Sultanate of Sulu

The Sultanate of Sulu (Tausug: Kasultanan sin Sūg; Central Sama: Kasultanan Sūg or Kasultanan Sūk; Malay: Kesultanan Suluk; Filipino: Kasultanan ng Sulu or Sultanato ng Sulu) was a Sunni Muslim Tausūg state that ruled the Sulu Archipelago, coastal areas of Zamboanga City, and certain portions of Palawan in today's Philippines, alongside parts of present-day Sabah and North Kalimantan in north-eastern Borneo. The sultanate was founded either on 17 November 1405 or 1457 by Johore-born explorer and Sunni religious scholar Sharif ul-Hashim. Paduka Mahasari Maulana al Sultan Sharif ul-Hashim became his full regnal name; Sharif-ul Hashim is his abbreviated name. He settled in Buansa, Sulu. The sultanate gained its independence from the Bruneian Empire in 1578. At its peak, it stretched.