Hi,
I've made a lot of changes, so please read carefully.
You might like to consider whether this colonization was a good thing or a bad thing for the native people of the Philippines.
Best wishes, Clive
My report on Chapter 4 is about “How the Spaniards invaded and colonized the Philippines”
Spain’s invasion and colonization ofn the Philippines was started when King Philip II decided to colonize the Philippines to enhanceSpain's imperial glory and spread Christianity among the natives. He ordered the Spanish colony of Mexico to prepare an expedition to the Philippines, to be led by Miguel Lopez De Legazpi and Father Andres De Urdaneta as their spiritual chief.
In a meeting between Legazpi and the officers of his expedition, they decided that Cebu was where they would establish a Spanish settlement. Legazpi arrived in Cebu in February 1565, but because of the hostility of the natives he decided to go to the nearby islands (Samar, Leyte, Limasawa, Camiguin, Minadanao, Bohol) to search for food. When his efforts to make a peaceful landing failed in Cebu, Legazpi attacked the Cebuanos, He did not punish the natives but urged them to live peacefully with the Spaniards. His efforts succeeded. He and the Cebuanos’ leader signed a peace agreement by which the Cebuanos agreed to pay tribute to the King of Spain as their sovereign.
Later on, Legazpi decided to move to Panay because the Spanish were being harassed by the Portuguese and were unable to obtain sufficient food in Cebu.
After establishing himself in Panay, Legazpi dispatched Father Urdaneta to look for a way back to Mexico. Father Urdaneta successfully found a return route to Mexico Sailing northeastward, he crossed the Pacific ocean, reached the coast of California and sailed southward down the coast to Mexico, reaching the port of Navidad on October 1, 1565 . This discovery of the return route enabled Spain to send additional help. A year later, Legazpi received his first reinforcements.
While in Cebu and Panay, Legazpi learned of a wealthy Muslim kingdom (Was it a kingdom? A kingdom has a King. Maybe just say 'a country'?) in Luzon named Maynila. The glowing information from traders about this kingdom attracted the interest of Legazpi, so he sent Spanish troops commanded by Martin De Goiti, with his grandson Juan de Salcedo, to colonize Manila.
When they arrived, they were welcomed by the leaders of Manila, Rajah Soliman and Rajah Matanda, but Soliman was suspicious of the motives of the Spaniards. He did not like the idea that they would require him to acknowledge the sovereignty of Spain and to pay tribute to the Spanish king. This lack of trust led to an armed clash between the Spaniards and the natives. Goiti’s soldiers were not strong enough to hold Manila, so he decided to retreat and report back to Legazpi. Goiti suggested that Legazpi himself should lead the conquest of Manila.
In May 1571, the second Spanish expedition commanded by Legazpi arrived off Manila. Its colonization was successfully and peacefully achieved due to the large army brought by Legazpi. Late, Legazpi moved his headquarters to Manila and, on June 24, 1571, he made it the capital of the Philippines. King Philip II gave Manila a new name – 'Insigne y Siempre Leal Ciudad' which means 'Distinguished and Ever Loyal City'.
From Manila, Legazpi sent a military expedition to different parts of Luzon to explore and bring these areas under the Spanish rule. Legazpi also sent his grandson Salcedo to Southern Luzon and subsequently to Northern Luzon. While Juan De Salcedo was busy conquering Northern Luzon, Legazpi died in Manila on August 20, 1572. He had successfully settled bases in many regions and had played an outstanding role in the colonization of the Philippines. Salcedo died on March 11, 1578, at the age of 27. Before he died, he helped saved Manila from the invasion of the Chinese pirate Limahong in 1574. History honors Legazpi and Salcedo as great colonizers. Well, Spanish and European historians probably do, but what do Philippino historians say about it?
Nature of Spanish Colonization.
In the colonization of the Philippines, the Spaniards were not brutal and cruel to the natives, unlike the Spanish conquistadores who conquered Mexico. Credit for this goes to Legazpi, who acted in obedience to his instructions from the King.
It took Spain only a little over decade to establish their rule in the Philippines because the natives, although they greatly outnumbered the Spaniards, were no match for the fighting skills of the latter whose guns and cannons proved superior to the natives’ bolos, lances and arrows. But not all the natives accepted the Spanish rule, some of the natives fight back. The Igorots and many other mountain tribes proved to be a thorn on the side of the Spanish authorities.