The annexation of Portugal by Felipe I of Spain, would mean the end of the Treaty of Tordesillas that established a division of the areas of navigation and conquest between Spain and Portugal. Felipe from the beginning would have the support of the bourgeoisie and the traditional Portuguese nobility, which although they wanted to prevent a constant Spanish intervention in privileges, customs and privileges of the Portuguese, the centralist policy promoted by the King, prevented that. The metropolitan and colonial Portuguese clergy soon obtained greater funding for work such as the fight against the beliefs of the natives and the eventual preaching of Lutheran seafarers from other European countries. However, an outstanding fact that would win the favor of the Spanish and Portuguese would be in 1584 when King Felipe, seeking to settle and pacify the American territory in Brazil, Rio de la Plata and other points. He would provoke a massive propaganda campaign to encourage poor landless Portuguese and Spanish to settle in the mentioned regions, particularly young families. In a matter of months, the ports of Lisbon, Cadiz, Coruña and others on the Atlantic coast, would see a traffic of people comparable to entire towns moving to America, in some cases, it had to be prevented due to the danger of affecting the regional economy. The arrival of the Iberians was an invasion in all but name: Men and women, armed with swords and arquebuses, landed and automatically marched into the interior of the country between plains and mountains to systematically murder and enslave all the Native Americans they could find. . Within a matter of years, a colonial infrastructure dependent on sugar, cattle, mining, and agriculture would be built, all with the use of enslaved native labor, a system that was incredibly harsh. Young immigrants lacking wives soon adopted harems of beautiful native women as wives to create extended families.
In the midst of this brutal and extremely repressive process were the Jesuits. The Jesuits were considered peacemakers between the Iberians and the Amazonian tribes, who were amazed when the text of the Bible was read to them in their language and they listened to the subsequent homily. The Jesuits contributed to colonial society by learning the different native languages, which would help them in an incident when a Jesuit, having entered the jungle, came across some Indians who were torturing an enemy. Then, applying his knowledge of the Amerindian language, he began to evangelize the captors until they freed his captive. However, although they were holy men, they also contributed to the slavery of thousands of indigenous people who, once deprived of their freedom, would end up working on the Jesuit plantations. At the same time, the learning of the language contributed to the knowledge of an infusion made with leaves of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) that received the name of Mate. This drink was initially seen as a drink for lazy people, since the indigenous people dedicated several hours of the day to this practice, however, a more detailed study revealed that it was very useful for the miners, assuring that "without that herb (with which they prepare a refreshing drink, with water and sugar, which must be taken lukewarm) the inhabitants, savages and others, especially those who work in the mines, could not subsist, because the ground is full of mineral veins and the fumes that came off would suffocate them and nothing more than that concoction can restore them, because it revives them and gives them back their previous vigor”, that drink that they chewed or put in a gourd of water and drank, using their teeth as a filter or through a cane knot gave greater resistance to long marches or to carry out daily tasks, which allowed increasing production in some cases, however, in the East, with the ascension of the King of Spain to the throne of Portugal, the Iberian union was completed.
Samurai Armor crafted by Nanban Style
Which means that there was no longer a legal border between the Spanish colonies and the Portuguese colonies. This gave Spain the freedom to emphasize her economic and religious interests between Japan and what the Japanese called "southern barbarians" (Nanban). However, on November 14, 1584, an embassy from Japan arrived at the Court of King Philip in Toledo. This embassy was originally conceived by the Jesuit Alessandro Valignano and sponsored by the three Kirishitan daimyōs Ōmura Sumitada from Shimabara, Ōtomo Sōrin from Funai, and Arima Harunobu from Hizen. The embassy served to inform the King of Spain about the unstable and fragmented Japanese political reality while giving the King of Spain gifts in the form of various Samurai Armor, Katanas and other types of objects. These gifts would end up arousing the interest of the King of Spain who would make him send his half-brother, Don Juan of Spain to investigate Japan closely. In a one-year trip, Juan de España would end up reaching the Philippine coast, from where he would learn the truth about the country known as Yamato, Nippon or Japan. Juan de España would discover that the Society of Jesus, which during the second half of the 16th century was the main promoter of evangelization, took an active part in international trade, even His involvement in economic activities brought benefits to some feudal lords or daimios, but not only in the economic field, because it also covered the supply of war material. The missionaries were not only men of faith, but they had great influence in economic and military affairs, so that, from a political point of view, their presence could not be ignored by the Traditionalists. Juan discovered that many baptized Christian daimyo came from the island of Kyūshū to the point that the Christian influence there was massive to the point that Nagasaki, which had been a port town of little importance, had risen in category in the last forty years until it was a port city comparable to Valencia.
