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History of the Philippines (900–1565)

The recorded pre-colonialhistory of the Philippinesbegins with the creation of theLaguna Copperplate Inscriptionin 900 and ends withthe beginning of Spanish colonizationin 1565. The inscription records its date of creation in 822Saka(900 CE). The discovery of this document marks the end of theprehistory of the Philippinesat 900 AD. During this historical time period, the Philippine archipelago was home to numerous kingdoms and sultanates and was a part of theIndosphereandSinosphere.[1][2][3][4]

Pre-colonial era of the Philippines
HorizonPhilippine history
Geographical rangeSoutheast Asia
Periodc.900–1560s
Datesc. Before 900 CE
Major sitesTondo,Maynila,Pangasinan,Limestone tombs,Idjang citadels,Panay,Cebu (historical polity),Butuan (historical polity),Sanmalan,Sultanate of Maguindanao,Sultanate of Sulu,Ma-i,Bo-ol,Gold artifacts,Singhapala
CharacteristicsIndianized kingdoms,Hindu and Buddhist Nations, Malay Sultanates
Preceded byPrehistory of the Philippines
Followed byColonial era

Sources of precolonial history includearcheological findings;records from contact with theSong dynasty,theBrunei Sultanate,Korea,Japan,and Muslim traders; thegenealogical recordsof Muslim rulers; accounts written by Spanish chroniclers in the 16th and 17th centuries; and cultural patterns that at the time had not yet been replaced through European influence.

Societal categories

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Early Philippine society was composed of such diverse subgroups as e.g., fishermen, farmers and hunter/gatherers, with some living in mountainside swiddens, some on houseboats and some in commercially developed coastal ports. Some subgroups were economically self-sufficient, and others had symbiotic relationships with neighboring subgroups.[5]: 138 Society can be classified into four categories as follows:[5]: 139 

  1. Classless societies, societies with no terms which distinguish one social class from another;
  2. Warrior societies, societies with a recognized class distinguished by prowess in battle;
  3. Petty plutocrats, societies with a recognized class characterized by inherited real property; and
  4. Principalities, societies with a recognized ruling class with inherited rights to assume political office, or exercise central authority

Social classes

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The fourth societal categoryabovecan be termed thedatu class,and was a titled aristocracy.[5]: 150–151 

The early polities were typically made up of three-tier social structure: a nobility class, a class of "freemen", and a class of dependent debtor-bondsmen:[6][7]

  • Datu(ruling class) andMaginoo(noble class, where the datu ascends from)
  • Maharlika[8]/Timawa(freemen; warrior class)
  • Alipin(dependent class), classified intoaliping namamahay(serfs) andaliping saguiguilid(slaves)[9]

Laguna Copperplate Inscription

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Main article:Laguna Copperplate Inscription
Reconstructed image of the Laguna Copperplate Inscription

The Laguna Copperplate Inscription (LCI) is the earliest record of a Philippine language and the presence of writing in the islands.[10]The document measures around 20 cm by 30 cm and is inscribed with ten lines of writing on one side.

Text

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The text of the LCI was mostly written inOld Malaywith influences ofSanskrit,Tamil,Old Javaneseand OldTagalogusing theKawi script.Dutch anthropologistAntoon Postmadeciphered the text. The date of the inscription is in the "Year of Saka 822, month ofVaisakha",corresponding to April–May in 900 AD.

The text notes the acquittal of all descendants of a certain honorableNamwaranfrom a debt of 1 kati and 8 suwarna, equivalent to 926.4 grams ofgold,granted by the Military Commander ofTundun(Tondo) and witnessed by the leaders ofPailah,BinwanganandPuliran,which are places likely also located inLuzon.The reference to the contemporaneousMedang Kingdomin modern-day Indonesia implies political connections with territories elsewhere in theMaritime Southeast Asia.

