History of Sabah - Pre-16th Century

Pre-16th Century

Prior to the expansion of the Sultanate of Brunei most of the coastal region of Borneo has been either ruled or claimed as part of various Hindu communities or kingdoms from around Southeast Asia. However it is uncertain whether the influence of these kingdoms had ever reached the coasts of present-day Sabah.

During the 7th century CE, a settled community known as Vijayapura, a tributary to the Srivijaya empire, was thought to have been the earliest beneficiary to the Bruneian Empire existing around the northeast coast of Borneo.

Another kingdom which was suspected to have existed according to Chinese records beginning the 9th century was P'o-ni. It was believed that Po-ni existed at the mouth of Brunei River and was the predecessor to the Sultanate of Brunei.

The Brunei Annals in 1410 mentioned about a Chinese settlement or province centering in the Kinabatangan Valley in the east coast surrounding Kinabatangan River founded by a man known as Huang Senping. This is consistent with the recent discovery of timber coffins in the Agop Batu Tulug cave in the Kinabatangan Valley. The coffins, adorned with carvings believed to resemble similar cultural practices in China and Vietnam, are believed to date back from around 700 to 1,000 years ago (11th to 14th century).

From the 14th to the 16th century, the Majapahit empire expanded its influence towards Brunei and most of the coastal region of Borneo. Sometime around the late 15th to 18th century, the seafaring Bajau-Suluk people arrived from the Sulu archipelago and had settled on the coasts of Sabah. It is believed that they were fleeing from the oppression of the Spanish colonist in that region.