However, the building of Christian churches and schools in Japan was soon frowned upon by the Daimyo Buddhists who were confronted with Christian religious intolerance that viewed Buddhism as a form of idolatry devised by the devil and the instigation of Christian missionaries at their Japanese believers to burn Buddhist temples and destroy Buddhist images caused discomfort and even alarm among Christians. This made the Buddhist Emperor and Bonzo, as well as a good part of the Samurai class or Buddhist peasantry, very angry with foreigners. A key incident would be when, during Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Kyūshū campaign, he ended up issuing the Bateren Edict that would do nothing more than motivate John of Austria to undertake the conquest of Japan to annex it to the Spanish Empire. However, this would take years of waiting before it even started. It would not be until 1597, when the Invasion began. In the time of almost ten years, Juan obtained permission from the King to form an army that would allow him to carry out the long-awaited company. However, an important factor would be an immense diplomatic campaign, where Juan de España would end up obtaining valuable allies that include the entirety of the Christian Daimyos and even Date Masamune nicknamed as
Dokuganryū, or the "
One-Eyed Dragon of Ōshu" who he was ruler of northeastern Japan and was an important ally of Christian missionaries and merchants. On the other hand, Juan managed to gather a force of forty thousand soldiers and a fleet of one hundred and fifty warships made up of 25 Galleons, 75 Carracks and 50 Caravels that functioned as scouts and raiders. Ship transportation came at the hands of contract merchants ranging from Junks to European ships. However, the time of the invasion of Japan was the most appropriate given that Toyotomi Hideoyoshi had begun to invade Korea with his veteran troops of the Sengoku wars.
The eastern shore of the island of Kyushu was the target of a landing that some Japanese Daimyos likened to the Mongol invasion almost three centuries ago. At the same time, the invasion was taking place, an uprising motivated by the Jesuits and their native allies. On February 5, 1597, Buddhist and Shinto troops facing off against the Christian ones would watch as the unusually thick fog cleared to make way for a fleet that quickly began releasing boatloads of European soldiers accustomed to the tropical climate, many of them they are veterans of wars against Muslim or Chinese or even Japanese pirates known as Wokou. Although the troops loyal to the Chancellor of the Kingdom (Daijo Daijin) Toyotomi Hideoyoshi were loyal and his army well disciplined and armed, they never faced a European army on top that had the support of Daimyo, who provided safe harbors even volunteers. The first port that Juan de España would disembark would be Nagasaki. The arrival of Juan de España, would come with the delivery of European weapons to any baptized Christian who quickly grouped themselves into bands destined to fight as irregular units. However, in Korea, the situation was different as the invasion army was an army formed in the midst of resentment and mistrust because the majority were unified by the way of the sword. Led by Date Masamune and his Samurais, the pro-Christians would finish off a good part of the officialdom of those loyal to Toyotomi, except for a few redoubts that would resist until the Spanish arrived to clean up the mess. Date Masamune would become the leader of the Japanese allied with the Spanish. In the midst of such events, Toyotomi Hideoyoshi would end up dying of a heart attack that caused more instability to the country that allowed the landing in Shikoku and Honshu with Juan de España and Date Masamune leading the invasion respectively that saw armed groups causing problems even Edo burned when an attack occurred that set the city on fire.
Spanish Conquistador vs Japanese Samurai
Much of the problems that the Spanish would have derived from the geography and the Japanese defensive system comparable to the Spain of the Reconquest. Getting supplies and moving troops was time consuming. In many cases, Spanish Tercios surrounded by Samurai troops were saved by the appearance of Japanese Catholic troops who rushed into the fight singing baleful hymns. Juan de España and his officers as well as other Spaniards would end up respecting the Japanese Catholics for their fanaticism, martial skill and strong honor. The various bands of Japanese Catholics with weapons supplied by the Spanish and Portuguese apart from being led by missionary-crusaders who emulated ancient Knights Templar or Teutonic unleashed absolute hell on the islands. hundreds of villages and thousands of men, women and children would be burned or tortured if they did not reject their religious beliefs and embrace Christianity. Juan de España would end up having the name "
Kirishitan Maou" which meant "
Christian Demon King". The Kirishitan War as it would be called would culminate in 1600 with such brutal actions as the Burning of Edo and the Conquest of Kyoto which were followed by a campaign led by the Jesuits to integrate the Japanese into Catholicism. Juan de España would be appointed First Viceroy of the Viceroyalty of Japan at the same time that the Viceroyalty of Japon was established, which would stand out for being governed by the descendants of Juan de España, something new and that fulfilled the dreams of the Conqueror of Japan of a kingdom own, as well as the treatment of highness that was systematically denied him before.