Depiction of a noble Visayan couple in the 16th-century (Boxer Codex)

Politics

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Emergence of Independent polities

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See also:Barangay state

Early settlements, referred to as barangays, ranged from 20 to 100 families on the coast, and around 150–200 people in more interior areas. Coastal settlements were connected over water, with much less contact occurring between highland and lowland areas.[11]By the 1300s, a number of the large coastal settlements had emerged as trading centers, and became the focal point of societal changes.[6]Some polities had exchanges with other states across Asia.[7][12][13][14][15]

Polities founded in the Philippines from the 10th–16th centuries includeMaynila,[16]Tondo,Namayan,Kumintang,Pangasinan,Caboloan,Cebu,Butuan,Maguindanao,Buayan,Lanao,Sulu,andMa-i.[17]Among the nobility were leaders calleddatus,responsible for ruling autonomous groups calledbarangayordulohan.[6]When these barangays banded together, either to form a larger settlement[6]or a geographically looser alliance group,[7]the more esteemed among them would be recognized as a "paramount datu",[6][18]rajah,orsultan[19]which headed the community state.[20]There is little evidence of large-scale violence in the archipelago prior to the 2nd millennium AD,[21][better source needed]and throughout these periods population density is thought to have been low.[22]

Pre-colonial polities in the Philippine archipelago
Polity / Kingdom Period Today part of
Ijang Unknown – 1790 Batanes
Lawan Unknown –1605 Samar,parts ofEastern Visayas
Samtoy Unknown – 1572 Ilocos Region
Ibalon Unknown – 1573 Bicol Region
Kumintang Unknown – 1581 Batangas City
Taytay Unknown – 1623 Northern Palawan
Cainta Unknown – 1571 Rizal
Bo-ol Unknown –1595 Bohol,parts ofNorthern Mindanao
Tondo Before 900 – 1589 Manila,parts ofCentral Luzon,CalabarzonandBicol
Ma-i Before 971 – c. 1339 Mindoro Island,parts ofSouthern Luzon
Sanmalan Before 982 – 1500s Zamboanga
Butuan Before 989 – 1521 Butuan,parts ofNorthern MindanaoandCaraga
Caboloan Before 1225 – 1572 San Carlos City,Pangasinan
Sandao Before 1225 – c. 1300s Calamian,Palawan,and parts ofLuzon
Namayan Before the 11th century–1571 Manila,parts ofCalabarzon
Madja-as After the 11th century Western Visayas
Pulilu Before 1225 – 1571 Polillo, Quezon
Pangasinan Before 1225 – 1576 Pangasinan,parts ofNorthern Luzon
Lubao 14th century – 1571 Pampanga
Sultanate of Buayan c. 1350-1905 Parts ofMaguindanao del Norte,Maguindanao del Sur,Cotabato,South CotabatoandGeneral Santos City
Sugbu c. 1400–1565 Cebu,parts ofCentral Visayas
Sultanate of Sulu 1457–1915 Sulu Archipelago,parts ofSouthern Palawan,Sabah,NorthandEast Kalimantanin north-easternBorneo
Maynila c.1500–1571 Manila,parts ofCentral Luzon
Sultanate of Maguindanao 1515–1899 Maguindanao,parts ofBangsamoro,Zamboanga Peninsula,Northern Mindanao,SoccsksargenandDavao Region
Confederate States of Lanao 1616 – Present Lanao,parts ofBangsamoro

Other political systems by ethnic group

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class=notpageimage|
Locations of pre-colonial principalities, polities, kingdoms and sultanates in the Philippine archipelago
TheAgusan imagestatue (900–950 CE) discovered in 1917 on the banks of the Wawa River nearEsperanza,Agusan del Sur,Mindanaoin thePhilippines.

In Luzon

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In theCagayan Valley,the head of the Ilongot city-states was called abenganganat,while for the Gaddang it was called amingal.[23][24][25]

TheIlocano peoplein northwestern Luzon were originally located in modern-dayIlocos Surand were led by ababacnang.Their polity was calledSamtoywhich did not have a royal family but, rather, was a collection of certain barangays (chiefdoms).

In Mindanao

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TheLumadpeople from inland Mindanao are known to have been headed by adatu.

TheSubanon peoplein theZamboanga Peninsulawere ruled by atimuayuntil they were overcame by the Sultanate of Sulu in the 13th century.

