Verse 2
"Born to a poor family in the city Raoping of Chaozhou, Limahong had an early start in criminal activity and progressed to piracy, becoming leader of around 2000 pirates. His activities and attacks on ports and ships throughout South China increased and a warrant was issued by the authorities to capture him alive and send him to the city of Tay Bin. He was married to Nataracy.
He shifted his activities to piracy on the high seas and out of reach of China's power. He was able to accumulate up to 40 ships, whereupon he once again raided cities and ports in South China. Limahong attacked a city occupied by Vintoquián (Lin Daoqian), another Chinese pirate, but Vintoquián was able to escape along with 5 of Limahong's ships. However, Limahong was able to capture 55 of Vintoquián's fleet and thus increased his own to 95 ships. He was now a veritable king of the high seas of South China.
In late 1573, he gathered an army of 3,000 Chinese warriors, renegades and vagabonds and fled to the island of Luzon. There, he and his band of outlaws sought refuge, established their own kingdom and waged war with the Spanish Empire.
By this time, a force of 40,000 soldiers and 135 ships was sent by the Wanli Emperor to kill and capture the pirates. Limahong and his troops first arrived in Ilocos Sur in early 1574 where they quarreled with the Spanish in Vigan. After a brief struggle with the Spanish army, his troops were driven away from the city. The pirates then chanced upon merchant ships from Manila doing trade with the Chinese, and learned from two captured ships that Manila was a new and relatively unprotected Spanish settlement. From this information and the knowledge that China had a no-war policy with its neighbors during that time, he decided to capture Manila and establish himself as ruler of his would-be kingdom and stronghold."
Freepedia – Limahong
On 1573, Limahong tries to establish a Kingdom in Ylocos but was redirected by the Spanish to Manila wherein he would terrorize the Spanish in the South when he learned of the riches of Manila.
"On the latter part of 1574. The inhabitants of the town of Parañaque, a royal encomienda, was under heavy attack from the forces of this Chinese corsair, who were on their way to Intramuros, the seat of Spanish rule in the Philippines. Folk accounts have it that the inhabitants were at first disorganized, until a man from a barrio, by the name of Galo, came forward and took command. Under his able leadership, and with the arrival of Spanish forces led by Captain Juan de Salcedo from Ilocos, Limahong was repulsed and the occupation of the town was prevented.
The stiff resistance of the barrio residents shocked the Chinese pirate, who thought that capturing Manila would be easy. What Limahong did not expect was that the defenders of the community, that would later be known as Don Galo, despite being ill-equipped, would fight to the end, so much so that the sea in front of the barrio turned red with their blood.
The battle became known as the "Red Sea Incident"."
Freepedia – Limahong
"Foiled at Manila to establish a kingdom of his own, Limahong set sail for the Lingayen Gulf, to settle in Pangasinan province in 1574. As a rich place and far enough from the reach of the Spaniards and the Chinese emperor, Limahong resolved to stay here and to make himself master of the region.
Near the mouth of the Agno River about four miles from the sea he built a fort consisting of an outer palisade of palm logs, and an inner enclosure of palm planks which sheltered his palace. He also built pagodas and dwelling places preparatory for permanent settlement.
Limahong announced to the people that he had conquered the Spaniards and that he had come to rule over them as their king. They were commanded to pay tributes to him. Thereupon, great terror gripped neighboring villages, and all of them, with no exception, received Limahong as king, obeyed him and paid him tributes. To make matters worse for the natives, he seized their principal chiefs and held them as hostages.
"
Freepedia – Limahong
On 1574, the people of Kaboloan would defeat Limahong with the Support of Malang Balagtas and Tarik Sulayman from the Muslims of Saludong and the Kingdom of Saludong, Kasikis would have this victory against Limahong, although after the war Kasikis of Kaboloan urged Limahong to destroy the settlements of the Spanish in Ylocos and Manila which he did, although he was successful in Ylocos, his second attack in Manila would result in his death in the hands of Salcedo and Lakandula in 1575, the Spanish would rebuilt the settlements of Laoag and Vigan from Limahong's destruction just after it was destroyed.
"In 1570, Spanish generals Martin de
Goiti
and Juan de Salcedo explored the coast of Batangas on their way to Manila and came upon a Malay settlement at the mouth of Pansipit River. In 1572, the town of Taal was founded and its convent and stone church were constructed later.
