GE 105 –Reading in the Philippine History

MAGELLAN’S EXPEDITION

Arrival in the Philippines

March 15, 1521

• Arrival to Marianas (Ladrones Islands)
• Ordered his men to rest and to get some fresh food and water
• Some na ves stole one his boats
• Named the island Islas de Ladrones (Islands of Thieves)

March 17, 1521

• Sighted the mountains of Samar

March 18, 1521

• Reached the island of Homonhon so the sick men could be taken care of.

Rajah Kulambu – Ruler of Limasawa

Si Agu – Brother of Rajah Kulambu
First blood compact between Filipinos and Spaniards

March 31, 1521

• First Catholic mass in Limasawa (Easter Sunday)
• Father Pedro de Valedrama celebrated mass near the seashore
• Magellan ordered that a large cross be planted on the top of a hill overlooking the sea
• Pigafe a wrote, “A er the cross was erected in posi on, each of us repeated a Pater Noster (Our
Father) and Ave Maria (Hail Mary)
• Magellan took possession of the islands in the name of King Charles and called them the
Archipelago of St. Lazarus
• It was on St. Lazarus day that he found the islands

The First Bap sm

April 8, 1521
• Arrival in Cebu, cordial rela ons with Raja Humabon
• Magellan told his Malay slave, Enrique, to assure the people of Cebu that they came as friends
and not as enemies.
Rajah Humabon
• Chie ain of Cebu
• Welcomed the Spaniards, blood compact with Magellan
• Given the Chris an name, Carlos, in honor of King Charles of Spain.

April 15, 1521

• Mass was celebrated in Cebu
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 GE 105 –Reading in the Philippine History

• Conversion of 800 na ves with Rajah Humabon, his wife Juana (given with the name of Juana, in
honor of King Charles’ mother) and daughter to Chris anity
• Establishment of Magellan’s Cross

Rajah Sula
• One of the chie ain of Mactan who asked Magellan to help defeat his rival, Rajah Si Lapulapu
• Told Magellan that Si Lapulapu refused to recognize the King of Spain as his sovereign

Rajah Si Lapulapu
• One of the chie ain of Mactan

Ba le of Mactan
Magellan at once accepted the invita on to interfere in the local quarrel in order to show his
might. He and around sixty of his men, all well-armed, sailed for Mactan early in the morning of April 28.
Si Lapulapu, who refused to listen to Magellan’s demand that pay tribute to Spain, prepared to ght to
the end. in the ba le, that followed, Magellan was wounded in the leg. Seeing this, the brave people of
Mactan rushed at him and killed him with their spears. With the death of Magellan, the Spaniards ed to
their ships and le . Some of them, however, returned to Cebu and there, while a ending a party given
by Rajah Humabon, were massacred by some Cebuanos. This horrifying event happened because some
Spaniards robbed the na ves and raped some women.

Remaining Events in the Expedi on

May 1, 1521 – At a local banquet Barbosa is murdered and Serrano captured, later killed. The three
remaining ships escape.
May 2, 1521 – There are not enough men to handle three ships, thus the worm infested Concepcion is
burned down.

Two ships remain: Victoria and Trinidad.

Gonzalo Gomez de Espinosa becomes captain of the Victoria.
Joao Lopez Carvalho is Captain General. The ships sail to Mindanao and Brunei.

September 21, 1521 – Carvalho is replaced by Mar n Mendez as Captain General, Espinosa becomes
captain of the Trinidad and Juan Sebas án del Cano, captain of the Victoria.

November 8, 1521 –Arriving at Tidore in the Moluccas.

December 21, 1521 – Victoria under the command of Elcano leaves the Moluccas to return home sailing
west towards the Cape of Good Hope. Trinidad remains at Tidore for repairs.

January 25, 1522 - Victoria reaches Timor and starts to cross the Indian Ocean.

April 6, 1522 – Trinidad under the command of Espinosa leaves the Moluccas heading home sailing east.
A er ve weeks, Espinosa decides to return to the Moluccas where he and his ship are captured
by a Portuguese eet under Antonio de Brito.


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 GE 105 –Reading in the Philippine History

May 22, 1522 – Victoria passes the Cape of Good Hope and enters the Atlan c Ocean.
July 9, 1522 – Reaching San ago, Cape Verde.
September 6, 1522 – Victoria returns to Sanlucar, comple ng the circumnaviga on.
September 8, 1522 - Victoria arrives at Seville

Other Expedi ons a er Magellan’s:

1525 – 1526 Loaysa expedi on Juan Garcia Jofre de Loaysa
1526 – 1530 Cabot expedi on Sebas an Cabot
1527 – 1528 Saayvedra expedi on Alvarado de Saayvedra

Villalobos Expedi on
• Viceroy of Mexico chose his brother-in-;aw, Ruy Lopez de Villalobos, to command the expedi on
• Le Mexico in November 1, 1542 with six ships
• Reached Mindanao in February 1543
• Na ves of Mindanao refused to have any dealings with the Spaniards
• Ordered corn to feed themselves due to starva on
• Named the islands of Samar and Leyte, Felipinas, in honor of Prince Philip of Spain, who became
King Philip II.
• Died in Amboina in 1546 on the way back to Mexico

Reference:

Agoncillo, T. & Mangahas, F. (2010). Philippine History: Expanded and Updated Edi on. Quezon City: C&E
Publishing, Inc.
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