The following is a listing of the sovereigns of the kingdoms in the Philippine archipelago before their dominions fell to either the Kingdom of the Spains and the Indies (mostly in the 16th or 17th century) or the United States of America (in the 20th century), and of their non-sovereign descendants that kept honorary titles.
Mentions of the King of Luzon by the Spanish king Charles V in a decree and correspondences and of the King of Cebu by Hernan Cortes, Spanish governor of New Spain, in his letter to him are found in Spanish records; these occurred in the first half of 16th century.
After the fall of particular Philippine dominions to the Kingdom of the Spains and the Indies which started in 1565, due to the much earlier Spanish royal authorization given to the royal audience and chancery of New Spain on 26 February 1538 to prohibit the title of "lord" from being adopted by the nobles of acquired overseas dominions, since, according to its author the Spanish queen Isabella, "it is convenient for our service and royal preeminence that they are not called [lords]" but principals, the particular Philippine nobles who swore allegiance to Spain became part of the "principalia" or Philippine principality and came to be considered as "principal Indians". This same authorization formed part of the Spanish Laws of the Indies as Law 5 of Title 7 of Book 6. The ranks in nobility were also reduced to practically the lowest one based on the truly common designation of "datu" equating it fully to being a "cabeza de barangay" or head of a barangay or town district, with an opportunity for a noble to be elected as "gobernadorcillo" or town governor by the same nobles. Nonetheless, they were given privileges comparable to Spanish nobility such as exemption from taxation, authority of governance, and inheritance of title and privileges; these had also been part of their previous powers albeit reduced. Upon converting to Christianity, these same nobles adopted the initially fairly exclusive titles of "don" and "doña". The occurrence of a Philippine noble becoming a "principal" was only mutually recognized by both the Spanish king and that noble after the noble swore allegiance to the Spanish king. In insular Spanish records, the principalia was also sometimes referred to as nobility, and principals also as nobles.
The Kingdom of Luzon was described as one of the more powerful and wealthier kingdoms in the archipelago. It was noted for its commerce, literacy, diplomacy, navy, and use of artillery. Its influence ranged at least from Mindoro to Kapampangan lordships, with possibilities of greater extent suggested by the name of the kingdom. The kingdom and its subjects began to fall under the Kingdom of the Spains and the Indies, starting in 1570, just as the Kingdom of Luzon was starting to adopt Islam.
| width=11% | Name | width=11% | Title | width=6% | From | width=6% | Until | width=21% | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salalila | Raja (King) | 1400s | after 1521 | Died many years before the first Castilian voyage to Ternate, leaving his son, the very young crown prince, to the queen regent in Manila. | |||||
| Ache | Raja (King) | after 1521 | 1571 | Married a princess of Brunei in 1521 while he was the Crown Prince of Luzon and the grand admiral of Brunei; was nicknamed "the Old" (Matanda); witnessed the fall of Manila on 24 May 1570; uncle of Sulayman, the heir apparent (raja muda) |
The Kingdom of Cebu was known for its military achievements and for having a large army. The male citizens of the kingdom were tattooed as marks of honour. Its dominion became a protectorate of the Kingdom of the Spains and the Indies in 1565 but fell to the said kingdom after 1570.
| width=12% | Name | width=12% | Title | width=7% | From | width=7% | Until | width=32% | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lumay | Sri (Lord) | (no given date) | (no given date) | (no given events) | |||||
| Humabon | Raja (King) | before 1521 | c. 1570 | Received the first Castilian voyage to Ternate; was baptised as a Christian king in 1521 as Carlos, while his wife was baptised as Juana, the same names as the King and the Queen of the Spains and the Indies; received a letter from Hernan Cortes, Marquess of Oaxaca, in the name of the Kingdom of the Spains and the Indies in 1527 regarding the possession of some of the crew left by this voyage; witnessed the fall of Cebu on 8 May 1565; uncle of Tupas, the heir apparent (raja muda) |
Mactan is known to have had several rulers at the same time, unlike most principalities in the neighbouring Cebu. Mactan is assumed to have had its own sovereign.
