He compiled a substantial library of European books in Portuguese, Spanish and Latin, as well as Malay, and sponsored (if he did not execute himself) a number of translations of military manuals into Makassarese.
He may have been the first Southeast Asian to understand the importance of mathematics for European scientific and military achievements.
French Jesuit Alexandre de Rhodes declared him "exceedingly wise and sensible", despite his Islam.
In statecraft, Pattingalloang steered his country expertly between quarrelling Europeans and Muslims, insisting against Dutch demands for monopoly that his port would remain open to all.
Only after his death did Makassar fall under the joint pressure of Bugis rebellion and Dutch military attack.