Hamza of Ternate

While in Manila he was Hispanicized in many ways: he was baptized and took the name Pedro de Acuña, after the Spanish governor who had led the 1606 invasion, and married in the church.

Although there were other candidates for the throne, the Ternatan state council chose to appoint Hamza as new Sultan of Ternate, the more as he reverted to Islam on his return.

The Dutch, who were not consulted on the matter, feared that the choice of ruler might strengthen the Spanish who occupied a number of forts on Ternate and its neighbor Tidore since 1606.

He also strengthened his position at the cost of the Jogugu (first minister) and the Kapita Laut Ali, who was sent on an expedition to reaffirm Ternate's power in Sulawesi and Buton, and died en route in 1632 or 1633.

[8] All this formed part of the notorious Ambon Wars where the VOC troops crushed all opposition with enormous loss of life.

[10] In spite of the Sultan's efforts, the territory shrank drastically in these decades due to the great expansion of Makassar.

The VOC was not happy about Hamza's activism, since it was apparently just a way to increase royal Ternatan influence in the region, which could be detrimental to Dutch interests.

The solution was to ask for assistance from the VOC when needed, which tied Ternate closer to Dutch colonial governance.