List of sultans of Sulu
This is a list of sultans and later claimants of the former Sulu sultanate. The Royal House of Sulu is a royal house of the Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines. Historically the head of the Sultanate of Sulu, the position of sultan today carries with it no political powers or privileges and is mostly a cultural figure.
There are currently several claimants to the sultanship after the death of the last recognized sultan, Mohammed Mahakuttah A. Kiram.
Pre-sultanate kings
Sulu was divided into three kingdoms before the sultanate arose.| King | Details | |
| 1 | East King Paduka Pahala ?–1417 | |
| 1 | Cave King Paduka Patulapok ?– | |
| 1 | West King Maharaja Kamalud Din ?– |
The descendants of Paduka Pahala, through his two sons, live in Dezhou in China have the surnames An and Wen.
Sharif ul-Hāshim of Sulu arrived in Sulu and married the princess Dayang-dayang Paramisuli of the previous royal family, founding the Sulu sultanate.
List of sultans
List of sultans from 1405 to 1936
The following list details the holders of the title of sultan between 1405 and 1936.| Sultan | Details | |
| 1 | Sultan Sharif ul-Hashim 1405–?? | The founder of the Sulu sultanate, whose proper name was Sayyid walShareef Abu Bakr ibn Abirin AlHashmi. He founded The Royal Sultanate of Sulu in 1457 and renamed himself Paduka Mahasari Maulana al-Sultan Sharif ul-Hashim, which roughly translates from Arabic as "The Master His Majesty, Protector and Sultan, Noble of the Banu Hashim Clan". The Sultan is reported to have lived about thirty years in Buansa, the first seat of the sultanate, and his tomb is located in one of the slopes of nearby Mount Tumantangis. |
| 2 | Sultan Kamalud-Din 1480–1505 | The son of Sharif ul-Hashim, whom he succeeded as sultan. |
| 3 | Sultan Alaud-Din ? | Sulu genealogy suggests that he was a brother of Kamalud-Din, a son of Sultan Shariful-Hashim, but believed not to be proclaimed the "Sultan of Sulu". |
| 4 | Sultan Amirul-Umara 1505–1527 | His title is believed to be the Arabic translation of Maharajah-di-rajah, found as the fourth sultan in some tarsilas. Some Sulu genealogies do not mention him. Believed to be the Sultan Bolkiah. |
| 5 | Sultan Muizzul-Mutawadi-in 1527–1548 | He is the Maharajah Upo of Sharif ul-Hashim. Some genealogies states that he succeeded to the sultanate upon the death of Kamalud-Din. |
| 6 | Sultan Nasirud-Din I 1548–1568 | The son of Sultan Muizz ul-Mutawadi-in. His surname was Digunung or Habud, suggesting that he grew up in, or ruled from, the interior of Sulu. |
| 7 | Sultan Muhammad ul-Halim 1568–1596 | The son of Sultan Nasirud-Din I. His other name was Pangiran Buddiman, which was the name by which he was probably known. |
| 8 | Sultan Batarah Shah Tengah 1596–1608 | The son of Sultan Muhammad ul-Halim. "Batarah" was a title used by Sulu rulers as early as the beginning of the fifteenth century, and Brunei annals always referred to Sulu rulers by this term. Died without heir. |
| 9 | Sultan Muwallil Wasit I 1610–1650 | The nephew of Sultan Batara Shah Tengah. He was known to Spaniards as Raja Bongsu; his royal bloodline is that of Brunei. One of his daughters married Sultan Qudarat of Maguindanao, while another daughter married Balatamay, the ruler of Buayan in 1657. Around 1650, his son Bachtiar took over the sultanate. Moved Sulu Royal court to Dungun, Tawi-Tawi after the Capture of Jolo by the Spaniards in 1638. |
| 10 | Sultan Nasir ud-Din II 1645–1648 | Either Sultan Muwallil Wasit's son who ruled following his father's defeat at the hands of the Spaniards at Jolo, or believed to be the Sultan Qudarat who became sultan by virtue of his marriage to the previous sultan's Daughter, after which the throne reverted to Wasit once again, after a certain Sarikula died in 1648. |
