Sultan Al-Mansur (c. 1475 - 1526) was the second Sultan of Tidore in Maluku islands, who reigned from at least 1512 until 1526. Certain legends associate him with the beginnings of Tidore's rule over the Papuan Islands and western New Guinea. During his reign the first visits by Portuguese and Spanish seafarers took place, which led to grave political and economic consequences for the societies of eastern Indonesia. Trying to preserve his realm in the face of Western encroachment, he finally fell victim to Portuguese enmity.
Early years
Al-Mansur was, according to later historical tradition, the son of the first Muslim ruler of Tidore, Ciri Leliatu. He was named after Syekh Mansur, an Arab who persuaded his father to convert to Islam. As he later told Spanish visitors, his father had been killed during a journey to Buru Island, which was normally a dependency of the rivalling Sultanate of Ternate. An early impression of his kingdom, before the onset of European influence, is given by Tomé Pires's geographical work Suma Oriental (c. 1515). At this time al-Mansur had 2,000 men under his direct rule, of whom no more than 200 were Muslims. While the base for his power was the small Tidore Island, he was also the overlord of parts of the nearby islands Moti and Makian. Makian in particular was important as a port of call for merchants who came from other parts of maritime Asia to buy cloves. Tidore produced about 1,400 Bahar of cloves (1,400 x 180 kilo) annually. The Portuguese capture of the leading Southeast Asian trading center Melaka in 1511 led to a decrease in trade, and al-Mansur was anxious to establish trade with the Portuguese. According to Pires he was a man of good judgment.
Arrival of Europeans
The potential profits of the trade in spices made the Portuguese equip an expedition to reac the Spice Islands soon after their conquest of Malacca. It arrived in Banda in 1512 and took in cargoes of spices. On the return trip, however, one of the boats was lost and the survivors made it to Ambon. The Sultans of Tidore and Ternate both sensed that they might profit on an alliance with the warlike strangers, and sent fleets to invite them. The Ternate squadron came first and escorted the Portuguese group to their ruler Bayan Sirrullah. This was the beginning of a Ternate-Portuguese strategic alliance that lasted with many twists and ruptures until 1570. Al-Mansur, in turn, received the Spanish Magellan expedition with open arms when it appeared in late 1521. Magellan had been killed in the Philippines some months earlier and the expedition was headed by João Lopes de Carvalho and Juan Sebastián Elcano. Al-Mansur regarded the Spanish as a potential counterweight against Ternate-Portugal, and assured them that they were expected since he had dreamt of the arrival of foreign ships. In his eagerness to bond the strangers he proclaimed that Tidore was to be renamed Castile and assured his devotion to the Spanish Crown. The travelogue of Antonio Pigafetta described the Sultan as a handsome man of about 45 years and a great astrologer. His dress consisted of a white shirt with gold-embroidered sleeves, a sarong reaching almost to the ground, and a silk headdress with a garland of flowers. He tied the various clans to him by means of taking one or two from each as co-wives. Al-Mansur's residence was a large house outside the main settlement where he stayed with a few hundred women.
The Spanish vessels took in cargoes of cloves and departed in December 1521. However, one of the ships foundered offshore, and its crew stayed on Tidore for some time. The remaining vessel Victoria made it back to Spain where the Tidorese spices yielded a profit that more than covered the costs for the expedition. However, no Spanish reinforcements arrived to Tidore in al-Mansur's lifetime, and the Tidorese were subjected to Portuguese political pressure. When the Portuguese Captain António de Brito arrived to Maluku in May 1522, he brusquely asked al-Mansur why he had bonded the Spanish although the region had been 'discovered' by the Portuguese. Al-Mansur now made various excuses, alleging that he had just received them as merchants and "for fear rather than willingly". The visit of the Spaniards was nevertheless the embryo for a Tidorese-Spanish cooperation that lasted with interruptions until 1663.