| width=12% | Name | width=12% | Title | width=7% | From | width=7% | Until | width=32% | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zula | Datu (Lord) | before 1521 | after 1521 | Received the first Castilian voyage to Ternate | |||||
| Lapu-lapu | Datu (Lord) | before 1521 | after 1521 | Defeated the forces from the first Castilian voyage to Ternate under its General Ferdinand Magellan in a battle on 27 April 1521, as Ferdinand Magellan acted under the request of Humabon of Cebu |
| Name | Title | From | Until | Events | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pagbuaya | Datu (Lord) | (no given date) | 1563 | Co-ruled with his brother Dailisan; supposedly founded Dapitan in northern Mindanao | |
| Dailisan | Datu (Lord) | (no given date) | 1563 | Co-ruled with his brother Pagbuaya; his death during a Portuguese raid dissolved the lordship |
| width=12% | Name | width=12% | Title | width=7% | From | width=7% | Until | width=32% | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kulambo | Raja (King) | before 1521 | after 1521 | Received the first Castilian voyage to Ternate; accompanied this fleet to Cebu on 7 April 1521 |
| width=12% | Name | width=12% | Title | width=7% | From | width=7% | Until | width=32% | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiling | Raja (King) | 989 | 1009 | Received the embassy of Li Shu-Han (李竾罕) | |||||
| Sri Bata Shaja | Raja (King) | c. 1011 | 1000s | Received the mission of Li Kan-Hsieh (李于燮) | |||||
| Awi | Raja (King) | before 1521 | after 1521 | Received the first Castilian voyage to Ternate |
| width=12% | Name | width=12% | Title | width=7% | From | width=7% | Until | width=32% | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pagbuaya | Datu (King) | 1563 | after 1563 | Converted to Christianity | |||||
| Manooc | Datu (King) | after 1563 | 1595 | Was baptised as Pedro Manuel Manooc |
| width=12% | Name | width=12% | Title | width=7% | From | width=7% | Until | width=32% | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piang | Sultan | 1899 | after 1900 | Contemporary of late Spanish rule, the first Republic of the Philippines, and early American rule; became the first Governor of Cotabato under American rule |
The dominion of the Sultanate of Maguindanao gradually fell to the United States of America in the 1900s.
| Reign | width = 40% | Title and Name | Other name(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1515-1543 | Shariff Muhammed Kabungsuwan | ||
| 1543–1574 | Sultan Maka-alang Sari Pada | ||
| 1574–1578 | Sultan Bangkaya | ||
| 1578–1585 | Sultan Dimasangcay Adel | ||
| 1585–1597 | Sultan Gugu Sari Kula | Datu Salikala | |
| 1597–1619 | Sultan Laut Buisan | Datu Katchil | |
| 1619–1671? | Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat | Datu Qudratullah Katchil | |
| 1671?–1678? | Sultan Dundang Tidulay | Sultan Saif ud-Din (Saifud Din) | |
| 1678?–1699 | Sultan Barahaman | Sultan Muhammad Shah Minulu-sa-Rahmatullah | |
| 1699–1702 | Sultan Kahar ud-Din Kuda | Maulana Amir ul-Umara Jamal ul-Azam | |
| 1702–1736 | Sultan Bayan ul-Anwar | Maruhom Batua Dipatuan Jalal ud-Din Mupat Batua (posthumously) | |
| 1710–1736 (in Tamontaka) | Sultan Amir ud-Din | Paduka Sri Sultan Muhammad Jafar Sadiq Manamir Shahid Mupat (posthumously) | |
| 1736–1748 (in Sibugay, Buayan, Malabang) | Sultan Muhammad Tahir ud-Din | Dipatuan Malinug Muhammad Shah Amir ud-Din | |
| 1733–1755 | Sultan Raja Muda Muhammad Khair ud-Din | Pakir Maulana Kamsa Amir ud-Din Itamza Azim ud-Din Amir ul-M'umimin | |
| 1755–1780? | Sultan Pahar ud-Din | Datu Panglu/Pongloc Mupat Hidayat (posthumously) | |
| 1780?–1805? | Sultan Kibad Sahriyal | Muhammad Azim ud-Din Amir ul-Umara | |
| 1805?–1830? | Sultan Kawasa Anwar ud-Din | Muhammad Amir ul-Umara Iskandar Jukarnain | |
| 1830–1854 | Sultan Qudratullah Untung | Iskandar Qudratullah Muhammad Jamal ul-Azam Iskandar Qudarat Pahar ud-Din. Properly place, his name was Ullah Untong and seated as Sultan Ashrf Samalan Farid Quadratullah or better known as Sultan Qudarat. | |
| 1854–1884 | Sultan Muhammad Makakwa | ||
| 1884–1888 | Sultan Wata | Sultan Muhammad Jalal ud-Din Pablu | |
| 1888–1896 | (Interregnum) | Sultan Anwar ud-Din contested Datu Mamaku (son of Sultan Qudratullah Untung) of Buayan for the throne versus the then sultan Datu Mangigin of Sibugay. | |
| 1896–1898 | Sultan Taha Colo | Sultan Rabago sa Tiguma | |
| 1908–1933 | Sultan Mastura Kudarat | Sultan Muhammad Hijaban Iskandar Mastura Kudarat; Sultan Mastura; Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat |
| width=12% | Name | width=12% | Title | width=7% | From | width=7% | Until | width=32% | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalun | Datu (King) | before 1900 | after 1900 | Was born Pedro Cuevas Javiér on 6 May 1845 from Bacoor, Cavite; defeated the real Datu Kalun after a battle between the Chavacanos and the Yakans; assumed the title and name and ruled over Basilan island and the Yakans in Mindanao; converted the dominion to Catholic Christianity; founded the city of Lamitan |
In English toponymy, borrowed from Spanish toponymy, Sulu is the term that refers to the Sultanate of the Tausugs, with this term being an approximation (perhaps Spanish) of the root term "Sulug" in Tausug which is also pronounced as "Suluk" in Malay. Both these terms refer to the Tausug people, the first being an endonym and the second an exonym, besides being the name of the sultanate itself. Jolo is another term that serves this approximation (initially pronounced as /Sho-lo/ in Spanish).
