Philippine History :: Asian Asia History

Philippine HistorySpanish liquidation 1565 - 1898Ferdinand Magellan set out from Spain in 1519 on the first voyage to savvy the globe with five ships and a complement of 264 crew. Three years afterwards in 1522, only the one ship, the Victoria, returned to Spain with 18 men. The Philippines were the death of Magellan. The expedition spy the island of Samar on March 16, 1521. Magellan was welcomed by ii Rajas, Kolambu and Siagu. He named the islands the Archipelago of San Lazaro, erected a grade and claimed the lands for Spain. The friendly Rajas took Magellan to Cebu to meet Raja Humabon. Humabon and 800 Cebuanos were baptized as Christians. Magellan agreed to sustain Raja Humabon put down Lapu-Lapu, a rebellious datu on the nearby island of Mactan. In a battle between Spanish soldiers and Lapu-Lapus warriors, Magellan was killed on April 27, 1521. Disputes everywhere women caused relations between Raja Humabon and the remaining Spaniards to deteriorate. The Cebuanos killed 27 Spaniards in a skirmish and the Spaniards, deciding to resume their explorations, departed Cebu. For all its losses, the voyage was a huge financial success. The Victorias 26 ton cargo of cloves sold for 41,000 ducats. This returned the 20,000 ducats the threaten had cost plus a 105 percent profit. Four more expeditions followed between 1525 and 1542. The commander of the fourth expedition, Ruy Lopez de Villalobos, named the islands after Philip, heir to the Spanish bottom (r. Philip II 1556-1598). The Philippines was not formally organized as a Spanish colonization until 1565 when Philip II appointed Miguel Lopez de Legazpi the first Governor-General. Legazpi selected Manila for the capital of the colony in 1571 because of its fine natural harbour and the rich lands surrounding the city that could supply it with produce. The Spanish did not develop the wiliness potential of the Philippines unsophisticated or mineral resources. The colony was administered from Mexico and its commerce centered on the galleon trade between Canton and Acapulco in which Manila functioned secondarily as an entrepot. small Chinese junks brought silk and porcelain from Canton to Manila where the cargoes were re-loaded on galleons bound for Acapulco and the Spanish colonies in the Americas. The Chinese goods were paid for in Mexican silver. Spanish rule had two lasting effects on Philippine society the near planetary conversion of the population to Roman Catholicism and the creation of a set down elite.