Rajah Sulayman

From Freepedia

Rajah Sulayman (Suliman in Arabic) was a native muslim king, who ruled with Rajah Matanda a large population of Tagalogs on the southern part of the Pasig River and the city of Manila, during the 16th century.

Sulayman welcomed the Spanish conquistadors, Martín de Goiti and Juan de Salcedo soon after they arrived. He befriended and offered them spices and women as gifts. But as the weeks past on, the Spaniards began to abuse him and he soon realized that they were not there just to visit the Islands, but to take control and steal the rich resources of his land. He opposed the Spanish settlements and led a coup to throw the Spaniards out of the city.

On the morning of May 24, 1570, The Battle of Bangkusay, a district of present day Tondo, took place between thousands of native warriors against 300 Spanish soldiers. Defenceless against steel, the Spaniards quickly defeated Sulayman, Lakandula and Matanda's armies and burned the city to the ground.

The 3 kings, were captured and held as a prisoners by Martín de Goiti. Sulayman's surviving troops along with Rajah Lakandula and Matanda's deflated warriors, retreated to the jungles of Manila and later organized a rebellion were they laid numerous seiges on the Spanish settlement for several months. The Spaniards eventually drove them out and on June 24, 1571 after many months of fighting, the natives surrendered soon after the Spanish General, Miguel López de Legazpi arrived.

Sulayman with two other surviving rulers, made a peace pact with Legazpi, which both agreed and handed over his land to the Spaniards. He converted to Catholicism, retained his royal title and was allowed to rule as a puppet ruler of the conquistadors.