Officially, the Province of Bonbon was founded by Spain in 1578, through Fr. Estaban Ortiz and Fr. Juan de Porras. It was named after the name that was given to it by the Muslim natives who inhabited the area.
"In 1581, the Spanish government abolished Bonbon Province and created a new province which came to be known as Balayan Province. The new province was composed of the present provinces of Batangas, Mindoro, Marinduque, southeast Laguna, and Camarines. After the devastating eruption of Taal Volcano in 1754, the old town of Taal, present day San Nicolas, was buried. The capital was eventually transferred to Batangas (now a city) for fear of further eruptions where it has remained to date.
In the same years that de Goiti and Salcedo visited the province, the Franciscan missionaries came to Taal, which later became the first Spanish settlement in Batangas and one of the earliest in the Philippines. In 1572, the Augustinians founded Taal in the place of Wawa, now San Nicolas, and from there began preaching in Balayan and in all the big settlements around the lake of Bombon (Taal). The Augustinians, who were the first missionaries in the diocese, remained until the revolution against Spain. Among the first missionaries were eminent men which included Alfonso de Albuquerque, Diego Espinas, Juan de Montojo, and others.
During the first ten years, the whole region around the Lake of
Bombon
was completely Christianized. It was done through the preaching of men who had learned the first rudiments of the language of the people. At the same time, they started writing manuals of devotion in Tagalog, such as novenas, and had written the first Tagalog grammar that served other missionaries who came."
Freepedia – Balayan
During this time, the Spanish would have a difficulty in pacifying Comintan/Kumintang, the areas near the sea in the province of Balayan Province would remain Muslim even after the interior was Christianized due to them remaining in contact with the Bruneians.
"Spain declared war in 1578. In March that year, the Spanish fleet, led by De Sande himself, acting as Capitán General, started their journey towards Brunei. The expedition consisted of 400 Spaniards, 1,500 Filipino natives and 300 Borneans. The campaign was one of many, which also included action in Mindanao and Sulu.
Spain succeeded in invading the capital of Brunei at that time, Kota Batu, on 16 April 1578, with the help of two disgruntled Brunei noblemen Pengiran Seri Lela and Pengiran Seri Ratna. The former had travelled to Manila to offer Brunei as a tributary of Spain for help to recover the throne usurped by his brother, Saiful Rijal. Spain agreed that if they succeeded in conquering Brunei, Pengiran Seri Lela would indeed become the Sultan, while Pengiran Seri Ratna would be the new Bendahara.
Sultan Saiful Rijal and Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Abdul Kahar were forced to flee to Meragang then to Jerudong, where they made plans to chase the conquering army away from Brunei. In the meantime, Spain suffered heavy losses due to a cholera or dysentery outbreak. They were so weakened by the illness that they decided to abandon Brunei to return to Manila on 26 June 1578, after just 72 days. Before doing so, they burned the mosque, a high structure with a five-tier roof.
Pengiran Seri Lela died in August–September 1578, probably from the same illness that had afflicted his Spanish allies, although there was suspicion he could have been poisoned by the ruling Sultan. Seri Lela's daughter, a princess of Brunei, left with the Spanish group and went on to marry a Christian Tagalog, named Agustín de Legazpi of Tondo and they had children in the Philippines.
The local Brunei accounts differ greatly from the generally accepted view of events. The Castilian War entering the national conscience as a heroic episode, with the Spaniards being driven out by Bendahara Sakam, supposedly a brother of the ruling Sultan, and a thousand native warriors. This version, nevertheless, is disputed by most historians and considered a folk-hero recollection, probably created decades or centuries after.
Notwithstanding their retreat from Brunei, Spain managed to keep Brunei from regaining a foothold in Luzon. A few years later, relations improved and Spain begun trading with the Sultanate, as evidenced by a letter from Don Francisco de Tello de Guzmán, Governor General of Manila, dated 1599 asking for a return of normal relationship."
Freepedia – Castillan War
Due to the Difficulities in getting the loyalties of the muslims in the Suburbs of Manila and Kumintang and getting them converted to christianity aside from wanting to convert Borneo to christianity, in 1578, the Spanish would try to aid Pengiran Seri Lela against the Bruneians which caused the Castillan war which was a victory in Brunei but a loss in the Bruneian possesions in the North, the Castillan war would be remembered as a war that would cement the Spanish.
note:
Kasikis was the King of Pangasinan when the Spanish came.
