Captaincy General of the Philippines | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1565–1899 | |||||||||||
| Motto: Plus Ultra "Further Beyond" | |||||||||||
| Anthem: Marcha Real (1770–1899) "Royal March" | |||||||||||
Lesser coat of arms: | |||||||||||
.jpg) | |||||||||||
| Status | Captaincy General of theSpanish Empire
| ||||||||||
| Capital |
| ||||||||||
| Official languages | Spanish | ||||||||||
| Common languages | Philippine languages Micronesian languages Hokkien Other immigrant languages | ||||||||||
| Religion | Catholicism(state religion) Islam Philippine Traditional Religion | ||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||
| King | |||||||||||
• 1565–1598(first) | Philip II | ||||||||||
• 1886–1899(last) | Alfonso XIII | ||||||||||
| Governor-General | |||||||||||
• 1565–1572(first) | Miguel López de Legazpi | ||||||||||
• 1899(last) | Diego de los Ríos | ||||||||||
| Legislature | Cortes Generales | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| 27 April 1565 | |||||||||||
| 15 March 1646 | |||||||||||
| 24 September 1762 | |||||||||||
| 20 January 1872 | |||||||||||
| 23 August 1896 | |||||||||||
| 12 June 1898 | |||||||||||
| 13 August 1898 | |||||||||||
| 10 December 1898 | |||||||||||
• Philippine–American War brokes out | 4 February 1899 | ||||||||||
• Withdrawal of Spanish forces[1] | 3 June 1899 | ||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||
• 1896[2] estimate | 6,261,339 | ||||||||||
| Currency | Spanish dollar Spanish peseta | ||||||||||
| Time zone | 16 to 12 hours behindGMT (27 April 1565–30 December 1844) 8 to 12 hours ahead of GMT (1 January 1845 onwards) | ||||||||||
| ISO 3166 code | PH | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Today part of |  Philippines | ||||||||||
TheCaptaincy General of the Philippines[a] was an administrative district of theSpanish Empire inSoutheast Asia governed by agovernor-general as a dependency of theViceroyalty of New Spain based inMexico City untilMexican independence when it was transferred directly toMadrid.
Also known as theCaptaincy General of theSpanish East Indies, which included among others thePhilippine Islands, theMariana Islands, and theCaroline Islands. It was founded in 1565 with the first permanent Spanish forts.
For centuries, all the administrative, political and economic aspects of the Captaincy General were administered inMexico City by theViceroyalty of New Spain for theSpanish Crown. However, in 1821, following theindependence of the Mexican Empire, all control was transferred toMadrid. It was succeeded by the short-livedFirst Philippine Republic following its independence through thePhilippine Revolution.
After a long, tolling voyage across thePacific Ocean,Ferdinand Magellan reached the island ofGuam on 6 March 1521 and anchored the three ships that were left of his fleet inUmatac Bay, before proceeding to the Philippines, where he met his death during theBattle of Mactan.Antonio Pigafetta, the expedition's chronicler and one of only 18 original crew members to survive Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe, recorded all details of the voyage.
Miguel López de Legazpi arrived in Umatac in 1565 and claimed the island of Guam for Spain, before proceeding to the Philippines, where, in a short period of time, they successfully incorporated into Spain's empireCebu,Samar, Mazaua,Leyte, andBohol, before conqueringManila.
Later (in 1569), Miguel López de Legazpi transferred the Spanish headquarters fromCebu toPanay, where they found allies, who were never conquered by Spain but were accomplished as vassals by means of pacts, peace treaties, and reciprocal alliances.[3] On 5 June 1569,Guido de Lavezaris, the royal treasurer in the archipelago, wrote to Philip II reporting about the Portuguese attack on Cebu in the preceding autumn. A letter from another official, Andres de Mirandaola (dated three days later, on 8 June), also described briefly this encounter with thePortuguese. The danger of another attack led the Spaniards to remove their camp from Cebu toPanay, which they considered a safer place. Legazpi himself, in his report to the Viceroy in New Spain (dated 1 July 1569), mentioned the same reason for the relocation of Spaniards to Panay.[4] It was inPanay that the conquest ofLuzon was planned, and launched on 8 May 1570.[5] Two of Lepazpi's lieutenant-commanders,Martín de Goiti andJuan de Salcedo, conqueredLuzon's northern region.