After the conquest of Japan, the most immediate change was the explosive growth of Catholicism in Japan. Though the faith was definitely growing strong and powerful beforehand, with so many needing meaning uprooted, Jesuit missionaries swooped in as churches appeared in every neighborhood of every village, town or city. The local church became the center of Japanese life. Being the place where people can socialize with neighbors, meet their spiritual needs, get discreet help paying bills if needed, and a place for children to learn and grow outside of home and school. The results were amazing. Catholicism was a great plurality, when millions gave their souls to Christ. The Christian values of love and helping the neighbor and the poor were more attractive than the Buddhist or Shinto values where helping a neighbor was equivalent to disturbing/modifying the other, something that was rejected. The act of confessing concerns or problems of a person such as debts, love problems or any other, was equivalent to charging the other person with a negative energy, which produced an influence that could lead to sadness or anger even when that energy or influence was positive. . Under this maxim of not influencing another person, it caused people to take social distance, something contrary to Christianity where the person shared the good and bad times and true friendship or in need of money was demonstrated. Christianity served to spread the values of love and friendship, including social openness, among the population.
After the conquest of Japan, the most immediate change was the explosive growth of Catholicism in Japan. Although the faith was definitely becoming strong and powerful beforehand, with so many needs uprooted, the Jesuit missionaries rushed in as churches appeared in every neighborhood of every town, village, or city. The local church became the center of Japanese life. To be the place where people can socialize with neighbors, meet their spiritual needs, get discreet help paying bills if needed, and a place for children to learn and grow outside of home and school. The results were amazing. Catholicism was a great plurality, when millions gave their souls to Christ. Christian values of love and helping one's neighbor and the poor were more attractive than Buddhist or Shinto values where helping one's neighbor was equivalent to disturbing/modifying the other, something that was rejected. The act of confessing concerns or problems of a person such as debts, love problems or any other, was equivalent to charging the other person with negative energy, which produced an influence that could lead to sadness or anger even when that energy or influence was positive. . Under this maxim of not influencing another person, it caused people to take social distance, something contrary to Christianity where the person shared the good and the bad and showed true friendship or need for money. In itself, Christianity contributed to Japan, the destruction of social barriers that limited social development. The development of the new Viceroyalty was not limited only to the social one. Using cheap labor from homeless Japanese, the reconstruction of Japan began, using Mexico City, San Juan de Puerto Rico, and later Manila as their models. Nagasaki would become the Rome of the East when it was given its own archdiocese.
I don't know if is allowed use this pic, its a real picture draw by Takato Yamamoto explaining the christian Samurais during the Shimabara Rebellion.
The coastal cities of Kagoshima, Osaka, and Edo would become major shipbuilding centers, and the former imperial capital of Kyoto would become the glittering capital of Spanish Japan. The Japanese nobility, once barely indistinguishable from each other and a major cause of the period of social and political instability, underwent a reform that created two privileged classes - titled (kazoku) and untitled (shizoku) nobility. The first was made up of the aristocrats of the capital and the daimyo of the missing hans, and the second was made up of former samurai. The Kazoku stood out for blending the old noble court of Kyoto (kuge) with the daimyō (feudal lords) towards an extended aristocratic class comparable to the European nobility: The government divided the kazoku into 5 ranks based explicitly on the Spanish noble system, but with titles derived from the ancient Chinese system.
- Duke (公爵 kōshaku?)
- Marquis (侯爵 kōshaku?)
- Count (伯爵 hakushaku?)
- Viscount (子爵 shishaku?)
- Baron (男爵 danshaku?)
The family of Juan de España who received the title of Yamato received the title of Prince while the Date family, as a firm ally of Catholicism and a nobleman of the highest rank in power of Japanese origin, ended up obtaining the title of Duke, later the distribution of the rank of Kazoku for ancient daimyō relied on rice income: those with 100,000 koku or more became Marquis, those with 75,000 koku or more became Earl, those with 50,000 koku or more became Viscount, those with 50,000 koku or more became Viscount with 25,000 koku or more they became Baron.
The Shizoku, on the other hand, as former samurai, retained most of their rights, except for the right to execute commoners who disrespected them. The Shizoku would become the Japanese equivalent of the Spanish hidalgos: nobles with little or no assets, but exempt from paying certain tax obligations (the tax called arca, which instead was paid by commoners or pecheros) and with the right to bear arms already. that the king could ask them at any time for military service. The creation of the Viceroyalty of Japan served as support for the mixed economy of the Captaincy General of Hawaii, which would become a territory linked to New Spain while almost in the same way that the Philippines became for Japan, although a trade circuit would remain. Hawaii had become a remarkable territory where the production of sugar, cattle and whaling had caused the immigration of up to ten thousand Spaniards and half of the Portuguese and a third of Italians. A total of eighteen thousand Europeans would end up settling in Hawaii, even helping to put down some minor revolts with relentless brutality, killing 45,000 natives in the territory. Thanks to Hawaii's strategic position in the Pacific Ocean, it soon found itself hosting a new Spanish fleet, called the Hawaii Fleet. There were 30 ships in the Squadron, including five Galleons, ten Caravelas, five Carracks and ten support vessels. These ships would end up acting as a fleet dedicated to protecting the Pacific from Protestant piracy, although that would not stop Japanese crews from taking to sea to attack Joseon, China and even Southwest Asia.