| 11 | Sultan Salahud-Din Bakhtiar 1649/50–1680 | Known to Spanish authorities as Pangiran Bactial and to Dutch officials as Pangiran Batticale. After his death, he was called Marhum Karamat. Due to his father's old age, as well as the number of his father's followers, he did not become sultan until around 1650, if not a year earlier. He installed the "3 Temporary Sultans of Sulu" to sit on the Sulu throne from 1680–1685 due to the very young age of his son. |
| 12 | Sultan Ali Shah | Not mentioned in the Sulu genealogy but produced an heir in Shahabud-Din. His reign was short and peaceful. |
| 13 | Sultan Nur ul-Azam | Daughter of Sultan Nasirud-Din II, who was also known as Pangyan Ampay or Sitti Kabil, and ruled for four or five years. |
| 14 | Sultan Al Haqunu Ibn Wali ul-Ahad | The name "Ibn Wali ul-Ahad" is Arabic for "son of the rajah muda". Is speculated to be the son of Sarikula and helped govern with his cousin Sultan Salah ud-Din. |
| 15 | Sultan Shahabud-Din 1685–1710 | The son of Salah ud-Din. It was he who killed Sultan Kahar ud-Din Kuda of Maguindanao in 1702 and "ceded" Palawan to the Spanish government in 1705. |
| 16 | Sultan Mustafa Shafi ud-Din 1710–1718 | The younger brother of Shahab ud-Din he was also known as Juhan Pahalawan. He abdicated the throne in favour of his younger brother Badar ud-Din to avoid future dynastic troubles. |
| 17 | Sultan Badarud-Din I 1718–1732 | The younger brother of the two previous sultans, he was known to different Spanish authors as "Bigotillos" or "Barbillas", or as "el Rey Viejo de Tawi-Tawi". His mother is a Tirun lady from the northeast coast of Borneo. In 1732, a nephew contested his rule which led to his retirement to Tawi-Tawi where he was then known as Sultan Dungun. He died around 1740 in Dungun during the reign of his son Azimud-Din I. |
| 18 | Sultan Nasarud-Din 1732–1735 | He was either a son or grandson of Shahab ud-Din and was known to the Spaniards as Datu Sabdula. In 1731, he challenged the rule of Badar ud-Din, forcing the latter to take leave and retire in 1732. The intrigues of Badar ud-Din led to the proclamation of Azim ud-Din as sultan in 1735. After a series of desultory skirmishes between the factions of Nasar ud-Din and Azim ud-Din, the former left for Maimbung where he generally remained till he died around 1735. He was also referred to as Dipatuan. |
| 19 | Sultan Alimud-Din I 1735–1748 1764–1773 | Son of Badarud-Din. His royal families were then known as "The Sulu Sultanate First Heir-Apparents Families". His father proclaimed him ruler in Tawi-Tawi in 1735. In 1736, after a few intrigues had paved the way, a number of Datus asked Alimud-Din to transfer his court from Dungun to Bauang. But a political struggle in 1748 forced him to leave Jolo for Basilan and then Zamboanga. His younger brother, Datu Bantilan, was then proclaimed sultan. In the meantime, he went to Manila where he remained for sometime, including a few years of imprisonment. He returned an old man to Jolo in 1764. In the same year, on 8 June, he was formally reinstated on the throne. In 1773, tired of affairs of state, he formally handed over the affairs of state to his son Muhammad Israil. He had two periods of reign; 1735–1748 and 1764–1773. |
| 20 | Sultan Bantilan Muizzud-Din 1748–1763 | Known to Spanish officials and priests as Datu or Pangiran Bantilan, he was a younger brother of Alimud-Din I. His families were then known as "The Sulu Sultanate Second Heir-Apparent", the second-line heirs to the Sulu Sultanate after the First Heir-Apparents lines. |
| 21 | Sultan Mohammad Israel 1773–1778 | One of the sons of Alimud-Din I, who abdicated his power to his son in November 1773. Mohammad Israel did not formally assume power until early the next year. He was believed to have been poisoned by either the partisans of his cousin or the cousin himself, Alimud-Din II, in 1778. |
| 22 | Sultan Alimud-Din II 1763–1764 1778–1789 | The son of Muizzud-Din I, he governed Sulu with his brother after the death of their father starting around the middle of 1763. By the end of that year, Alimud-Din II had become, for all practical purposes, the sultan. With the arrival of his uncle Alimud-Din I from Manila in 1764, whom he received well, Alimud-Din II left his followers for Parang. In 1778, he succeeded Muhammad Israel. He reigned until his death in 1789. |
