Journal of Antonio Pigafetta as it relates to Borneo
This journal relates to the visit of Antonio Pigafetta of Spain to Brunei. Apparently there were two cities on Brunei one run by the Moors and the other governed by the “heathens”. Pigafetta entered the first city run by the Moors and then visited the second city.
21 June 1521
The ships, Victoria and Trinidad, departed Palawan, now in the southern Philipines, and arrived on the northeast coast of Borneo. They left these shores and sail for Brunei and they travel about 10 leagues (35 miles or 56 km). They came across another island and sailed an additional 50 leagues (173 miles or 278 km) to the port of Brunei. A phenomenon known as “St Elmos Fire”, a bluish tinge that appears on the sails caused by plasma, followed them to Brunei.
9 July 1521
On the morning of 21 July, the “King” sent a beautiful prau (longboat) whose bow and stern were decorated in gold. The bow held a white and blue banner surrounded by peacock feathers. Two small fishing boats accompanied the prau.
Eight old men boarded the boat and sat on the stern. They presented us with wooden (?) jar of betel and arcea. Jasmine, orange blossoms, yellow silk cloth, two cages of fowls, a couple of goats, three jars of distilled rice wine and some bundles of sugar cane were added to the gifts. They gave the same presents to the other ship. Embracing us, the eight chiefs left. The arak (rice wine) was so strong that several of our men got drunk.
15 July 1521
Six days later the “king” sent three praus. Musical instruments were playing, with drums and brass discs beating. They gave us tubes of rice and tarts composed of eggs and honey. They told us the “king” was willing to let us come ashore to gather wood and collect water.
Upon hearing this seven of us boarded the prau bearing a presents for the “king”. The gifts included a Turkish green velvet robe, a violet velvet chair, five cubits of red cloth, a cap, a gilded drinking glass, a covered glass vase, three quires of paper(one quire=25 sheets) and a gilded writing case.
To the “queen” we took three cubits (1cubit=46 cm) of yellow cloth, a pair of silver shoes, a silvered needle case filled with needles and a gilded drinking glass.
To the Governor we took three cubits of red cloth, a cap and a gilded drinking glass. To the herald(an official who oversees ceremonial functions) who came with the prau, we gave a Turkish red and green robe, a cap and a quire of paper. To the other chiefs, we presented a bit of cloth, a cap and to all of them a quire of paper. We then departed for the land.
We reached the city and spent two hours on the prau. We then boarded elephants who took us to the Kings palace. All of the streets to the palace were lined with men presenting swords, spears, and shields. We entered the courtyard on the elephants, dismounted and ascended some stairs.
We entered a hall and sat down on a carpet. At the end of the hall was another hall, higher but smaller covered in silk hangings. Two windows opened with brocade curtains. In that hall were 300-foot soldiers with swords which came up to their thighs to guard the king. At the end of the small hall was a large window with a brocade curtain which was drawn aside. Behind the brocade curtain was the King seated with his young son chewing beetle nuts. Behind him were the women.
The men were dressed in cloth of gold and silk covering their private parts. They carried daggers (kris)with gold handles adorned with pearls and precious stones. They had many rings on their fingers.
One of the chiefs told us we could not speak to the king. If we wanted to speak to the king we had to tell him the message, who would then tell the brother of the governor, and this man would speak through a tube through a hole to a man who was inside with the King.
The chief informed us we had to make three obeisances to the king with our hands clasped above our heads, raising one foot then the other then kissing the hands extended towards him. And so we did.
We told the king that we came at the request of the King of Spain and that we came in peace only desiring to trade. We informed the “king” that the King of Spain only wanted to be his friend. We were informed that we could water, select wood and trade at his pleasure.
To each one of us was given some brocaded and gold cloth which were placed on our left shoulder. They present us with refreshments of cloves and cinnamon. Then the windows were closed and the curtains drawn.
We returned to the governors’ house on the elephants and we gave those men a couple of knives for their trouble.
Nine men came to the Governor’s house. We sat on mats under a tree. They brought us trays of food. Each held tray filled with porcellin dishes containing veal, capons, chicken peacocks, fish and other animals. At each mouth fill we drank some of their wine from porcelain dishes the size of an egg. Afterwards, we ate rice and other sweet food.
In our sleeping quarters on land, two torches of white wax were kept constantly alight in two rather tall candlesticks. Two large lamps with oil and four burning wicks were also kept burning. After two days, we rode the elephants back to the seashore where we found two praus that took us back to the ships.
The city, except for the houses of the King and Governor, is built entirely in salt water and contains about 20-25 thousand hearths. The houses are all built up from the ground on pillars. When the tide is high, the women all go around on boats selling items to maintain life.
There is a large brick wall in front of the King’s palace with towers like a fort. In the towers were 56 bronze pieces of iron.(cannon). During the two days of our stay, many of the cannons were discharged.
The king is a Moor and his name is Rajah Siripada.(?)He is forty years old and fat. No one serves him except is daughters and chiefs. He never leaves the palace except to go hunting. He has ten scribes who write down his adventures on thin tree bark. These scribes are called xiritoles.
29 July 1521
On the shores of Brunei, the expedition encounters a large armada of the Prince of Luzon who happens to be the King of Brunei’s admiral. Captured, The Prince of Luzon bribes Carvalho for his freedom. The expedition deposes of Carvalho and places him behind bars. Espinosa is named the new captain-general of the expedition. Juan Sebastion Elcano assumes the position of Captain of the Victoria. Later accounts identify the Prince of Luzon as Rajah Matanda of Manila.
On the morning of the 29 July we saw over 100 praus divided into three squadrons and a like number of small boats (tunguli) coming toward us. Imagining there was a sort of trickery afloat, we hoisted our sails as quickly as possible, slipping an anchor in haste. We were especially concerned about the small junks who has anchored behind us during the night. We immediately turned on the tunguli capturing four of them and killing many people. Three or four junks sought safety by beaching themselves. In one of the junks, we captured the son of the King of the island of Luzon. He was the captain-general of the King of Brunei. He had come with those junks from a large city called Laoe which is located at the end of Borneo.
Joao Carvalho, our pilot, released the Captain and the junks without our consent for a certain sum of gold as we learned afterwards. Had the pilot not released the captain and junks to the king, the king would have given us whatever we asked. The Captain was extremely feared throughout the region, especially by the heathens who were very hostile to the Moorish King.
In the same port, there was another city inhabited by the heathens which is larger than that of the moors and built on stilts above the salt water. The heathen king is as powerful as the Moorish king but not as haughty and could be easily converted to the Christian faith.
When the Moorish king heard about how we treated the junks he sent us a message to the effect that the praus were not coming to do us any harm but they were going to attack the heathens. As proof, the Moors showed us the heads of some of the heathens.
We sent a message to the King of the Moors asking him to please allow two of our men who were in the city for the purposes of trade and the son of Joao Carvalho to come to us but the king refused.
We kept sixteen of the most important men of the junks to take to Spain plus three of the women. Joao Cavalho claimed the ladies for himself…..
Leaving the island, we looked for a suitable place to caulk the ships for they were leaking. One ship ran into some shoals due to the carelessness of the pilot. One sailor snuffed candles out near a keg of gunpowder. We captured a prau carrying coconuts bound for Borneo. Three other praus hid behind the other islands.
To be continued….
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