Several Pacific islands were claimed by Spain during the 16th century, including theCaroline Islands byToribio Alonso de Salazar in 1526,Palau byRuy López de Villalobos in 1543,Bonin Islands byBernardo de la Torre in 1543,New Guinea byYñigo Ortiz de Retez in 1545,Solomon Islands byPedro Sarmiento de Gamboa in 1568,New Hebrides byPedro Fernandes de Queirós in 1606, andMarquesas Islands byÁlvaro de Mendaña de Neira in 1595, although Spain did not make any serious attempt to establish permanent settlements in them until the 18th century.
In 1574, the Captaincy General of the Philippines was created as a dependency of theViceroyalty of New Spain. In 1584, theReal Audiencia of Manila was established by King Felipe II, who appointed as its president the same governor of the Captaincy General of the Philippines. The Captaincy General had its capital in Cebu from 1565 to 1595, and in Manila from 1595 until 1898.
As part of theextensive governmental reforms during the early Bourbon period throughout the overseas possessions, anIntendencia was established in Manila by Royal Decree of 17 July 1784 that handled issues regarding the government finances and to promote the economy. Ciriaco González Carbajal was appointed asOidor of the Audiencia of Manila and was instructed to abide by the Royal Ordinance of Mayors of 1782, that had been enacted inRio de la Plata. Carbajal proposed the establishment of more Intendencias inIlocos,Camarines,Iloilo, andCebu, and although they were created on 24 November 1786, they were later abolished by the Royal Decree of 20 November 1787.[6] A month earlier, on 23 October, the Intendencia of Manila had been attached to the Captaincy General of the Philippines.[7]
Until 1822, all General Captains were civilians, but after that year they were always chosen among the military. Throughout the second half of the 19th century, there were established many dependent local government offices and military settlements, very numerous due to a large number of islands and the extent of the districts.
| Level of government | Headed by | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish Empire | Monarch of Spain | Civil and Spiritual Authority (through Royal Patronage) |
| Council of Indies |
| |
| Viceroyalty of New Spain (abolished afterMexico gained independence in 1821) | Viceroy of New Spain | Governed New Spain on the King's behalf |
| Central Government inManila | Captain General |
|
| Archbishop of Manila |
| |
| Real Audiencia de Manila |
| |
| Local government | ||
| Provincia/Alcaldía Mayor | Bishops of Suffragan Dioceses | |
| Alcalde Mayor (for Provinces) |
| |
| Corregidor (for Districts) |
| |
| Junta Provincial (1893–1898) |
| |
| Pueblo/Municipio | Gobernadorcillo |
|
| Capitan Municipal (1893–1898) |
| |
| Tribunal Municipal (1893–1898) | Municipal council composed of the municipal captain, the chief lieutenant, the lieutenant of police, the lieutenant of fields and the lieutenant of livestock, all of which were elected by the residents of the municipio | |
| Barangay | Cabeza de Barangay |
|
The Spanish quickly organized their new colony according to their model. The first task was the reduction, or relocation of indigenous Filipinos into settlements. The earliest political system used during theconquista period was theencomienda system, which resembled the feudal system in medieval Europe. The conquistadores, friars and native nobles were granted estates, in exchange for their services to the King, and were given the privilege to collect tribute from its inhabitants. In return, the person granted theencomienda, known as anencomendero, was tasked to provide military protection to the inhabitants, justice and governance. In times of war, theencomendero was duty bound to provide soldiers for the King, in particular, for the complete defense of the colony from potential invasions of outside powers such as theDutch,British, andChinese. Theencomienda system was abused byencomenderos and by 1700 was largely replaced by administrative provinces, each headed by analcalde mayor (provincial governor).[9] The most prominent feature of Spanish cities was the plaza, a central area for town activities such as the fiesta, and where government buildings, the church, a market area and other infrastructures were located. Residential areas lay around the plaza. During theconquista, the first task of colonization was the reduction, or relocation of the indigenous population into settlements surrounding the plaza.