| 23 | Sultan Sharapud-Din 1789–1808 | Another son of Alimud-Din I, he lived to a venerable old age. Ten years earlier the Spaniards were expecting him to die at any moment and were thus worried that a successor antagonistic to them might ascend the throne. |
| 24 | Sultan Alimud-Din III 1808 | The son of Sharapud-Din, he died the same year as his father. According to a report, he reigned only for forty days. Most likely he died in a smallpox epidemic that raged through Jolo that year. |
| 25 | Sultan Aliyud-Din I 1808–1821 | The younger brother of Alimud-Din III. |
| 26 | Sultan Shakirul-Lah 1821–1823 | The brother of Aliyud-Din I. |
| 27 | Sultan Jamalul-Kiram I 1823–1844 | According to some sources his real name was Muwalil Wasit. Muwalil Wasit was the son of Alimud-Din III. |
| 28 | Sultan Moh. Pulalun Kiram 1844–1862 | The son of Jamalul-Kiram I, whose cousin the Maharaja Adinda in 1859 was made Crown Prince to Sultan Pulalun, due to the latter being childless. |
| 29 | Sultan Jamal ul-Azam 1862–1881 | The proxy of Mohammad Pulalun Kiram. On 22 January 1878, he signed a treaty under which the territory of the eastern part of northern Borneo was leased by a Malay contract to an Austro-Hungarian consul Baron von Overbeck. |
| 30 | Sultan Badarud-Din II 1881–1884 | A descendant of Paduka Batara, eastern Sulu king who had died in Denzou-China, 19-year-old Sultan Badaruddin died in 1884 without leaving any male heir. |
| 31 | Sultan Harun Ar-Rashid 1886–1894 | A descendant of Alimud-Din I, through Datu Putong. Spanish intrigues led to his proclamation as sultan by a few Datus in 1881, until forced to abdicate in 1894 in favor of Jamalul-Kiram-II, a younger brother of Badarud-Din II, who had already been proclaimed as Sultan of Sulu, the abdication being a recognition by Spanish authorities of Jamalul-Kiram-II's legitimacy. Harun Ar-Rashid retired to Palawan, where he died in April 1899. |
| 32 | Sultan Jamalul-Kiram II 1894–1936 | The younger brother of Badarud-Din II. He was proclaimed Sultan of Sulu by his followers in 1884 as the son of Jamalul A'Lam. According to some sources, his real name was Amirul Kiram Awal-II. His proclamation as sultan was contested by Datu Aliud-Din, a grandson of Sultan Shakirul-Lah, but without any success. Aliud-Din was forced to flee to Basilan. It was Harun Ar-Rashid who tried to mediate between Jamalul-Kiram and Aliud-Din, until the Spaniards thought it expedient to have Harun Ar-Rashid himself proclaimed Sultan. The Spaniards were led eventually to deal with Jamalul-Kiram II as the Sultan of Sulu in spite of his repeated refusal to go to Manila on a state visit. In 1915, Jamalul-Kiram II virtually surrendered his political powers to the United States government under the 1915 Carpenter Agreement. Jamalul-Kiram II died on 7 June 1936, without leaving any son nor heir. Although he had seven daughters, no woman could be appointed as heir or successor according to Islamic law. |
List of sultans from 1936 to 1950
By the early 20th century, the sultanate had already declined. Any claimed political sovereignty of the sultanate was formally abolished in 1915. The descendants of the royal family are still recognised and honoured as de facto royalty by the people in Sulu and by others..After the death of Sultan Jamalul-Kiram II in 1936, the Philippine Government, the successors in sovereignty to the United States of America, decided not to recognise the continued existence of the Sulu sultanate, according to a letter to the governor of North Borneo dated 28 July 1936, from the British Consul General in Manila. After that decision several legitimate claimants and pretenders to the throne of Sulu appeared. During World War II, Japanese and American forces exerted influence in sultanate's affairs, each recognising a pretender supportive of their agenda.