TheSama-Bajaupeople inSuluwho were not Muslims nor affiliated with theSultanate of Suluwere ruled by anakurahbefore the arrival of Islam.

Trade

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Trade with China is believed to have begun during theTang dynasty,but grew more extensive during theSong dynasty.[26]By the 2nd millennium CE, some Philippine polities were known to have sent trade delegations which participated in the Tributary system enforced by the Chinese imperial court, trading but without direct political or military control.[27][page needed][7]The items much prized in the islands included jars, which were a symbol of wealth throughout South Asia, and later metal,saltandtobacco.In exchange were traded feathers,rhino horns,hornbillbeaks,beeswax,bird's-nests,resin,andrattan.

Indian influence

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Main articles:Indian influences in early Philippine politiesandList of India-related topics in the Philippines

Indian cultural traits, such as linguistic terms and religious practices, began to spread within the Philippines during the 10th century, likely via the HinduMajapahitempire.[14][6][28]

Writing systems

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Brahmic scriptsreached the Philippines in the form of theKawi script,and later theBaybayinwriting system.[29]TheLaguna Copperplate Inscriptionwas written using the Kawi script.

Baybayin

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TheBaybayinscript

By the 13th or 14th century, thebaybayinscript was used for theTagalog language.It spread toLuzon,Mindoro,Palawan,PanayandLeyte,but there is no proof it was used in Mindanao.

There were at least three varieties of baybayin in the late 16th century. These are comparable to different variations of Latin which use slightly different sets of letters and spelling systems.[30][better source needed]

In 1521, the chroniclerAntonio Pigafettafrom the expedition ofFerdinand Magellannoted that the people that they met inVisayaswere not literate. However, in the next few decades the Baybayin script seemed to have been introduced to them. In 1567Miguel López de Legaspireported that "they [the Visayans] have their letters and characters like those of theMalays,from whom they learned them; they write them on bamboo bark and palm leaves with a pointed tool, but never is any ancient writing found among them nor word of their origin and arrival in these islands, their customs and rites being preserved by traditions handed down from father to son without any other record. "[31]

Earliest documented Chinese contact

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The earliest date suggested for direct Chinese contact with the Philippines was 982. At the time, merchants from "Ma-i"(now thought to be eitherBay, Lagunaon the shores ofLaguna de Bay,[32]or a site called "Mait" inMindoro[33][34]) brought their wares toGuangzhouandQuanzhou.This was mentioned in theHistory of SongandWenxian TongkaobyMa Duanlinwhich were authored during the Yuan Dynasty.[33]

Arrival of Islam

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Depiction of female commoners in the Philippine archipelago during the 16th century when Spanish conquest began. (Boxer Codex)

Beginnings

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Around 1500, the Sultanate of Brunei controlled a western portion of the Philippine archipelago

Muslimtraders introducedIslamto the then-Indianized Malayan empiresaround the time that wars over succession had ended in theMajapahitEmpire in 1405. However, by 1380Makhdum Karimhad already brought Islam to the Philippine archipelago, establishing theSheik Karimal Makdum MosqueinSimunul, Tawi-Tawi,the oldest mosque in the country.[citation needed]By the 15th century, Islam was established in theSulu Archipelagoand spread from there.[35]Subsequent visits byArab,MalayandJavanesemissionaries helped spread Islam further in the islands.[citation needed]

TheSultanate of Suluonce encompassed parts of modern-day Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. Its royal house claims descent fromMuhammad.[citation needed]

Spanish expeditions

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The following table summarizes expeditions made by the Spanish to the Philippine archipelago.

