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