Sultanate of Ternate

Royal Gapi or later better known as the Sultanate of Ternate (after the name of its capital) is one of four Muslim kingdoms in Maluku and is one of the oldest Muslim kingdoms in the archipelago. Founded by Baab Mashur Malamo in 1257. Sultanate of Ternate has an important role in the eastern archipelago between the 13th century until the 17th century.

Sultanate of Ternate enjoy the glories of the half century thanks -16 spice trade and military strength. In the heyday of its power stretches covers an area of ​​Maluku, North Sulawesi, eastern and central, southern part of the Philippine archipelago as far as the Marshall Islands in the Pacific.

Gapi Island (now Ternate) began bustling in the early 13th century, the population early Ternate is an exodus of residents from Halmahera. Initially there are 4 villages in Ternate that each - each headed by a momole (clan heads), they were the first - first to make contact with traders coming from all directions looking for spice - spice. Ternate increasingly heterogeneous population with bermukimnya Arab traders, Javanese, Malay and Chinese. Because of the increasingly busy trading activities plus the threat often comes from the pirates on the initiative of then leader Tobona momole To be held deliberations to form a stronger organization and appoint a single leader as king.

Year 1257 momole Ciko Sampalu leaders elected and appointed Kolano (king) with the first degree Mashur Malamo Baab (1257-1272). Gapi kingdom centered in the village of Ternate, which in the subsequent development of increasingly large and crowded, so the population is also known as "Gam Lamo" or large village (later people called Gam Lamo with Gamalama). The larger and the popularity of Ternate, so then people would rather say the kingdom of Ternate than Gapi kingdom. Under the leadership of several generations later rulers, Ternate evolved from a kingdom that only a small island berwilayahkan become an influential and largest empire in the eastern part of Indonesia, especially the Moluccas.