Tidore

Tidore is a volcanic island in the northern Moluccas, near Ternate and Halmahera. It became the centre of a sultanate supported by the spice trade. Islam spread on Tidore around the late fifteenth century, though Islamic influence in the region reached further back. The sultanate's relations with neighbouring Ternate combined close connections and rivalry.

Tidore's rulers held much of southern Halmahera and at times exercised authority over islands farther east. In the sixteenth century they allied with Spain, whose forts on Tidore helped counter Ternate and its Dutch allies. The alliance also gave Spain a base near Dutch power and access to spices. Local rulers thus navigated both regional competition and the growing presence of European powers.