Bruneian Empire

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The Bruneian empire was founded in the early 7th century on the island of Borneo in South East Asia. The empire was ruled by pagan or Hindu kings converted into Muslims by Arab merchants who came to trade and spread Islam. Early records of the kingdom of Brunei were documented by the early Chinese traders. They mentioned a wealthy kingdom rich in camphor and timber and called it as Po-ni. In some reports, the Chinese called the kingdom as Po-li. The diplomatic relations between Brunei and China flourished because of trade between the two civilisations.

During the rule of the fifth Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Bolkiah, Brunei expanded into a strong empire with its territory covering almost all of Borneo and parts of the Philippines, mainly the island of Mindanao. This was the Bruneian empire's symbol of might and therefore that time was its golden age. Brunei's army consisted of a strong naval force, many of whom worked as pirates in the South China Sea and the coastal areas of Borneo. The pirates could be summoned by the Sultan whenever they were needed in an expedition. In actual fact, they were also highly experienced sea captains called the 'Nakhodas'.

The earliest recorded documentation by the west about Brunei was by an Italian known as Ludovico Varthema. Ludovico was at the time on a route to the Moluccas Islands when he landed in Borneo and met with the people of Brunei. The record of his documentation dates back to 1550.

"We arrived at the island of Bornei (Brunei or Borneo), which is distant from the Maluch about two hundred miles, and we found that it was somewhat larger than the aforesaid and much lower. The people are pagans and are men of goodwill. Their colour is whiter than that of the other sort....in this island justice is well administered..."