Singhapala (Maharlika Timeline)

Singhapala (Sugbonese: Kata sa Singapala, Maharlikan: Kota Singapora), known during the British era as Sabu City (Sugbonese: Kata Sugbu, Malay: Kota Sugbo) is a city in central Maharlika, on the island of Sugbu, or Cebu. Singhapala is one of the oldest cities in Maharlika, it derives from Old Sanskrit meaning &quot;lion&#39;s city&quot;, sharing the same etymology as Singapore. It was a powerful city-state, ruled by a rajah, according to Visayan and Maharlikan legend, Sri Lumay, a Malay-Tamil prince from the Indonesian island of Sumatra, rebelled against the Cholas and established the Rajahnate of Sugbu. Sri Lumay&#39;s alleged descendants have survived the turbulence of history. By the time that the Spaniards made contact with Rajah Tupas, the city was named Kota Sugbu, or &quot;scorched-earth&quot;, since the Hindu rajahnates of Visayas and Mindanao were at war with the Islamic sultanates.

Rajah Tupas and his uncle - the preceding rajah, Humabon, and his father Sri Parang the Limp, converted to Roman Catholicism, however in 1568, Rajah Adar from the Sultanate of Sulu attacked Sugbu, killed Humabon and adopted Rajah Tupas as his son, and had him converted to Islam by Malay missionaries. Thus, begins the Islamization of Sugbu, where the rajahnate becomes Muslim.

Kota Sugbu became the seat of the Muslim rajah, as Rajah Tupas&#39; descendants would invade and Islamize other Visayan rajahnates, to counter the Spaniards and their Christianizing efforts. During the reign of Maharajah Mohammad, the Rajahnate of Sugbu became a British special autonomous territory, and eventually, its transformation into a sultanate.

It is during the British era, when the seeds to modern-day Singhapala are planted, as the British, via Malayan, Indian and Arab migrants, helped build palaces, mosques, forts, schools and madrasahs in Kota Sugbu. The Istana Kesultanan Sugbu, or the Palace of the Sultans of Cebu, was built.

During the Philippine War of Independence, Kota Sugbu began receiving Christian Visayan visitors from the Catholic eastern Visayas, mostly Visayan revolutionaries involved in the formation of the short-lived Kingdom of Visayas, who wanted to form an independent kingdom ruled by the descendants of the indigenous Visayan royalty.

During World War II, the Japanese made failed attempts to raze Kota Sugbu to the ground, the entire city fought against the Japanese. After the Second World War, the Visayan Revolutionary Army, peacefully seized control of the city from the monarchy. At this point, Kota Sugbu was re-named back to Singhapala, and began to emerge as a multi-religious city, with influxes of Catholic and Christian migrants from eastern Visayas, as well as China, calling Singhapala their home. It became the capital city of the short-lived Republic of Visayas.

It became a major city within modern-day Maharlika, and is a city of major tourist, economic and business importance.