On the national level or social class, theKing of Spain, via hisCouncil of the Indies (Consejo de las Indias), governed through his representative in the Philippines, theGovernor-General of the Philippines (Gobernador y Capitán General). With the seat of power inIntramuros, Manila, the Governor-General was given several duties: head of the supreme court, theRoyal Audiencia of Manila; Commander-in-chief of the army and navy, and the economic planner of the country.[citation needed] All executive power of the local government stemmed from him and asregal patron, he had the authority to supervise mission work and overseeecclesiastical appointments. His yearly salary was 40,000 pesos. The Governor-General was commonly apeninsular Spaniard, a Spaniard born in Spain, to ensure loyalty of the colony to the crown.
On the local level, heading the pacified provinces (alcaldías), was the provincial governor (alcalde mayor). The unpacified military zones (corregimiento), such asMariveles andMindoro, were headed by thecorregidores. City governments (ayuntamientos), were also headed by analcalde mayor.Alcaldes mayores andcorregidores exercised multiple prerogatives as judge, inspector ofencomiendas, chief of police, tribute collector, capitan-general of the province, and even vice-regal patron. Their annual salary ranged from P300 to P2000 before 1847 and P1500 to P1600 after 1847. This could be augmented through the special privilege of "indulto de commercio" where all people were forced to do business with him. Thealcalde mayor was usually anInsular (Spaniard born in the Philippines). In the 19th century, thePeninsulares began to displace theInsulares, which resulted in the political unrests of 1872, notably the1872 Cavite mutiny and theGomburza executions.
Thepueblo or town was headed by theGobernadorcillo or little governor. Among his administrative duties were the preparation of the tribute list (padron), recruitment and distribution of men for draft labor, communal public work and military conscription (quinto), postal clerk and judge in minor civil suits. He intervened in all administrative cases pertaining to his town: lands, justice, finance and the municipal police. His annual salary, however, was only P24 but he was exempted from taxation. Any native or Chinese mestizo, who is a member of theprincipalía, is 25 years old, proficient in oral or written Spanish and has been acabeza de barangay of 4 years can be agobernadorcillo.
Any member of thePrincipalía, who speaks or who has knowledge of the Spanish language and has been aCabeza de Barangay of 4 years can be aGobernadorcillo. Among those prominent isEmilio Aguinaldo, achinese mestizo,[10] and who was theGobernadorcillo of Cavite El Viejo (nowKawit). The officials of the pueblo were proficient. taken from thePrincipalía, the noble class of pre-colonial origin. Their names are survived by prominent families in contemporary Philippine society such as Duremdes, Lindo, Apalisok, Tupas, Gatmaitan, Liwanag, Mallillin, Pangilinan, Panganiban, Balderas, Zabarte and Agbayani,Aguinaldo to name a few.[citation needed]
Every barangay was further divided into "barrios", and thebarrio government (village or district) rested on thebarrio administrator (cabeza de barangay). He was responsible for peace and order, recruited men for communal public works, and collecting the barrio's taxes.Cabezas should be literate in Spanish and have good moral character and property. Cabezas who served for 25 years were exempted from forced labor.
In addition, this is where the sentiment heard as, "Mi Barrio", first came from.
To check the abuse of power of royal officials, two ancient Castilian institutions were brought to the Philippines: theResidencia, dating back to the 5th century, and theVisita, which differed from theresidencia in that it was conducted clandestinely by avisitador-general sent from Spain and might occur anytime within the official's term, without any previous notice.Visitas could be specific or general.
The legal foundation for municipal governments in the country was laid with the promulgation of theMaura Law on 19 May 1893. Named after its author, DonAntonio Maura, the SpanishMinister of Colonies at the time, the law reorganized town governments in the Philippines with the aim of making them more effective and autonomous. This law created the municipal organization that was later adopted, revised, and further strengthened by the American and Filipino governments that succeeded Spanish.
