Previously the Cirebon settlement was founded in 1445 by prince Cakrabuana, also known as raden (lord) Walangsungsang. Sunan Gunungjati (Sharif Hidayatullah) was an "ulama", an educated class of Muslim legal scholars. He was educated in the Middle East, and was the grandson of King of Sunda Sri Baduga Maharaja, also known as Prabu Siliwangi. In the early 16th century, Gunungjati arrived in the town of Banten Girang with the intention of spreading the word of Islam in this still Hindu-dominated area. Sharif Hidayatullah become the tumenggung (marquess) of Cirebon in 1479, succeeding his uncle and father-in-law Cakrabuana. In 1482 Sharif Hidayatullah sent a letter to his grandfather, proclaiming independence of Cirebon from Sunda Pajajaran. According to Suma Oriental, written in 1512–1515, Tomé Pires, a Portuguese explorer reported that the port of Banten still belonged to the Kingdom of Sunda, while Cirebon had been established as an Islamic state.