The primary language of the Sultanate of Sulu is Tausug, with Malay and Arabic as secondary languages. The dominion of the sultanate stretched from Sulu in what is now the Philippines to Sabah in what is now Malaysia. From its dominion, the side on the American reckoning of the Philippine islands gradually fell to the United States of America within the first half of the 20th century. The Sabah territory was continually leased by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the Sultan of Sulu, and was then transferred by that kingdom to Malaysia, which continued to pay for the lease.
Part of the legacy of this sultanate is the presence of around 1,200,000 Tausugs in the Philippines and around 700,000 Tausugs in Malaysia at the present time. The royal family of the Sultanate of Sulu still maintains its lineage well-documented.
| width=29%, | Title and Name | width=7% | Flag | width=7% | From | width=7% | Until |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sultan Sharif ul-Hashim | 1480 | 1505 | |||||
| Sultan Kamal ud-Din | 1505 | 1527 | |||||
| Sultan Amir ul-Umara | 1893 | 1899 | |||||
| Sultan Jamal ul-Kiram I | 1893 | 1899 | |||||
| Sultan Mahakuttah Kiram | 1974 | 1986 | |||||
| Sultan Muedz ul-Lail Tan Kiram | 1986 | Present | |||||
| width=12% | Name | width=12% | Title | width=7% | From | width=7% | Until | width=32% | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macarere | Apo (Sire) | (no given date) | (no given date) | (no given events) |
| width=14% | Name | width=19% | Title | width=9% | From | width=9% | Until | width=24% | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed | Pamegat (Prince); Senapati (Duke) | before 900 | 900s | Granted a certificate of debt clearance to Lady Angkatan and Lord Bukah, son of Lord Namwaran, in the form of a copper tablet, concerning the debt of Lord Namwaran to the Prince of Dewata; the lordship was a duchy called Tundun in the said document | |||||
| Luntok | Raja (King) | Unknown | c. 1450 | (No given events) | |||||
| Kalangitan | Dayang (Lady) | c. 1450 | c. 1500 | Lady of Namayan and Tondo | |||||
| Banaw | Lakan (Lord) | before 1570 | 1571 | From the House of Lakandula; Lord of Tondo and Sabag | |||||
| Agustin | Don (Lord; honorary and unofficial) | 1575 | 1588 | Had the full name Agustin de Legaspi |
Some aristocratic descendants are either officially granted leadership of particular communities by the Republic of the Philippines or unofficially still assume this role.
Muslim
Some Muslim aristocratic descendants who kept ancestral lordly titles have attempted to participate in the republican government and have served as either appointed or democratically elected public officials while they continued to assume roles as community leaders. There are also sometimes contending claimants to the titles. For aristocratic descendants, the following are several examples:
Polytheistic ethnicities
The following are present-day elders in ancestral domains as provided in the 1997 Act No. 8371 of the Republic of the Philippines "to recognise, protect, and promote the rights of the indigenous cultural communities".
| width=12% | Name | width=12% | Title | width=7% | From | width=7% | Until | width=32% | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macabulos | Datu (Lord) | before 1570 | c. 1571 | (no given events) |
| width=12% | Name | width=12% | Title | width=7% | From | width=7% | Until | width=32% | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kabailo | Datu (Lord) | before 1570 | c. 1570 | (no given events) |
These figures are based on Pedro Monteclaro's "Maragtas", a history of Panay published in 1907.
| width=10% | Name | width=14% | Title | width=14% | Dominion | width=9% | From | width=9% | Until | width=22% | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puti | Datu (Lord) | Aninipay | c.1200 | (no given date) | (no given events) | ||||||
| Sumakwel | Datu (Lord) | Antique | c.1200 | (no given date) | Presided over the 10 Bornean lords | ||||||
| Bangkaya | Datu (Lord) | Kalibo | c.1200 | (no given date) | (no given events) | ||||||
| Dumangsol | Datu (Lord) | Malandug | c.1200 | (no given date) | (no given events) | ||||||
| Dumangsil | Datu (Lord) | Taal | c.1200 | (no given date) | (no given events) | ||||||
| Lubay | Datu (Lord) | Malandug | c.1200 | (no given date) | (no given events) | ||||||
| Paiburong | Datu (Lord) | Irong-Irong | c.1200 | (no given date) | (no given events) | ||||||
| Paduhinog | Datu (Lord) | Malandug | c.1200 | (no given date) | (no given events) | ||||||
| Dumalugdog | Datu (Lord) | Malandug | c.1200 | (no given date) | (no given events) | ||||||
| Balensukla | Datu (Lord) | Taal | c.1200 | (no given date) | (no given events) | ||||||
| Marikudo | Datu (Lord) | Panay | (no given date) | c.1200 | Aeta (Ati) Lord of Panay; sold the lowlands of the island to the 10 Bornean lords in exchange for a golden salakot (bulawan nga saduk) and a long pearl necklace that could touch the ground (manangyad) |
| width=12% | Name | width=12% | Title | width=7% | From | width=7% | Until | width=32% | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanday | Datu (Lord) | (no given date) | (no given date) | (no given events) |