 Early in his reign, the Sultan dispatched fleets to subjugate Buru, Ceram, and parts of Ambon; and in 1580 the chiefdoms in North Sulawesi were subordinated.Local tradition says that Ternate used a combination of interference in internal power struggles and marriage politics to gain influence.King Humonggilu of Limboto called in Ternatan assistance to defeat his adversary Pongoliwu of Gorontalo, then marrying Babullah's sister Jou Mumin.