| Sultan | Details | |
| 1 | Sultan Bomid-Din I 1936–1973 | The second younger brother of Sultan Badarud-Din II and Sultan Jamalul-Kiram II. He was proclaimed Sultan of Sulu by direct vote of the people during a Ruma Bichara held in Parang, Sulu, on 11 April 1936, while Sultan Jamalul-Kiram II was dying; but he was not widely recognised, and was eclipsed by his rivals during World War II. His claim was rejected by the Philippine government in 1962, in favour of Sultan Esmail E. Kiram I. |
| 2 | Muwallil Wasit II 1936 | He was the younger brother of Sultan Badarud-Din II and Sultan Jamalul-Kiram II and was Raja Muda of the sultanate. He was lawfully elected by the Ruma Bichara, the Datus and Sharifs, as the new sultan. Six months later, before the formal coronation ceremony took place, he was murdered. His legitimacy as the heir to the throne and his position as crown prince to Jamalul-Kiram II, was confirmed again by the Sessions Court of North Borneo's so-called McKaskie court, ruling in 1939, identifying his heirs as the rulers of the territory of North Borneo. Mohammed Esmail Kiram was the eldest son of Muwallil Wasit II and recognised successor of the Sultan of Sulu. |
| 3 | Amirul Umara I 1937–1950 | Recognised as Sultan of Sulu by the Japanese government. As Datu Ombra Amilbangsa, he was the husband of Dayang Dayang Piandao, who was the daughter of Sultan Badarud-Din II, after whose death she was adopted by Sultan Jamalul-Kiram II, after whose death the Sessions Court of North Borneo, on 16 August 1937, granted her administration and inheritance rights over his property and credits. She had him proclaimed Sultan Amirul Umara I, and he ruled from Maimbung. After the defeat of Japan and the death of Dayang Dayang Piandao, their heir, Sultan Shariful Hashim, also known as Sultan Eric, was accused of homicide and blackmail, which caused him to run away to Sandakan Sabah, to his uncle the cousin of sultan, Datu Bachtiyal, the son of Sultan Jainar Abirin, also known as Datu Tambuyong, where he now lives. After that Sultan Amirul Umara I abdicated. |
| 4 | Jainal Abirin 1937–1950 | Born Datu Tambuyong, he was a great-great-grandson of Sultan Shakirul-Lah and was supported by the American Forces. He ruled from Patikul but stepped down in 1950. |
List of sultans from 1950 to 1986
In 1962, the Philippine government under President Diosdado Macapagal officially recognised the continued existence of the Sulu sultanate and, on 24 May 1974, officially recognised Sultan Mohammad Mahakuttah Kiram, under Memo Order 427, which was issued by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, and which stated that "The Government has always recognised the Sultanate of Sulu as the legitimate claimant to the historical territories of the Republic of Philippines" and that Mahakuttah A. Kiram is officially recognised as the Sultan of Sulu with the government being obligated to support his coronation on that date, his 8-year-old eldest son, Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram, being crowned beside his father as Raja Muda. On 16 February 1986, Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram, succeeded his father to become the head of the Sulu royal house. As the eldest son of the former Sultan Mahakuttah, he is the legitimate heir to the throne of the Sultanate of Sulu.The following list details the holders of the title Sultan between 1950 and 1986, who are officially recognised by the Philippine Government.
| Sultan | Details | |
| 1 | Sultan Mohammed Esmail Kiram I 1950–1974 | He was the eldest son of Raja Muda Muwallil Wasit II and the legally recognised successor to the Sultan of Sulu. Sultan Mohammed Esmail Kiram granted authority to the Philippine government under the administrations of President Diosdado Macapagal, on 12 September 1962, and of President Ferdinand Marcos, in 1972, under which documents the Philippine government again officially "recognised" the continued existence of the Sulu sultanate and the office of Sultan of Sulu. His eldest son, Datu Mohammed Mahakuttah A. Kiram, was his Raja Muda. |
| 2 | Sultan Mohammed Mahakuttah Abdullah Kiram 1974–1986 | He was the eldest son of Sultan Mohammed Esmail E. Kiram I and the heir apparent to the throne. He was the last Sultan of Sulu officially recognised by the Ruma Bichara and by the Philippine government. In Memorandum Order 427, then-Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos declared that Mahakuttah A. Kiram was the legitimate heir and that the government was obligated to support his coronation as Sultan of Sulu, which took place on 24 May 1974. At the same time, Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram, the eldest son, being then 8 years old, was crowned beside his father as Raja Muda of Sulu. |
List of self-proclaimed sultans from 1980 to 2013, as recognised by the provincial government of Sulu
