SPANISH MORO WARS

Presentation by:
Kevin John D. Laganao
INTRODUCTION
• A war described as “querras piraticas” or a fight
against Moro pirates

• Used piracy as a reason to give the military

depredations of the colonizers a color of
domestic affair – a fight against evil forces.

• It was a war against the free sultanates – a

colonial war of aggression.
• A war that made use of thousands of converted
colonial subjects, misinformed indios, effective
use of the Church and churchmen against
people who refused to be their subjects.
PHASE ONE:
BRUNEI CUT-OFF
PHASE ONE: BRUNEI CUT-OFF
• First phase of the war began around the
coming of Legazpi in 1565 and ended with the
invasion of Borneo in 1578 and 1581.

• March 1565 – Spaniards captured a trading

vessel in Bohol.

• 1569 – Spanish trading successfully engaged

20 vessels owned by Borneans and Sulu –
symbolized commercial rivalry.
• After the capture of Manila, the Spaniards were
concerned about disgruntled Bornean
aristocracy that they may seek aid in Brunei.12

• In 1578, Spaniards invaded Brunei and forced

Sultan Seifur-Jiral to flee.

• The Spaniards returned in 1581, but was

unsuccessful, but they succeeded in
eliminating Bornean pretension in the country.

• Significant EVENT: the people of Brunei and

Sulu were allies – their sultans were brothers-
in-law.3
PHASE TWO
STRONGHOLDS
PHASE TWO: STRONGHOLDS
• The second phase started when the Spaniards
tried to establish forts and colonies in Muslim
lands, to exact tribute from the Muslim, and to
wean them from their alliance to Ternate.

• Sulu Sultan paid a modest tribute, so did the

chieftains in the Pulangi.

• A 1587 conspiracy of Tondo chieftains led by

Magat Salamat failed.1
• 1591 – the Spanish government decided to
colonize Mindano and incorporate it into its
Philippine colony.2

• April 1596 – Esteban Rodriguez de Figueroa,

newly-designated governor of Mindanao,
lanbded in Cotabato but failed to contact
Maguindanao Sultan

• He was struck on the head with a Kampilan

• The second phase ended with a defeat of the

Spanish invaders
• SIGNIFICANT EVENT:

• The Ternatan aid came not only on account for

kinship relations between families of Mindanao and
the Moluccas and religious ties...

... But the Ternatans realized that if Mindanao

become a Spanish base, it will have operations
against them.
QUIZ

• What was the Spanish Moro wars all about?

• How did the first phase of the wars started?

• What were the reasons of the Spaniards to

invade Brunei?
• How did the second phase of the Wars start?

• What was the Spanish mission on invading

Mindanao?

• Why did the Ternatans offer aid to the Muslims

of Mindanao in their fight against the
Spaniards?
PHASE THREE
COUNTER ATTACKS
PHASE THREE: COUNTER ATTACKS
• The third phase began in 1599-1600 when the
Maguindanaoan launched and offensive
against the Spanish forces in the Bisayas

• However, the Spaniards later succeeded in

conquering Ternate.

• In 1635, the Spaniards established a strong

fort in Zamboanga.
• Significant EVENTS:

• Sulu, Maguindanao, and Bauyan had Ternatan aids.

• The Dutch helped and encouraged the Muslims to

create more difficulties for their Spanish rivals.
• 1599-1600 – rajahs of Maguindanao and bauyan
launched raids on the Bisayas with 3000
warriors each.

• They launched another raid in 1602, this time

with the help of Sulu, and reached as far as
Southern Luzon.

• BUISAN, the Maguindanao rajah, attacked

Bisayas towns.1

• He returned some captives and gold and

exhorted the datus to sweep off the Spaniards
• 1606 – one of the biggest fleets by the
Spaniards went to Ternate resulting to their
victory and the Sultan captured.

• The rajahs of the Pulangi made peace with the

Spaniards in the fear of attacks against them.

• In 1616, the presence of the Dutch in

Philippine waters encouraged the Sulu to
attack as far as Cavite and Camarines.2

• In 1627, the Sulu attacked the shipyard in

Camarines led by Rajah Bongsu.3
• The Spaniards retaliated, resulting to complete
burning of Jolo and destruction of Sultan’s
fleet.

• In 1630, an expedition led by Lorenzo de Olazo

failed, leaving him wounded and his men killed.
RISE OF KATCHIL KUDARAT

• Katchil Kudarat
• leader of the Iranun and Maguindanao
• became a chieftain around 1619 and kept the
peace with the Spaniards
• Allied with the Dutch who helped him with
ammunition and keep up with his commercial
activities
• In 1634, he attacked the Visayas to weaken the
Spaniards4

• 1635 – Spaniards built a fort in Zamboanga for

protection of the mission in Mindanao, and an
outpost where Muslim fleet movement could be
watched.

