#OnthisDay May 24, 1570
Pre Colonial Period: The Battle of Manil
On May 24, 1570, the Battle of Manila began.
The Spanish led by Master-of-camp Martin de Goiti, accompanied by allied warriors from the Visayas who they called "pintados" (painted), charted the waters of Mindoro and Batangas before finally reaching what is now Manila Bay, which coast Goiti saw was ruled by at least two leaders, Lakandula (Lacandola) of Tondo and Rajah Sulayman (Soliman) of Manila. Eventually, Goiti was informed that at least 40 towns were situated by the shore alone.
Initially, the Spanish sought to discuss peace with who they perceived as "Moros" (Moor), and conducted a sanduguan (blood compact) with them. The pintados served as interpreters. The Spanish did not demand tribute at this time, but both sides apparently doubted each other's motives right from the start.
Some of the Chinese came to the side of the Spanish with gifts and asked for their protection. A number of Japanese were also found in Manila. One of them claimed to be a Christian, but was labelled by his companions as one of the Moro artillerymen. Nonetheless, their concern seemed to be uniform - they all professed that Sulayman was a menace, complaining that the ruler of Manila took away their merchandise without proper payment. Lakandula, meanwhile, had another way of dealing with Chinese merchants - buying their wares and then selling them inland for a profit.
Some of the Moros from the other neighboring towns also conferred with Goiti and raised their dissatisfaction with Sulayman, who supposedly raided them. Whether or not these grievances were proven, the possibility of Sulayman's enemies taking advantage of the Spanish arrival as leverage may not be discounted. After all, Sulayman was vocal against the abuses of the Spanish, which might have reached Goiti's attention as well.
On the other side of the negotiating table, Rajah Sulayman and Lakandula had been assembling massive forces. One account even claimed that by the time of the battle, there were a hundred Moro troops for every one Spaniard. Besides this land force, the local navy was also immense, numbering more than 500 ships. Despite Lakandula's friendly facade when they met with the Spanish, he was eager to strike first and asked for Sulayman's aid. The latter, however, was said to have chosen to wait for the fall of rain, which he believed would have nullified the firearms of the Spanish.
Meanwhile, a reconnaissance mission gone wrong persuaded Goiti to fire a cannon to recall his troops from the coast. Perhaps seeing this as a signal for attack, the Moros jumped into action and fired their own guns without waiting for Sulayman's hope for rain. Estimated to have at least 13 pieces of artillery, the Spanish immediately seized the enemy guns before burning Manila. The Moros did not take any chances as they retreated inland. Some 100 deaths were reported by the Spanish in the aftermath, with 80 more taken as prisoners.
The awaited rain came after the battle, pouring over the town engulfed in flames.
Witnesses who claim to have seen Sulayman's former residence estimate that its furniture alone cost over 5,000 ducats, an amount greater than the loan provided in William Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. They also claim that there were more cannons inside, some still being crafted, but were eventually melted by the ravaging fire.
Goiti waited for two days to reestablish communications with the locals, perhaps to seek further exploration of the Tagalog areas upstream, but upon being advised by their Visayas allies to set sail to avoid being caught by the habagat (southwest monsoon), the Spanish eventually left with the Chinese traders who offered their friendship. Promising to return at about the same time next year, the Chinese sought to trade with the Spanish.
Although the Spanish may want to claim victory in Manila, much of Sulayman's and Lakandula's forces were preserved. They were able to retain their hold in their realms, at least until the return of the Spanish the following year, 1571.
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