Spanish expeditions reaching the Philippine archipelago
Year Leader Ships Landing
1521 /Ferdinand Magellan Trinidad,San Antonio,Concepcion,Santiago andVictoria Homonhon,Limasawa,Cebu
1525 García Jofre de Loaísa Santa María de la Victoria, Sancti Spiritus, Anunciada, San Gabriel, Santa María del Parral, San Lesmes, and Santiago Surigao,Visayas,Mindanao
1527 Álvaro de Saavedra Cerón Florida, Santiago, and Espiritu Santo Mindanao
1542 Ruy López de Villalobos Santiago, Jorge, San Antonio, San Cristóbal, San Martín, and San Juan Samar,Leyte,Saranggani
1564 Miguel López de Legazpi San Pedro, San Pablo, San Juan and San Lucas first landed onSamar,established colonies as part ofSpanish Empire

First expedition

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Ferdinand Magellan

Although the archipelago may have been visited before by the Portuguese (who conqueredMalacca Cityin 1511 and reachedMaluku Islandsin 1512),[citation needed]the earliest European expedition to the Philippine archipelago was led by the Portuguese navigatorFerdinand Magellanin the service of KingCharles I of Spainin 1521.[36]

The Magellan expedition sighted the mountains ofSamarat dawn on March 17, 1521, making landfall the following day at the small, uninhabited island ofHomonhonat the mouth ofLeyte Gulf.[37]OnEaster Sunday,March 31, 1521, in the island ofMazaua,Magellan planted a cross on the top of a hill overlooking the sea and claimed the islands he had encountered for the King of Spain, naming themArchipelago of Saint Lazarusas stated in "First Voyage Around The World" by his companion, the chroniclerAntonio Pigafetta.[38]

Magellan sought alliances among the people in the islands beginning with Datu Zula ofSugbu(Cebu) and took special pride in converting them toChristianity.Magellan got involved in the political conflicts in the islands and took part in a battle againstLapulapu,chief ofMactanand an enemy of Datu Zula.

At dawn on April 27, 1521, Magellan with 60 armed men and 1,000 Visayan warriors had great difficulty landing on the rocky shore of Mactan where Lapulapu had an army of 1,500 waiting on land. Magellan waded ashore with his soldiers andattacked Lapulapu's forces,telling Datu Zula and his warriors to remain on the ships and watch. Magellan underestimated the army of Lapulapu, and, grossly outnumbered, Magellan and 14 of his soldiers were killed. The rest managed to reboard the ships.[citation needed]

The battle left the expedition with too few crewmen to man three ships, so they abandoned the "Concepción".The remaining ships –"Trinidad"and"Victoria"– sailed to theSpice Islandsin present-day Indonesia. From there, the expedition split into two groups. TheTrinidad,commanded byGonzalo Gómez de Espinozatried to sail eastward across thePacific Oceanto theIsthmus of Panama.Disease and shipwreck disrupted Espinoza's voyage and most of the crew died. Survivors of theTrinidadreturned to the Spice Islands, where the Portuguese imprisoned them. TheVictoriacontinued sailing westward, commanded byJuan Sebastián Elcano,and managed to return toSanlúcar de Barrameda,Spain in 1522.

Subsequent expeditions

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After Magellan's expedition, four more expeditions were made to the islands, led byGarcía Jofre de Loaísain 1525,Sebastian Cabotin 1526,Álvaro de Saavedra Cerónin 1527, andRuy López de Villalobosin 1542.[39]

In 1543, Villalobos named the islands of Leyte and SamarLas Islas Filipinasin honor of Philip II of Spain, at the timePrince of Asturias.[40]

Conquest of the islands

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See also:History of the Philippines, 1565-1898

Philip II becameKing of Spainon January 16, 1556, when his father,Charles V,abdicated both the Spanish andHREthrones, the latter went to his uncle,Ferdinand I.On his return to Spain in 1559, the king ordered an expedition to the Spice Islands, stating that its purpose was "to discover the islands of the west".[41]In reality its task was to conquer the Philippine islands.[42]

On November 19 or 20, 1564, a Spanish expedition of a mere 500 men led byMiguel López de LegazpidepartedBarra de Navidad,New Spain,arriving atCebuon February 13, 1565.[43]It was this expedition that established the first Spanish settlements. It also resulted in the discovery of thetornaviajereturn route to Mexico across the Pacific byAndrés de Urdaneta,[44]heralding theManila galleontrade, which lasted for two and a half centuries.

