Kingdom of Manila

The Kingdom of Manila (Maynílà) or the Kingdom of Luzon (Lusóng) was a Tagalog kingdom in the island of Luzon in Malayan southeast Asia. Its last king was King Sulayman, who ruled until 1570, when Spanish expeditionary captain Juan de Salcedo led the conquest of the territory using the help of Spanish and continental American troops, who were part of the initial expedition, and many forces and mercenaries from then-recently fallen Kingdom of Cebu (Sugbô), which had fallen 5 years prior in 1565.

History

Speculative earlier history

The Kingdom of Manila was a Tagalog kingdom in Luzon whose capital was located within the territory of modern-day Manila. The citizens were among the Tagalogs and the Luzones. The kingdom was in constant communication and trade with other kingdoms in the Malayan islands. The customs of the Tagalog people which would have been the linguistic identity of the citizenry of the kingdom largely paralleled those of other Malayan kingdoms.

Reputation to nearby kingdoms

In 1521, during Ferdinand Magellan's voyage to find the Maluku islands, Antonio Pigafetta was informed that Luzon was a large island where Ryukyuan merchants visited regularly. After Magellan was killed in a battle, Pigafetta noted that they captured the son of the King of Luzon who was aboard a ship after an attack on a city. The prince was a captain-general in service to the Sultan of Brunei. The prince then paid for his freedom in gold.

In 1570, before the Spanish envoy led by Captain Juan de Salcedo and commissioned to Captain Miguel de Legaspi could reach the Kingdom of Manila, they were told in the other kingdoms along the way that the Kingdom of Manila was the most difficult to defeat in battle compared to the other kingdoms that the Spanish had reached.

After the conquest of Manila, Salcedo noted that the citizens considered the city the capital of the entire Luzon island.

Battle of Manila in 1570

The Kingdom of Maynila used artillery against the forces and mercenaries of the Kingdom of Spain.

After the battle, the Spanish captured and took full control of the Fortress of Manila.

Government

Political system

People belonged to the following hierarchical classes:

• Royalty
• Nobility
• Freemen
• Commoners
• Slaves

Political institutions

Legal system

The King of Manila served as the supreme judge in the administration of the law.

Fiscal system

The King of Manila imposed taxes on both commoners and foreigners.

Foreign affairs

The King of Manila had officers who mediated with foreign embassies.

The Kingdom of Manila was allied with the Sultanate of Brunei and was often aided thereby. The royal family of the Kingdom of Manila are relatives of the royal family of the Sultanate of Brunei.

Military

The military force of the Kingdom of Manila numbered tens of thousands of personnel.

Culture

Malayisation

The Malay language was used as the language of foreign affairs in the Kingdom of Manila in communicating with other Malayan kingdoms.

Religion

The citizens of the Kingdom of Manila mostly practised Tagalog polytheism. The royal family as well as many freemen had been converting to Islam before the fall of the kingdom.

References

This article "Kingdom of Manila" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Kingdom of Manila. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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