Mañibo, Princess Joy B.

BSA 3-11

The Achievements of Gregorio Zaide in the Field of History

Born on May 25, 1907, Gregorio F. Zaide was a Filipino historian, author and
politician from the town of Pagsanjan, Laguna in the Philippines. He was a multi-awarded,
prolific writer authoring about 67 books which were adopted as textbooks for high schools
and colleges. He also wrote more than 500 articles in history published in both national
and international newspapers and academic journals, making him to be known as the
“Dean of Filipino Historiographers.”

The following books are among his contributions to Philippine history namely A
Documentary History of the Katipunan; History of the Katipunan; Philippine Political and
Cultural History; Great Events in Philippine History; The Philippine Revolution; Jose Rizal:
Life, Works and Writings; History of the Filipino People; World History; Great Filipinos in
History; Jose Rizal: Asia’s First Apostle of Nationalism; The Pageant of Philippine History;
History of Asian Nations; and Riquezas Filipinas en los Archivos de Mexico.

During his time, he was labelled as the “most traveled Filipino historian”, with
teaching and research stints at various universities and institutions in the Philippines and
around the world. He even became the first Professor emeritus of History at the Far
Eastern University after he retired in 1964. Moreover, Zaide was one of the founders of
the International Association of Historians of Asia (IAHA), and was elected President of
the Philippine Historical Association for three terms – between 1965-1966 and 1971. He
was also an active member of the American Historical Association based in Washington,
D.C.

Zaide was the first Asian to win the United Nations Study Award in 1957. He was
also given the prestigious Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1968 by the Philippine
Republic for his extensive researches in foreign archives and numerous books on history.
His other awards include a Diploma of Outstanding Writings on Filipino National Heroes;
A Special Prize in History in the 1940 Commonwealth Literary Contest; Diploma of
Distinction for research on the life and works of Dr. Jose Rizal, the Philippine national
hero; and Distinguished Public Service Award.