Factors that led to the Spanish Colonization of the Philippines

Development of banking and accumulation of capital in Europe * Rise of lending houses * Expansion of trade beyond Western Europe
Desire for spices * The primary motivation for Portugal and Spain to explore Asia * Increasing demand for improvement of European food and preservation * Exposure to spices from the east changed their taste preferences
Portugal and Spain search for new trade routes * Three principal silk trade routes carried European and Asian trade * Due to geographic location, Portugal and Spain found it easier to meet the challenges of maritime expansion compared to the rest of Western Europe * Vital missionary purpose accompanied new trade routes

The Crusades (1096-1272) * Originally a religious adventure to regain the Holy Land from the Muslims * Later developed into an enterprise
The Fall of Constantinople to the Muslim Turks (1453) * May 29, 1453 * The City of Constantinopole fell into the hands of Sultan Mohammad II and his Ottoman warriors * Trade routes to Asia were blocked driving the creation of new ones
The Reconquista and Spain’s desire to spread Catholicism * Reconquista - the movement to destroy Muslim power in the Iberian Peninsula * Ended with the capture of Granada (1492) * Manifested in the attempts of Portugal and Spain to convert pagans into catholics
Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) * Divided non-Christian lands into two spheres * Spain * Portugal * A demarcation line was drawn 370 leagues west of Cape Verde Islands. * East of the line - for Portugal * West of the line - for Spain * It Influenced Magellan to sail westward, allowing him to reach the Philippines.
The leadership of Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal * Inspired the maritime explorations of the 15th century * Gathered the best geographers and sailors of Europe * He established an observatory, a chapel, and a nautical school * He sent out an expedition to uncharted waters of the African coast

Renaissance - the revival of learning * Aristotle’s theory of the sphericity of the Earth * 17-volume geography compilation by Strabo * Ptolemy’s work on world geography, Greek geographer in Alexandria
Humanism * Dominating philosophy of the 16th century * Eroded the binding power of religion and stressed the development of the mind and heart, rather than the soul * The discovery and invention of more technologically-advanced navigational instruments * Mariner’s Compass - used by Italian navigators at the beginning of the 13th century * Astrolabe - sailing charts made available by the invention of the printing press * Quadrant - a device for measuring altitude * Portolani - sailing charts made available by the invention of the printing press * Quadrant - device for measuring altitude * Sextant - an instrument for determining the latitude and longitude

Travels to the east * Caprini and the Franciscan fathers (1192-1252) * William (1215-1270) * Odoric to Asia (1286-1331) * Increased the interest in the orient and its fabled treasures * Travel of Ibn Batuta (1304-1378) * Sheik of Morocco (1325-1353) * Travels to India, Malaya, and China * Travels of Marco Polo in China and Southeast Asia
Early Portuguese and Spanish voyages * Discovery of the Cape of Good Hope by Bartholomew Diaz (1487) * Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus (1492) * Discovery of a route going to Calicut, India by Vasco da Gama (1498) * Capture of Goa, India by Albuquerque (1510) * Exploration and conquest of the Moluccas and the Malay Peninsula by the Portuguese (1511) * Missionary exploits of St. Frances Xavier in Southeast Asia, Japan and China * Discovery of the Pacific Ocean by Balboa (1513)
Improvements in military and ship-building technology * More seaworthy ocean-going vessels and warships were built * Enabled European colonizers to organize a well-equipped military force * It eased the conquest of natives through the use of firearms and cannons * Encouraged more European expeditions to Asia