I
Born to a poor family in the city Raoping of Chaozhou, Limahong had an early start in criminal activity and progressed to piracy, becoming leader of around 2000 pirates. His activities and attacks on ports and ships throughout southern China increased and a warrant was issued by the authorities to capture him alive and send him to the city of Tay Bin. He was married to Nataracy.
He shifted his activities to piracy on the high seas and out of reach of China's power. He was able to accumulate up to 40 ships, whereupon he once again raided cities and ports in southern China. Limahong attacked a city occupied byLin Daoqian , another Chinese pirate, but Lin Daoqian was able to escape along with 5 of Limahong's ships, Lin Daoqian would defeat Limahong, imprisoning him.
Meanwhile in the North the ruler of Sapa and Kaboloan would be yet to contact the Spanish in his core areas which are Karaklan and Bukid, the Isinay, Irraya, Gaddang and the Pangasinense.
During the reign of Sultan Saiful Rijal when the Castilian War broke out. He faced two main problems which was that the Spanish wanted to spread Christianity and invade the Philippines.
From their ports in Mexico, the Spanish sent several expeditions to the Philippines and in 1565 under Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, settled in Cebu. For a time Cebu became the capital of the archipelago and the main trading post. It was also the first city for spreading Christianity in the islands. Because of this, Spain's aspirations came to clash with those of Brunei. Between 1485 and 1521, the Sultanate of Brunei led by Sultan Bolkiah had established the state of Kota Saludong(Otherwise known as the Kingdom of Maynila) as a Bruneian puppet state. Islam was further strengthened by the arrival to the Philippines of traders and proselytisers from present-day Malaysia and Indonesia. The multiple states that existed in the Philippines simplified Spanish colonisation. In 1571 Spanish Miguel Lopez de Legazpi attacked and Christianized Islamic Manila, which was made the capital of the Philippine Islands, also becoming a hub for trade and evangelisation. The Visayans, (people from the Kedatuan of Madja-as and Rajahnate of Cebu) which before the Spanish came, had waged war against the Sultanate of Sulu and the Kingdom of Maynila, now became allies of the Spaniards against the Sultanate of Brunei. The time the Castilian War broke out was a time of religious fervor in Europe and many parts of the world, when a single state religion was followed. In Spain, the state religion was Roman Catholicism obliging followers of other faiths such as Jews and Muslims to convert to this religion. The Spanish had recently finished a 700-year-old war to reconquer and re-Christianize Spain, which had been invaded by the Muslims under the Umayyad Caliphate since the 8th century AD. The long process of reconquest, sometimes through treaties, mostly through war, is known as the Reconquista. The hatred of Spaniards against the Muslims that once invaded Spain fuelled the Castilian War. This war also started the Spanish–Moro Wars in the Philippines against the Sultanate of Sulu and Sultanate of Maguindanao.
In 1576, the Spanish Governor in Manila, had arrived from Mexico and he was Francisco de Sande. He sent an official mission to neighboring Brunei to meet Sultan Saiful Rijal. He explained to the Sultan that they wanted to have good relations with Brunei and also asked for permission to spread Christianity in Brunei (Roman Catholicism in Brunei was a legacy brought by Spaniards). At the same time, he demanded an end to Brunei proselytism of Islam in the Philippines. Sultan Saiful Rijal would not agree to these terms and also expressed his opposition to the evangelisation of the Philippines, which he deemed part of Dar al-Islam. In reality, De Sande regarded Brunei as a threat to the Spanish presence in the region, claiming that "the Moros from Borneo preach the doctrine of Mahoma, converting all the Moros of the islands".
Meanwhile the muslims of Northern half of Saludong would expel the christians missionaries in the towns in Pampanga and Cagayan a move supported by the pagan and hindu people in the North and supported by the ruler of Sapa and Kaboloan and the rest of the Majapahit faction which rules the north.
Spain declared war in 1578, attacking and capturing Brunei's capital at the time, Kota Batu. This was achieved as a result in part of the assistance rendered to them by two noblemen, Pengiran Seri Lela and Pengiran Seri Ratna. The former had travelled to Manila to offer Brunei as a tributary of Spain for help to recover the throne usurped by his brother, Saiful Rijal. The Spanish agreed that if they succeeded in conquering Brunei, Pengiran Seri Lela would indeed become the Sultan, while Pengiran Seri Ratna would be the new Bendahara. In March 1578, the Spanish fleet, led by De Sande himself, acting as Capitán General, started their journey towards Brunei. The expedition consisted of 400 Spaniards, 1,500 Filipino natives and 300 Borneans. The campaign was one of many, which also included action in Mindanao and Sulu.