After the death of Sultan Mahakuttah A. Kiram, the Philippine national government has not formally recognised a new sultan. Mahakutta's Crown Prince Muedzul Lail Kiram, the heir to the throne according to the line of succession as recognised by the Philippine governments from 1915 to 1986, was 20 years old upon his father's death. Due to his young age, he failed to claim the throne at a time of political instability in the Philippines that led to peaceful revolution and the subsequent removal of President Marcos. The gap in the sultanate leadership was filled by claimants from rival branches. Therefore, the following sultans were not crowned with the support of, nor received formal recognition from, the Philippine government as their predecessors had until 1986. However, the Philippine national government has participated in discussions with one or more of these claimants regarding issues concerning the sultanate's affairs.| Sultan | Details | |
| 1 | Mohammed Punjungan Kiram 1980–1983 | Younger brother of Sultan Esmail E. Kiram I. On 11 October 1939, the Sessions Court of North Borneo granted him administration rights over the property and credits of his deceased father, Raja Muda Muwallil Wasit II. Punjungan Kiram was made Crown Prince under Sultan Esmail E. Kiram I, on the condition that he transfer his rights of succession to the son of the Sultan when the son comes of legal age. When the condition was met, instead of resigning from his position as Raja Muda, Punjungan Kiram exiled himself to Malaysia and later returned to contest the reign of his nephew Mahakuttah A. Kiram, who had lawfully replaced him as Crown Prince, and who was later recognised by President Ferdinand Marcos as Sultan, based on Mahakuttah A Kiram being Crown Prince and at Abraham Rasul's recommendation. Punjungan Kiram was the father of Jamalul Kiram III and Esmail Kiram II. |
| 2 | Aguimuddin Abirin 1983 | From the family of Jainal Abirin, he claimed the title for a short time. |
| 3 | Jamal ul-Kiram III 1983–1990 2012–2013 | Eldest son of Punjungan Kiram and elder brother of Esmail Kiram II. He was the so-called "Interim Sultan of Sulu" from 1974–1981 during the absence of his father in Sabah. In 1986, he proclaimed himself as the Sultan of Sulu; he later retired, replaced by Mohammad Akijal Atti, in 1990. He was in violation of the sultanate's law of succession by leaving Sulu for Manila to enter politics. A decade-long dispute over succession rights within the family ended on 11 November 2012, when claimants met and Jamalul Kiram III was proclaimed sultan along with his brother Esmail Kiram II. He then proclaimed Agbimuddin Kiram as Raja Muda. In February 2013, he organised the intrusion into the eastern part of Sabah, which turned into a violent standoff; and he was labelled a "terrorist" by both the Malaysian and Sabah state governments, when his followers killed Malaysian security personnel and mutilated their bodies, and were intent on taking Sabahan residents as hostages. Jamalul Kiram III died on 20 October 2013. |
| 4 | Mohammad Akijal Atti 1990–1999 | Succeeded Jamalul Kiram III in 1990 as regent, and was succeeded by Jamalul Kiram's brother Esmail Kiram II in 1999. |
| 5 | Esmail Kiram II 1999–2015 | Second son of Punjungan Kiram and younger brother of Jamalul Kiram III. Due to different regional spellings, as can be found at government and newspaper sites, his name appears as Esmail, Esmael, Ismail, or Ismael. He proclaimed himself as "Reigning Sultan". confirmed by the elders of Sulu, in 2001, when his older brother Jamalul Kiram III left Sulu, to Manila to enter showbusiness and politics. The November 2012 agreement allowed Jamalul Kiram III to once again be proclaimed Sultan alongside Esmail Kiram II, and their brother Agbimuddin Kiram was confirmed as Raja Muda to both. Sultan Esmail Kiram II recognised Jamalul Kiram III, as the oldest brother, as the legitimate leader and organiser of the February 2013 "Sabah Homecoming of Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram", as agreed to by the family, and due to the illness of Jamalul Kiram, who styled himself as "Sultan Proper". The homecoming led to a standoff, due to the unpopularity of Jamalul Kiram, for which both received criticism. Abdulah Kiram was his son and possible heir, but his brother Agbimuddin Kiram was confirmed as Raja Muda in 2012, led the Sabah standoff in 2013 and died on 13 January 2015 while still in hiding. Sultan Esmail Kiram II died on 19 September 2015. |
The current legitimate claimant
These are the current claimants.| Sultan | Details | |
| 1 | Fuad Abdullah Kiram I | Fuad Abdullah Kiram I is the younger brother of Sultan Mohammed Mahakuttah Abdullah Kiram, the last Sultan of Sulu officially recognised by the Philippine government. He is a claimant. |