Factors that led to the Spanish Colonization of the Philippines

Factors that led to the Spanish Colonization of the Philippines

Economic Interests

• 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

Political and Religious Concerns

• 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

Scientific and Secular Pursuits

• 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

Other Factors

• 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