The Spanish succeeded in invading the capital on 16 April 1578, with the help of Pengiran Seri Lela and Pengiran Seri Ratna. The Sultan Saiful Rijal and Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Abdul Kahar were forced to flee to Meragang then to Jerudong. In Jerudong, they made plans to chase the conquering army away from Brunei. The Spanish suffered heavy losses due to a cholera or dysentery outbreak. They were so weakened by the illness that they decided to abandon Brunei to return to Manila on 26 June 1578, after just 72 days. Before doing so, they burned the mosque, a high structure with a five-tier roof.
Pengiran Seri Lela died in August–September 1578, probably from the same illness that had afflicted his Spanish allies, although there was suspicion he could have been poisoned by the ruling Sultan. Seri Lela's daughter, a princess of Brunei, left with the Spanish and went on to marry a Christian Tagalog, named Agustin de Legazpi of Tondo and they had children in the Philippines.
The local Brunei accounts differ greatly from the generally accepted view of events. The Castilian War entering the national conscience as a heroic episode, with the Spaniards being driven out by Bendahara Sakam, supposedly a brother of the ruling Sultan, and a thousand native warriors.
The mastermind of the plot was Don Agustin de Legazpi; the mestizo grandson of conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi, nephew of Lakan Dula, a relative of Rajah Matanda. Being a Moro, he was the son-in-law of Sultan Bolkieh of Brunei, whose first cousin was Martin Panga, the gobernadorcillo of Tondo.
Besides the two, the other leaders were Magat Salamat, son of Lakan Dula and the crown prince of Tondo; Juan Banal, another prince of Tondo and Salamat's brother-in-law; Geronimo Basi and Gabriel Tuambacar, brothers of Agustin de Legazpi; Pedro Balingit, the Lord of Pandakan; Felipe Salonga, the Lord of Polo; Dionisio Capolo (Kapulong), the Lord of Kandaba and brother of Felipe Salonga; Juan Basi, the Lord of Tagig; Esteban Taes (also Tasi), the Lord of Bulakan; Felipe Salalila, the Lord of Misil; Agustin Manuguit, son of Felipe Salalila; Luis Amanicaloa, another prince of Tondo; Felipe Amarlangagui, the commander-and-chief of Katanghalan; Omaghicon, the Minister of Nabotas, and Pitongatan (Pitong Gatang), another prince of Tondo and two governors from Malolos and Guiguinto.
The cause of conspiracy was the continuous injustice committed by the Spanish Encomenderos against the people of the Sultanate and their lack of respect to treaty obligations with the local aristocracy, which reserved them the right to still exercise nominal suzerainty over their vanquished kingdom, being vassal kings of the King of Spain but still, the Generals of Conquistador Legaspi refused to listen. This eventually forced the surviving Maginoo (royalty) to secretly plot the colonizers overthrow.
II
The mestizo, Augustin de Legazpi and a group of conspiring Rajahs had contacted the Japanese captain, Juan Gayo, through a Japanese Christian interpreter, Dionisio Fernandez, who had also joined the conspiracy. A secret meeting ended with an agreement in which Gayo would supply arms and warriors to help in the rebellion and recognize De Legazpi as king of the entire Philippines. In return, Gayo and his men would receive half of the tribute to be collected from the Philippines. A significant group of merchants known only as the "Sakai Merchants", with their leader Luzon Sukezaemon, had also been known to conspirate with the royal families against Spanish rule.
Apart from the Japanese, there were other secret arrangements that needed to be accomplished before the final plan of the uprising could be completed. First, a secret delegation would travel to Borneo to secure troops and ships from the Sultan of Brunei. Second, there was the need to obtain the support and participation of the Datus of La Laguna and Kumintang in the struggle for freedom. Once a full commitment was received from Brunei, Komintang and Laguna, the armed rebellion would begin upon the arrival in Manila Bay of the Sultan of Brunei's warships with warriors on board. The conspirators and their armed warriors would then launch a ferocious attack to completely annihilate the Spaniards and then set the city on fire.
The party of Magat Salamat would pass via Manila Bay, the sea of Saludong and Champa to go to Brunei, the Bruneian troops would pass via Champa and Saludong, the Bruneian troops would go to Bulacan, Laguna and Kumintang to fight against the Spanish.
The conspirators and their armed warriors along with the Bruneian troops launched a ferocious attack to completely annihilate the Spaniards and then set the city of Spanish Manila on fire.
The Spanish were humiliated in their loss of Luzon or Saludong completely, this loss of their empire is a humiliation on their part, however the rebel.
Factions
Sapa-Kaboloan/Majapahit Loyalists/Majapahit Remnants
Agustin
Spanish loyalists