Until the second half of the 18th century, there were 24 provinces, 19alcaldías mayores and fivecorregimientos:[11]
.svg)
Until the second half of the 19th century, there existed the administrative units:
Spanish rule in the Philippines ceased in 1898 after the war with the United States, which annexed most territories, although the administrative jurisdictions remained intact.
Most of the remaining territories in the Pacific Ocean were sold to Germany during theGerman-Spanish Treaty of 1899.
Manila was the western hub of thetrans-Pacific trade.[12]Manila galleons were constructed inBicol andCavite.[13][14] Trade between Spain and the Philippines was via thePacific Ocean to Mexico (Manila toAcapulco), and then across theCaribbean Sea andAtlantic Ocean to Spain (Veracruz toCádiz). Manila became a major center of trade in Asia between the 17th and 18th centuries. All sorts of products fromChina,Japan,Brunei, theMaluku Islands, and evenIndia were sent to Manila to be sold for silver 8-real coins which came aboard the galleons from Acapulco. These goods, includingsilk,porcelain,spices,lacquerware, and textile products were then sent to Acapulco and from there to other parts ofNew Spain,Peru, and Europe.
The Manila-Acapulco galleon trade was the main source of income for the colony during its early years. Service was inaugurated in 1565 and continued into the early 19th century. The galleon trade brought silver from New Spain, which was used to purchase Asian goods such as silk from China, spices from the Moluccas, lacquerware from Japan, and Philippinecotton textiles.[15] These goods were then exported to New Spain and ultimately Europe by way of Manila. Thus, the Philippines earned its income through the trade of the Manila-Acapulco galleons. To Spain, the galleon trade was the link that bound the Philippines to her.[16]
While the trade did bring some results which were beneficial to the Philippines, most effects were disadvantageous.[17] However, the trade did result in cultural and commercial exchanges between Asia and the Americas that led to the introduction of new crops and animals to the Philippines such as tomatoes,avocado,guava,papaya,pineapple, and horses.[17] These gave the colony its first real income. The trade lasted for over two hundred years, and ceased in 1815 just before the secession of American colonies from Spain.[18]
José de Basco y Vargas, following a royal order to form a society of intellectuals who can produce new, useful ideas, formally established the Spanish Royal Economic Society of Friends of the Country, after the model of theRoyal Basque Society. Composed of leading men in local and foreign scholarships and training grants in agriculture and established an academy of design. It was also credited to the carabao ban of 1782, the formation of the silversmiths and gold beaters guild and the construction of the first paper mill in the Philippines in 1825. It was introduced in 1780, vanished temporarily in 1787–1819, 1820–1822 and 1875–1822, and ceased to exist in the middle of the 1890s.
On 10 March 1785, KingCharles III of Spain confirmed the establishment of the Royal Philippine Company with a 25-year charter.[19] After revoking the Royal Guipuzcoan Company of Caracas that had a monopoly on Venezuelan trade, theBasque-based company was granted a monopoly on the importation of Chinese and Indian goods into the Philippines, as well as the shipping of the goods directly to Spain via theCape of Good Hope. The Dutch and British both bitterly opposed it because they saw the company as a direct attack on their trade in Asia. It also faced the hostility of the traders of the galleon trade who saw it as competition. This gradually resulted in the death of both institutions: the Royal Philippine Company in 1814 and the galleon trade in 1815.[20]
The first vessel of the Royal Philippine Company to set sail was the "Nuestra Señora de los Placeres" commanded by the captain Juan Antonio Zabaleta.[21]
Also there was thebandalâ (from the Tagalog wordmandalâ, a round stack of rice stalks to be threshed), an annual forced sale and requisitioning of goods such as rice. Custom duties and income tax were also collected. By 1884, the tribute was replaced by thecedula personal, wherein everyone over 18 were required to pay for personal identification.[22] The localgobernadorcillos were responsible for collection of the tribute. Under the cedula system taxpayers were individually responsible to Spanish authorities for payment of the tax, and were subject to summary arrest for failure to show a cedula receipt.[23]
Aside from paying a tribute, all male Filipinos as well as Chinese immigrants from 16 to 60 years old were obliged to render forced labor called "polo". This labor lasted for 40 days a year, later reduced to 15 days. It took various forms such as the building and repairing of roads and bridges, construction of public buildings and churches, cutting timber in the forest, working in shipyards, and serving as soldiers in military expeditions. People who rendered the forced labor was called "polistas". He could be exempted by paying the "falla" which is a sum of money. The polista were according to law, to be given a daily rice ration during their working days which they often did not receive.[24]
_Reception-Taft.jpg)
Spanish rule of the Philippines was constantly threatened by indigenous rebellions and invasions from theDutch,Chinese,Japanese, andBritish. The previously dominant groups resisted Spanish rule, refusing to pay Spanish taxes and rejecting Spanish excesses. All were defeated by the Spanish and their Filipino allies by 1597. In many areas, the Authorities left indigenous groups to administer their own affairs but under Spanish overlordship.
