the application of Islamic law which was first introduced by Sultan Zainal Abidin and later implemented by his successors in the 16th century, became the standard followed by all the kingdoms in Maluku without significant changes.

The success of the Ternate people 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. If Ternate had not halted European political and missionary efforts, the eastern part of Indonesia might have become a Christian center like the Philippines.

The position of Ternate as an influential kingdom also helped raise the degree of Ternate Language as the language of association in various regions which were under its influence. Prof. E.K.W. Masinambow, in his text "Ternate Language in the context of Austronesian and Non-Austronesian languages", suggested that Ternate had the greatest impact on the Malay language used by the people of eastern Indonesia. 46% of Malay vocabulary in Manado is taken from Ternate. Ternate Malay or North Moluccan Malay language is now widely used in Eastern Indonesia, especially in North Sulawesi, the east coast of Central and South Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua with different dialects.

Two original letters by Sultan Abu Hayat II to the King of Portugal, the first written between 27 April and 8 November 1521 and the second in early 1522, are recognized as the oldest Malay manuscripts in the world after the Tanjung Tanah manuscripts. Abu Hayat's letters are currently stored in the Museum of Lisbon, Portugal.