[1] The movement united several ethnic groups of eastern Indonesia in the struggle against the Dutch and was temporarily successful, helped by an alliance with the British East India Company.

While Patra Alam ruled as Dutch-appointed sultan from 1780 to 1783, Amiruddin built a kora-kora armada around Seram Island and Papua.

[citation needed] Since the attack on Toloa, relations between Tidore and the three governments (especially Ternate) revolved around Prince Nuku's rebellion.

[citation needed] The newly appointed Sultan of Patra Alam became powerless, almost completely overshadowed by the power of the Nuku prince over the outskirts of Tidore.

In his efforts to expel the rebels, the Governor of Ternate used the help of four kora-kora who brought along one hundred Europeans and the native Alifuru militia.

[12] In the following months of 1780, Prince Nuku's troops attacked and plundered the Nusatelu Islands (Drie Gebroeders), Amblau, Haia, and Luhu, capturing and enslaving 134 residents.

Many residents in Hatileng were massacred or fled [14] In December 1781, together with a combined fleet of 160 ships the rebels attacked and looted Amahai, one of the villages under Saparua's rule.

Even though one of Prince Nuku's captains was beheaded, the rebels managed to kill Sergeant Cornelis Stephanus and a European soldier who attacked them in Itawaka.

In early February 1782, they again attacked inland of Saparua and invaded Nusa Laut Island, burning Negeri Amet and killing a Dutch officer.

The rebels then moved to Negeri Liang under Hila rule, destroying settlements there (including a VOC post in Loki and a Sago Factory).

In February, under the command of Officer Johan Sigbrand Borgguits, a number of ships were sent to sail around the South Seram Sea.

Under command Translator Coenraad Van Dijk was assigned to send an expedition to Gamrange and Raja Ampat Papua.

On 25 September, the Governor received information that the Papuans had welcomed the Tidore fleet under Van Dijk's command.

This sparked hope that the apparent cooperation would lead the Papuans to submit and ultimately abandon Prince Nuku.

[citation needed] At the end of September 1783, Van Dijk, European soldiers, and a number of native burghers were massacred by rebels on the island of Batanta.

This situation was made worse by information that all the artillery on board the ship was distributed among Prince Nuku's followers.

Papuans who had previously formally declared their submission and were assumed to support the VOC fleet proved to be defectors.

Captain Walterbek followed to help but it was too late, while Admiral Straring withdrew his troops and returned to Banda.

[25] In the first siege of Ternate on January 22, 1801, British troops {under the command of Colonel Daniel Burr on the orders of Resident Farquhar) rejected an offer of assistance from Sultan Nuku, even though a large fleet of prahu and Kora-Kora had appeared at the anchorage under the command of Prince Mayor.

[27] In the second siege, a stronger force was placed in the vanguard after Resident Farquhar concluded that he had no choice but to accept the help of the prince of Tidore.

[28] A traveling salesman named Captain Lynch was ordered to organize the Tidore troops, teaching them to fire 9-pound cannons.

When they refused to do so, Nuku and Muhammad Arif Bila invaded Halmahera with a fleet of 47 kora-koras and summoned the local elite to a conference to anchor their claims.

[8] His brother and successor Zainal Abidin was driven out of Tidore by a renewed Dutch attack in 1806, and finally died in 1810 after a largely unsuccessful resistance.