Changes

*''Established: [[1571]]''

*''Established (as a Spanish city): [[1571]]''

Manila was the center of the Spanish colony in the Philippines, and remains the capital of the independent Philippines today. In the early modern period, it was a major center of Spanish, and thus [[Christianity|Catholic]], activity in the region, and one of the main transshipment points between Asia and the New World for the [[Manila galleons]] (aka Acapulco galleons).

Manila was the center of the Spanish colony in the Philippines, and remains the capital of the independent Philippines today. In the early modern period, it was a major center of Spanish, and thus [[Christianity|Catholic]], activity in the region, and one of the main transshipment points between Asia and the New World for the [[Manila galleons]] (aka Acapulco galleons).

The Spanish first arrived in the Philippines in [[1565]], and established the city in [[1571]] after seizing Luzon Island. Like other areas in the region, Manila was plagued by pirates and privateers for the remainder of the 16th century, and into the 17th. [[Lim Ah Hong]] was perhaps among the more prominent pirates in the area; he led a fleet of some sixty junks in a series of attacks on the Spanish in [[1574]] which is notable but was ultimately unsuccessful.<ref>Matt Matsuda, ''Pacific Worlds'', University of Cambridge Press (2012), 106-107.</ref> Manila Bay and surrounding waters also saw numerous clashes between Spanish and [[VOC|Dutch]] ships, beginning in [[1600]] if not earlier.

The Spanish first arrived in the Philippines in [[1565]], and after seizing Luzon Island in [[1571]] made Manila the capital of their new colony. The city had already been an active port prior to that, however, under Muslim rulers surrounded by a countryside where animism dominated.<ref>Anthony Reid, "Early Southeast Asian categorizations of Europeans," in Stuart Schwartz (ed.), ''Implicit Understandngs: Observing, Reporting, and Reflecting on the Encounters Between Europeans and Other Peoples in the Early Modern Era'', Cambridge University Press (1994), 271.</ref> Like other areas in the region, Manila was plagued by pirates and privateers for the remainder of the 16th century, and into the 17th. [[Lim Ah Hong]] was perhaps among the more prominent pirates in the area; he led a fleet of some sixty junks in a series of attacks on the Spanish in [[1574]] which is notable but was ultimately unsuccessful.<ref>Matt Matsuda, ''Pacific Worlds'', University of Cambridge Press (2012), 106-107.</ref> Manila Bay and surrounding waters also saw numerous clashes between Spanish and [[VOC|Dutch]] ships, beginning in [[1600]] if not earlier.

The city was also home to one of the largest ''[[Nihonmachi]]'' (Japantowns) in Southeast Asia at that time; boasting some 1,500 Japanese at its peak, this community was roughly the same size as that in the Siamese capital of [[Ayutthaya]].<ref>At that same time, Manila was also home to around 20,000 Chinese. Uezato Takashi. "The Formation of the Port City of Naha in Ryukyu and the World of Maritime Asia: From the Perspective of a Japanese Network." ''Acta Asiatica'' 95 (2008). p70.; Gunn, 222-223.</ref> The community began in the late 16th century, at a time when Catholicism was earning many converts in Japan, particularly in Kyushu, and when some thousands of Japanese were actively trading and traveling between Japan and Southeast Asia, or otherwise living in diaspora. Around [[1590]], Governor Gomez Pedro Dasmarino began to impose restrictions on the Japanese living in Manila, and around the same time, Japanese residents, such as [[Harada Quimon]], petitioned [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]] to invade and conquer the Philippines. Hideyoshi is known to have sent at least one threatening letter, but never actually launched any attempts to attack the Philippines.

The city was also home to one of the largest ''[[Nihonmachi]]'' (Japantowns) in Southeast Asia at that time; boasting some 1,500 Japanese at its peak, this community was roughly the same size as that in the Siamese capital of [[Ayutthaya]].<ref>At that same time, Manila was also home to around 20,000 Chinese. Uezato Takashi. "The Formation of the Port City of Naha in Ryukyu and the World of Maritime Asia: From the Perspective of a Japanese Network." ''Acta Asiatica'' 95 (2008). p70.; Gunn, 222-223.</ref> The community began in the late 16th century, at a time when Catholicism was earning many converts in Japan, particularly in Kyushu, and when some thousands of Japanese were actively trading and traveling between Japan and Southeast Asia, or otherwise living in diaspora. Around [[1590]], Governor Gomez Pedro Dasmarino began to impose restrictions on the Japanese living in Manila, and around the same time, Japanese residents, such as [[Harada Quimon]], petitioned [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]] to invade and conquer the Philippines. Hideyoshi is known to have sent at least one threatening letter, but never actually launched any attempts to attack the Philippines.

Spanish and Japanese trading ships continued to travel between Manila and [[Nagasaki]], connecting the two cities in a rather active trade, and the Japanese community, though small, remained influential as it did in many other Southeast Asian ports. By [[1603]], the Japanese community numbered around 800, and played some role in quelling an uprising by the local Chinese. Three years later, in [[1606]], the Japanese themselves rose up, at a time when the Spanish governor was absent. Though this rebellion could have thus presented a serious threat to Spanish control, it ultimately came to nothing, and another rebellion the following year was crushed, with the ''Nihonmachi'' being burned to the ground.

Spanish and Japanese trading ships continued to travel between Manila and [[Nagasaki]], connecting the two cities in a rather active trade, and the Japanese community, though small, remained influential as it did in many other Southeast Asian ports. By [[1603]], the Japanese community numbered around 800, and played some role in quelling an uprising by the local Chinese. Three years later, in [[1606]], the Japanese themselves rose up, at a time when the Spanish governor was absent. Though this rebellion could have thus presented a serious threat to Spanish control, it ultimately came to nothing, and another rebellion the following year was crushed, with the ''Nihonmachi'' being burned to the ground.