See also

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References

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  1. ^*Scott, William Henry(1994).Barangay: Sixteenth Century Philippine Culture and Society.Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press.ISBN971-550-135-4.
  2. ^"Philippines | The Ancient Web".theancientweb.Archived fromthe originalon October 3, 2019.RetrievedMarch 4,2016.
  3. ^Scott, William Henry(1992),Looking for the Prehispanic Filipino.New Day Publishers, Quezon City. 172 pp.ISBN9711005247.
  4. ^Patricia Herbert; Anthony Crothers Milner (1989).South-East Asia: Languages and Literatures: a Select Guide.University of Hawaii Press. p. 153.ISBN978-0-8248-1267-6.
  5. ^abcScott, William Henry(1979)."Class Structure in the Unhispanized Philippines".Philippine Studies.27(2). Ateneo de Manila University:137–159.JSTOR42632474.
  6. ^abcdefJocano, F. Landa(2001).Filipino Prehistory: Rediscovering Precolonial Heritage.Quezon City: Punlad Research House, Inc.ISBN978-971-622-006-3.[page needed]
  7. ^abcdJunker, Laura Lee (1999).Raiding, Trading, and Feasting: The Political Economy of Philippine Chiefdoms.Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. p. 3.ISBN978-0-8248-2035-0.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
  8. ^Scott, William Henry (1992).Looking for the Prehispanic Filipino..p. 2.
  9. ^Woods, Damon L. (1992)."Tomas Pinpin and the Literate Indio: Tagalog Writing in the Early Spanish Philippines"(PDF).UCLA Historical Journal.12.
  10. ^Postma, Antoon (1992)."The Laguna Copper-Plate Inscription: Text and Commentary".Philippine Studies.40(2):182–203.
  11. ^Newson, Linda A. (2009).Conquest and Pestilence in the Early Spanish Philippines.University of Hawaii Press. p. 12.ISBN978-0-8248-6197-1.
  12. ^Miksic, John N.(2009).Southeast Asian Ceramics: New Light on Old Pottery.Editions Didier Millet.ISBN978-981-4260-13-8.[page needed]
  13. ^Sals, Florent Joseph (2005).The history of Agoo: 1578–2005.La Union: Limbagan Printhouse. p. 80.
  14. ^abJocano, Felipe Jr. (2012). Wiley, Mark (ed.).A Question of Origins.Tuttle Publishing.ISBN978-1-4629-0742-7.{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)[page needed]
  15. ^"Timeline of history".Archived fromthe originalon November 23, 2009.RetrievedOctober 9,2009.
  16. ^Ring, Trudy; Robert M. Salkin & Sharon La Boda (1996).International Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania.Taylor & Francis. pp.565–569.ISBN978-1-884964-04-6.RetrievedJanuary 7,2010.
  17. ^Historical Atlas of the Republic.The Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office. 2016. p. 64.ISBN978-971-95551-6-2.
  18. ^Legarda, Benito Jr. (2001). "Cultural Landmarks and their Interactions with Economic Factors in the Second Millennium in the Philippines".Kinaadman (Wisdom) A Journal of the Southern Philippines.23:40.
  19. ^Carley, Michael (November 4, 2013) [2001]."7".Urban Development and Civil Society: The Role of Communities in Sustainable Cities.Routledge. p. 108.ISBN9781134200504.RetrievedSeptember 11,2020.Each boat carried a large family group, and the master of the boat retained power as leader, or datu, of the village established by his family. This form of village social organization can be found as early as the 13th century in Panay, Bohol, Cebu, Samar and Leyte in the Visayas, and in Batangas, Pampanga and Tondo in Luzon. Evidence suggests a considerable degree of independence as small city-states with their heads known as datu, rajah or sultan.
  20. ^Tan, Samuel K. (2008).A History of the Philippines.UP Press. p. 37.ISBN978-971-542-568-1.RetrievedAugust 10,2020.
  21. ^Mallari, Perry Gil S. (April 5, 2014)."War and peace in precolonial Philippines".Manila Times.RetrievedOctober 24,2020.
