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Manila - History |
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Long before the arrival of the Spaniards headed by Adelantado Governor Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in Manila in 1571, a town called "Maynilad" (from the word "nild") was flourish. Pre-Spanish Maynilad was originally a Moslem settlement ruled by a Moslem sultan, Rajah Sulayman of Borneon nobility. It was a small but a prosperous trading port lying between two great bodies of water, Pasig river and Manila Bay. When the Spaniards heard of this Moslem settlement on the shore of a great bay in Luzon, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi (who at that time was in Panay Island) sent forth his men headed by marshall Martin de Goiti and Captain Juan de Salcedo to the first expedition to Maynilad on May 8, 1570. Upon arrival in Maynilad, the Spanish Fleet was welcomed and feted by the friendly Filipino-Moslem natives. However, the morning of May 24, 1570 proved to be a red day for the two races - for there was a fierce battle; thus the Spaniards defeated the natives and conquered Maynilad under the name of the King of Spain. But courageous and high-spirited Filipino-Moslems who fled to nearby Bagumbayan and Tondo didn't lose hope in fighting back the Spaniards to retake Maynilad. On the other hand, Martin de Goiti did not stay long in Maynilad. So the following year, in 1571, Governor General Miguel Lopez de Legazpi brought his entire force to Maynilad and for the second time conquered Maynilad on June 24, 1571 - proclaiming it as the country's capital and permanent seat of the Spanish government in the East. As a result of these successive conquests; Adelantado Governor Miguel Lopez de Legazpi ordered the creation of a municipal government of "Cabildo", set of Spanish style houses, monasteries, nunneries, churches and schools - thus gave birth to "Intramuros" - the "Ever Loyal and Distinguished City of Spain in the Orient."
The Manila area became the centre of anti-Spanish sentiment in the 1890s, and the execution of Filipino patriot Jose Rizal in the city in December 1896 sparked a year-long insurrection. During the Spanish-American War the Spanish fleet was defeated at Manila Bay on May 1, 1898, and on August 13 the city surrendered to U.S. forces. It subsequently became the headquarters for the U.S. administration of the Philippines. The U.S. period was one of general social and economic improvement for the city. U.S. policy encouraged gradual Filipino political autonomy, and to help achieve this goal public schools were established in Manila and throughout the archipelago. The University of the Philippines, founded in 1908, became the apex of the educational system. The city developed into a major trading and tourist centre. Upon the outbreak of World War II, Manila was declared an open city and was occupied by the Japanese in January 1942. The city suffered little damage during the Japanese invasion but was levelled to the ground during the fight for its recapture by U.S. forces in 1945. Manila was in shambles when in 1946 it became the capital of the newly independent Republic of the Philippines. The city was rapidly rebuilt, however, with U.S. aid. A significant change in its appearance was brought about by industrialization. In 1948 suburban Quezon City was chosen as the site of a new national capital, but in 1976 Manila again became the capital and the permanent seat of the national government. |
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The propagation of Roman Catholicism began with the Augustinian friar Andres de Urdaneta, who accompanied the expedition of 1571. He was followed by Franciscan, Dominican, Jesuit, and other Augustinian priests, who founded churches, convents, and schools. In 1574 Manila was baptized under the authorization of Spain and the Vatican as the "Distinguished and Ever Loyal City" and became the centre of Catholicism as well as of the Philippines. At various periods Manila was seriously threatened, and sometimes occupied, by foreign powers. It was invaded by the Chinese in 1574 and raided by the Dutch in the mid-17th century. In 1762, during the Seven Years' War, the city was captured and held by the British, but the Treaty of Paris (1763) resulted in its restoration to Spain. It was opened to foreign trade in 1832, and commerce was further stimulated by the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.
