By the beginning of the 17th century the Dutch had overthrown the sultanate of Ternate. They began to reduce the power of Spain and Portugal in the archipelago. In 1677 the Dutch conquered the Sangir archipelago. Two years later, Robert Padtbrugge, the governor of Maluku, visited Manado. He made an agreement with the Minahasan chiefs. This let the Dutch dominate for the next 300 years. However, direct rule by the Dutch only began in 1870. The Dutch helped unite the Minahasa confederation. In 1693 the Minahnians won a military victory against the Mongondow tribe in the south. Dutch influence increased and Christianity and European culture grew in Minahasa. The missionary schools in Manado in 1881 were one of the first attempts of mass education in Indonesia. Graduates of the schools could find work as civil servants, in the army, and in the Dutch East Indies government. Minahasa relations with the Dutch were often poor. There was a war between the Dutch and Tondano in 1807 and 1809. The Minahasa territory was not under Dutch direct rule until 1870. But eventually the Dutch and Minahasa became very close. So, Minahasa was often called the 12th Dutch province. Even in 1947, Manado formed the political movement of Twapro, short for Twaalfde Profincie (Twelfth Province) who wanted formal integration of Minahasa into the Kingdom of the Netherlands.