Philippine History

1. Give specific date on the journey of Marco Polo in comparison with the expedition of Ferdinand
Magellan.
Marco Polo, (born c. 1254, Venice [Italy]—died January 8, 1324, Venice), Venetian merchant and
adventurer who traveled from Europe to Asia in 1271–95, remaining in China for 17 years.

Sep 15 1254
Marco Polo is Born
Marco Polo was born in the thirteenth century (1254 A.D.) in Venice, an Italian city-state, and he
was very much a man of his time. He had the standard education for a young gentleman--
knowledge of classical authors and the basic beliefs of the church, a good grasp of French and
Italian, and skills in accounting.

1271
Marco Polo and his father begin Journey to Asia
Marco Polo’s journey with his father and uncle in China, bearing a message to the great Kublai
Khan from the Head of the Catholic Church, Father Gregory X, began in 1271. Their route passed
through modern Akka (Israel) to the Persian Gulf, then to the north through Iran to Amu Darya,
and on to Oksus (Aral sea) through the Pamir mountains to modern Sinkian (an Uigur area) and
then finally through the Gobi Desert to Shangtu.

1274
Marco Polo reaches Cathay and meets Kublai Khan
Marco Polo travels to Cathay (China) Marco Polo lived from 1254-1324.
Marco Polo meets Kublai Khan in Peking
So when the two Venetian merchants again appeared in Peking, Kublai Khan was glad to see
them. Important positions at the Chinese court were given to Marco Polo's father and uncle, and
so they and Marco Polo lived in the country for some years. Marco Polo studied the Chinese
language, and it was not very long before he could speak it.

1275
Marco Polo appointed an envoy for Kublai Khan
When Marco Polo was about twenty-one Kublai Khan sent him on very important business to a
distant part of China.

1280
Marco Polo appointed governor
Khan liked the youthful Marco and conscripted him into service for the Empire.

1295
Marco Polo returns to Venice
Sometime around 1292 (1290 according to Otagi), a Mongol princess was to be sent to Persia to
become the consort of Arghun Khan, and the Polos offered to accompany her.

1298
Marco Polo serves as a gentleman-commander and is imprisoned in Genoa
Marco Polo did not return to Asia again.

1299
Marco Polo is released as a prisoner of war in Genoa
Upon their return, Venice was at war with Genoa, and Marco Polo was taken prisoner.

1300
Marco Polo marries Donata Badoer

Jan 8 1324
Marco Polo Dies
In 1323, Polo was confined to bed, due to illness.

Ferdinand Magellan’s Expedition

20 September 1519: The fleet sets sail

Magellan’s fleet of five ships with a crew of 270 leave Sanlúcar de Barrameda in south-west
Spain. Supported by the Habsburg emperor Charles V, the voyage is funded by German banking
money. The crew is drawn from across Europe and even Africa, and equipped for a voyage of
two years.

26 September 1519: A supply crisis

The fleet reaches the Canary Islands, but is already dogged with problems. Magellan realises he
has been swindled out of supplies before departure. He also has to outrun Portuguese ships
trying to arrest him as a traitor in the pay of Spain.

December 1519: Tensions rise

The fleet successfully crosses the Atlantic and arrives in Rio de Janeiro Bay. Tensions are already
running high between the Portuguese commander and the Spanish nobles on the voyage, who
continue to question his authority. Sailing down the coast of Patagonia they meet ‘giants’, one
of whom is taken onboard.

October 1520: Mutineers strike

After a gruelling journey south, putting down a mutiny and wrecking a ship, Magellan discovers
‘Magellan’s Strait’, a route through the southern tip of South America to the Pacific. Navigating
his way takes over a month through unknown waters in terrible conditions with the loss of
another ship.

November 1520: Into the Pacific

Magellan finally emerges into open sea. He names it ‘Mare Pacificum’, or ‘peaceful sea’. He is
the first European to sail across the Pacific, though having underestimated its size by almost
half, the next leg of the voyage is anything but peaceful. Many of the crew die from scurvy.

March 1521: Land at last

After more than three months sailing out of sight of land, the ravaged crew land in Guam,
Micronesia. Attempting to trade with locals, Magellan and his crew accuse them of theft,
naming the islands ‘Ladrones’: the ‘Islands of Thieves’.

27 April 1521: Magellan is slain

Magellan becomes embroiled in conflicts between rival chieftains and attempts to assert his
authority by attacking the ruler of Mactan in the Philippine archipelago. Magellan and many of
the crew are killed on the beach. His body is never recovered.

November 1521: A new commander

The Spanish captain Juan Sebastián Elcano takes command and finally reaches Tidor in the
Moluccas Islands. Exploiting local hostility towards the Portuguese, he loads the two remaining
ships with a large consignment of spices whose profit recoups nearly twice the voyage’s initial
investment.

December 1521: Elcano heads home

Elcano makes the decision to send one ship back via the Pacific, but it is caught by patrolling
Portuguese vessels. The crew are arrested, and the ship lost at sea. Elcano’s remaining ship
heads back to Spain via the Indian Ocean and Cape of Good Hope.

6 September 1522: The odyssey ends

Elcano arrives back in Sanlúcar, nearly three years after the fleet’s departure. Only 18 of the
original crew of 270 survive, including the Venetian chronicler Antonio Pigafetta, whose book
remains the key eyewitness account of the voyage. News of the voyage spreads throughout
Europe and causes a diplomatic conflict over the Moluccas between Spain and Portugal.
2. Based on the date, give you views and belief as who really discovered the Philippines.
Marco Polo mainly travel Asia specifically mainly in China passing Borneo, Indonesia, Vietnam
and the Philippines. He didn’t drop-off to the Philippines and just passes by. It is Magellan who
did an arrival in Mactan and ended in life in Cebu.

3. Cite some contributions of Ruy Lopez de Villalobos and Miguel Lopez de Leagaspi and the
discovery of the Philippines.

Ruy Lopez de Villalobos is significant for having given the name “Las Islas Filipinas” to the
Philippine archipelago in 1543. The Spanish territory were then called Islas de Poniente and Islas
de San Lazaro.

Miguel Lopez de Legaspi is a Spanish explorer who established Spain’s dominion over the
Philippines that lasted until the Spanish-American War of 1898. He was sent to the Philippines to
claim the Philippines in 1564 after Magellan. He served as the first Governor of the Philippines.
He also spend his time spreading Christianity in the Philippines.