From its inception, the Captaincy General of the Philippines was governed fromMexico City as part of theViceroyalty of New Spain. However, following Mexican independence in 1821, the Philippines and other Spanish Pacific islands were ruled directly fromMadrid. The loss of supply routes and trading posts via Mexico presented logistical issues to the Spanish government in Madrid, isolating the Philippines and rendering them more difficult to govern efficiently.
The resistance against Spain did not immediately cease upon the conquest of the Austronesian cities. After Rajah Patis ofCebu, some indigenous Filipino nobles resisted Spanish rule. Throughout their rule, Madrid and the government in Manila had facednumerous revolts across the country, most of which they had successfully quelled while others were won through agreements with the leaders of the revolts themselves.
TheSpanish–Moro conflict lasted for several hundred years. In the last quarter of the 19th century, Spain conquered portions ofMindanao andJolo,[25] and theMoro Muslims in theSultanate of Sulu formally recognized Spanish sovereignty.[26][27]
During theBritish occupation of Manila (1762–1764),Diego Silang was appointed by them as governor ofIlocos and after his assassination by fellow Filipinos, his wifeGabriela continued to lead the Ilocanos in the fight against Spanish rule. Resistance against Spanish rule was regional in character, based on ethnolinguistic groups.[28]
Hispanization did not spread to the mountainous center of northern Luzon (Except in Some areas), nor to the inland communities of Mindanao.
Freemasonry had gained a substantial following in Europe and the Americas during the 19th century and found its way to the Philippines. The Western World was quickly changing, and sought less political control from theCatholic Church.
The first Filipino Masonic lodge wasRevolución. It was established byGraciano López Jaena inBarcelona and was recognized in April 1889. It did not last long after he resigned from being its Worshipful Master on 29 November 1889.
In December 1889,Marcelo H. del Pilar established theSolidaridad in Madrid with the help ofJulio Llorente, its first Worshipful Master. A short time later, theSolidaridad grew, and some of its members includedJosé Rizal, Pedro Serrano Laktaw, Baldomero Roxas, andGalicano Apacible.
In 1891, Del Pilar sent Laktaw to the Philippines to establish a Masonic lodge. Laktaw established theNilad on 6 January 1892, the first lodge in the islands. It is estimated that by 1893, there were 35 Masonic lodges in the Philippines, of which nine were in Manila. The firstFilipina Freemason was Rosario Villaruel. Rizal's sisters Trinidad and Josefa,Marina Dizon, Romualda Lanuza, Purificación Leyva, and many other women join the Masonic movement.
Freemasonry was important during thePhilippine Revolution, as it pushed the reform movement and carried out propaganda work. Many of those who supported outright revolution were Freemasons likeAndrés Bonifacio. In fact, the organizational framework used by Bonifacio for theKatipunan was derived from Masonic structures. It may be said that joining Masonry was one activity that both reformists and the Katipuneros shared, despite their differing views.
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)[verification needed]