Azim ud-Din I
Encyclopedia
Muhammad Azim ud-Din I ' onMouseout='HidePop("11098")' href="/topics/Alimuddin">Alimuddin
Alimuddin
Alimuddin is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in 25 Tests from 1954 to 1962. He was the leading batsman during the 1954-55 series with India and scored 103 at Karachi. During the disastrous 1962 tour to England, Alimuddin top-scored in both innings with 50 and 60 at the Leeds Test...

), later as Don
Don (honorific)
Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...

 Fernando de Alimuddin
was the Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...

 of Sulu and Sabah
Sulu Sultanate
The Sultanate of Sulu Dar al-IslamSometimes known as the Royal Sultanate of Sulu or Sultanate of Sulu Darul Islam. was an Islamic Tausūgstate that ruled over many of the islands of the Sulu Sea, in the southern Philippines and several places in northern Borneo. The sultanate was founded in 1457...

 from 1735 to 1748 and from 1764 to 1774. The son of former sultan Badar ud-Din I, he assumed the throne in 1732 after his father abdicated for his retirement. He only assumed power and was formally recognized in 1735 when his cousin Nasar ud-Din left claims to the throne.

During his reign, few intrigues in the court paved way for his forced abdication in 1748. He was replaced by his younger brother, Bantilan as the sultan and he traveled to Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...

. In 1750, he was convinced by Governor-General
Governor-General of the Philippines
The Governor-General of the Philippines was the title of the government executive during the colonial period of the Philippines, governed mainly by Spain and the United States, and briefly by Great Britain, from 1565 to 1935....

 Juan de Arechederra
Juan de Arechederra
Juan de Arechederra, O. P. was a Venezuelan friar and member of the Dominican Order who served as the Rector of the University of Santo Tomas from 1735 to 1737 and from 1743 to 1745 and Bishop-elect of Nueva Segovia from 1745 and in turn, the Bishop from 1750 until his death in...

, who also happened to be the bishop
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia
-Introduction:The Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. It covers the province of Ilocos Sur, on the island of Luzon. The see of the archdiocese is the city of Vigan....

 of Nueva Segovia
Nueva Segovia
Nueva Segovia is a department in Nicaragua. It covers an area of 3,123 km² and has a population of 211,200 . The capital is Ocotal.- Municipalities :# Ciudad Antigua# Dipilto# El Jícaro# Jalapa# Macuelizo# Mozonte# Murra# Ocotal...

, to convert to Christianity and renounce his religion. He was baptized and renamed as Fernando de Alimuddin, with a regal name of Ferdinand I . The new governor-general, the Marquis of Brindisi and Ovando
Francisco José de Ovando, 1st Marquis of Brindisi
Francisco José de Ovando y Solís Rol de La Cerda, 1st Marquis of Brindisi was a Spanish soldier who served as governor of Chile.-Early life:Francisco José de Ovando was born in the city of Caceres in Extremadura...

 promised him to be restored to the throne and punish Bantilan and his Islamic pirates.

Before he left Manila in 1751 for a comeback in Sulu, he wrote a letter in Arabic addressed to sultan Muhammad Khair ud-Din Amir ud-Din Itamza of Maguindanao written in behalf of the Marquis of Ovando. However, inconsistent translations between Arabic and Spanish led to the allegations that Ferdinand I wrote a treacherous letter. Later that year, he was imprisoned back to Manila.

Ferdinand I remained in prison until the British captured and occupied Manila during the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...

. In 1763, he was restored to the throne in the British. After Great Britain left Manila as part of the war treaty in 1764, Sulu pirates raiding in Manila intensified. On November 1773, he abdicated the throne in favor of his son, Israil.

Life

The young Alimuddin was brought up in the school of his father and sent to Batavia (now Djakarta) to complete his education. There he became proficient in Arabic and Malayan and gained mastery of the Qur'an. He was such a wise and enlightened ruler that he was said to have attained among his subjects "an authority almost supreme." To him also was accorded the title of "Chief of Pandita" because of his erudite and precise explanations of the Qur'an .

One of the earliest events in the reign of Alimuddin was his ratification of the Treaty of 1737. He was represented in Manila by Datu Mohammad Ismael and Datu Ja'far, who both signed the document. The treaty, drawn in January, 1737 by Governor-General Fernando Valdes y Tamon, contained five articles: first, the preservation of permanent peace between the two states; second, the provision for alliance and mutual aid against any foreign foe; third, free trade between the two states; fourth, responsibility of each state for all infractions of the peace and fifth, provision for the exchange of captives and return of all church images and ornaments.

Alimudin I was a man of peace and a reformer, besides he kept his part of the treaty faithfully and was actually obliterated during the whole period he held the reins of government. He revised the Sulu code of laws and its system of justice. He caused parts of the Qur'an and several texts on law and religion to be translated into the local language. He strongly urged his government to observe their religion faithfully. He wanted all panditas to learn Arabic and initiated the drafting of an Islamic vocabulary as a preliminary step into making Arabic the official language of the state. He coined money, organized an army and tried to establish a navy. His name is foremost in the memory of the Sulus, partly because of his able administration and partly because he was the ancestor of all the present principal Datus of the southern Philippines.

On July 12, 1744, King Philip V of Spain sent him a letter requesting permission for the Jesuits missionaries to propagate Christianity in the southern Philippines. When his panditas learned that he had given his consent, they raised fierce opposition. A party was formed under the leadership of Prince Bantilan. Alimuddin's brother, for the purpose of, expelling the missionaries and deposing Alimuddin. Hostilities increased and civil war became imminent.

In an effort at assassination, Bantilan thrust a spear at Alimuddin and inflicted a severe wound on his side or thigh. During the disturbances and the confusion that followed, it became too dangerous for the missionaries to remain at Jolo. Overpowered, disheartened, and grieved, Alimuddin left Jolo with his family and numerous escorts and went to Zamboanga to seek the aid of Spain against Bantilan who had taken over the government without opposition. Bantilan did not send away the Jesuits but he gave them no opportunity to accomplish their mission.

Alimuddin traveled to Cavite on January 2, 1749. In Manila, Governor Juan de Arechederra gave him royal reception, one befitting a Prince of high rank. The Sultan was publicly received in the Hall of the Audiencia. But instead of immediately getting down to the main purpose of his visit, he told Arechederra, to that man's great joy that he wanted to be instructed in the Christian faith preparatory to receiving baptism as a Christian.

It is unclear whether he embraced Christianity wholeheartedly or as a tactic, for later after Sultan Bantilan died, Bantilan's son Sultan Azim ud-Din II (the son of Bantilan) took power. After the death of Azim ud-Din II, Azim ud-Din I returned to Sulu and was welcomed by his people and he re-embraced Islam and remained a Muslim until his death.
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