Batara Shah Tengah

Sultan Batara Shah Tengah (also known as Pangiran Tindig or Pangiran Tengah) was the 8th Sultan of Sulu. He reigned from 1596 to 1608, although some Sulu tarsilahs (genealogical records) state that his reign lasted from 1585 to 1600. He was the son of the previous sultan, Muhammad ul-Halim, also known as Pangiran Buddiman.

The title Batara in his name is a reference to Brunei annals, which used the term to identify rulers of Sulu, reflecting the intermarriage between the two royal houses. Shah may have been either his given name or an additional royal title, referencing the Persian royal designation. Tengah was another title, or an indication of birth order, signifying that he was positioned between an older and a younger brother.

During his reign, he was regarded as an intelligent and respected ruler of Sulu, as well as an advocate of Sharia law within his domains. His rule marked the end of the first phase of the Spanish–Moro conflict, a struggle that would last for three centuries during the Spanish colonisation of the Philippines. Moro raiding also became more frequent under his reign, with slave-raiding parties from among his subjects in Sulu attacking and devastating coastal settlements in the Philippines and surrounding areas.