  22. ^Newson, Linda (2009) [2009]. "2".Conquest and Pestilence in the Early Spanish Philippines.University of Hawaii Press. p. 18.doi:10.21313/hawaii/9780824832728.001.0001.ISBN9780824832728.RetrievedSeptember 11,2020.Given the significance of the size and distribution of the population to the spread of diseases and their ability to become endemic, it is worth commenting briefly on the physical and human geography of the Philippines. The hot and humid tropical climate would have generally favored the propagation of many diseases, especially water-borne infections, though there might be regional or seasonal variations in climate that might affect the incidence of some diseases. In general, however, the fact that the Philippines comprise some seven thousand islands, some of which are uninhabited even today, would have discouraged the spread of infections, as would the low population density.
  23. ^"The Islands of Leyte and Samar – National Commission for Culture and the Arts".Archived fromthe originalon July 12, 2017.RetrievedMarch 27,2017.
  24. ^"ILONGOT – National Commission for Culture and the Arts".Archived fromthe originalon March 28, 2017.RetrievedMarch 27,2017.
  25. ^"GLIMPSES: Peoples of the Philippines".Archived fromthe originalon March 20, 2017.RetrievedMarch 27,2017.
  26. ^Glover, Ian; Bellwood, Peter; Bellwood, Peter S.; Glover, Dr (2004).Southeast Asia: From Prehistory to History.Psychology Press. p. 267.ISBN978-0-415-29777-6.RetrievedAugust 10,2020.
  27. ^Scott 1994.
  28. ^Osborne, Milton(2004).Southeast Asia: An Introductory History(Ninth ed.). Australia: Allen & Unwin.ISBN978-1-74114-448-2.[page needed]
  29. ^Baybayin, the Ancient Philippine scriptArchivedAugust 21, 2010, at theWayback Machine.Accessed September 4, 2008.
  30. ^Morrow, Paul."Baybayin Styles & Their Sources".RetrievedApril 25,2020.
  31. ^de San Agustin, Caspar (1646).Conquista de las Islas Filipinas 1565–1615.'Tienen sus letras y caracteres como los malayos, de quien los aprendieron; con ellos escriben con unos punzones en cortezas de caña y hojas de palmas, pero nunca se les halló escritura antinua alguna ni luz de su orgen y venida a estas islas, conservando sus costumbres y ritos por tradición de padres a hijos din otra noticia alguna.'
  32. ^Go, Bon Juan (2005)."Ma'l in Chinese Records – Mindoro or Bai? An Examination of a Historical Puzzle".Philippine Studies.53(1). Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University:119–138.RetrievedOctober 16,2012.
  33. ^abPatanne, E. P. (1996).The Philippines in the 6th to 16th Centuries.San Juan: LSA Press.ISBN971-91666-0-6.
  34. ^Scott, William Henry. (1984). "Societies in Prehispanic Philippines".Prehispanic Source Materials for the Study of Philippine History.Quezon City: New Day Publishers. p. 70.ISBN971-10-0226-4.
  35. ^McAmis, Robert Day. (2002).Malay Muslims: The History and Challenge of Resurgent Islam in Southeast Asia.Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. pp.18–24,53–61.ISBN0-8028-4945-8.RetrievedJanuary 7,2010.
  36. ^Zaide, Gregorio F.; Sonia M. Zaide (2004).Philippine History and Government(6th ed.). All-Nations Publishing Company. pp.52–55.ISBN971-642-222-9.
  37. ^Zaide 2006,p. 78
  38. ^Zaide 2006,pp. 80–81
  39. ^Zaide 2006,pp. 86–87.
  40. ^Scott 1985,p. 51.
  41. ^Williams 2008,p.14
  42. ^Williams, Patrick (2008)."Philip II, the Philippines and the Hispanic World".In Ramírez, Dámaso de Lario (ed.).Re-shaping the World: Philip II of Spain and His Time.Ateneo University Press. pp.13–33.ISBN978-971-550-556-7.
  43. ^M.c. Halili (2004).Philippine History' 2004 Ed.-halili.Rex Bookstore, Inc.ISBN978-971-23-3934-9.
  44. ^Zaide 1939,p. 113

Further reading

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