• NOTES to consider:
• Muslim captured Spaniards for ransom purpose, as
did the Spaniards when they captured Muslim leaders

• Muslims enslaved the natives from the Spaniards

• Significant EVENTS:

• The Muslims in the Philippines were helped by

neighboring principalities.

• This alliance represented not only marriage ties

between families, but a concerted effort against the
intrusion of Western imperialism, colonialism and
Christianity.
QUIZ

• Cite any event that happened during the Third

Phase of the Spanish Moro Wars.
PHASE FOUR
FORTRESS WAR
PHASE FOUR: FORTRESS WAR
• Began with the fortification of Zamboanga in
1635 and ended to its abandonment in 1663.1

• Governor Corcuera’s tasks:

• To capture Kudarat and put Spanish puppet in
Maguindanao Sultanate

• To capture the main cotta of Sulu and establish

colonies there.

• To invade Brunei once again and put it under

Spanish sovereignty
• Corcuera captured Lamitan in 1637 and
invaded neighboring towns despite strong
defenses.2

• The next year, 600 Spaniards and 1000 native

allies seiged Sulu sultan’s cotta in Jolo –
despite the superb defense, an epidemic
forced the sultan to surrender.
• Spanish attempts to subject the Maranaos was
shortlived and pacifying the Buayanons was
difficult.

• Policy of the Spaniards:

• Destroying all Muslim orchards, plantations and
seacrafts

• Depopulating Muslim and enslaving as many

Muslims as possible
• But Kudarat’s gaining strength forced the
Spaniards to make a treaty in 1645. The next
year, they concluded a treaty pledging to
abandon all forts in Sulu.

• 1655 – the peace was broken when the

Spanish ambassador was assassinated in his
insistence to convert the Sultan.

• Kudarat declared jihad and asked the aid of

Sultan of Makassar, Sulu, Ternate and Brunei

• In 1663, Zamboanga was abandoned – an

interlude of peace for the next 50 years.
PHASE FIVE
PHASE FIVE
• The Spanish King issued various royal orders
for the occupation and refortification of
Zamboanga

• The fort was garrisoned in 1718 and made

stronger than before. The fifth phase was to
commence soon.
• 1720-1721 – Sulu and Iranun attacked the fort
but failed despite the use of hundreds of war
vessels and thousands of warriors.

• Spaniards changed the program of

evangelization – in exchange for commercial
relations and treaties of alliance, the
Sultanates shall accept the preaching of
Christianity.

• Sultan Azim-ud-Din visited Manila for his

baptism, imprisonment and return to Sulu.
• The Sultan went as far as to seek aid from
China and Ottoman Empire to protect Jolo from
Spanish forces.

• In this phase of the war,

• Hundreds of Muslims were carried into captivity
• Hundreds of Christian natives were captured and
sold as slaves in Makassar and Java
• Muslim raids in the Visayas were fierce
• The Muslim remained unconquered and began to
accelerate their commercial activities with the
British.
PHASE SIX
PHASE SIX
• The British and the Dutch were extending in the
islands of Southeast Asia – the Spaniards had
to secure their southern frontier.

• The sixth phase of the wars commenced when

the Spaniards utilized the existence of piracy to
launch in 1845 the Balanging expedition.

• This led to depopulation of Samales Islands

and transfer of survivors to Luzon for
conversion.
• Another Spanish campaign in 1876 to capture
Jolo was intended – this time used Sultan Jaml
ul-Azam’s ignorance to previous treaties as an
excuse.

• The war was a “just and holy one” against the

“wicked sons of the Quran” by the Spanish
clergy.1

• Upon abandonment of Jolo, the Sultan leased

the Sabah territory to the British company.

• A treaty among Britain, Germany and Spain

finally provided that Spanish sovereignty
extended to Sulu.
• The last peace treaty between the Spaniards
and the Sulu entered in 1878.

• The treaty provide a sort of Spanish protectorate for

Sulu, while giving the Sulu a great deal of
autonomy.

• However, datus and their followers kept on

harrassing the Spaniards, making Jolo a
town under seige.
• A few expeditions were sent by Spaniards to
the Maranao areas and Buayan to consolidate
their hold in their lands.

• Cotabato became a Spanish outpost and

Spaniards were able to build forts along the
Pulangi.

• Sultan Anwar ud-Din (Datu Utto) was the only

opposing force against the Spaniards.
QUIZ
GAIN AS MANY POINTS AS YOU CAN!

• How did the fourth phase of the war start?

• What were the tasks of Governor Corcuera

over the Moroland?

• There was an interlude of peace in 50 years.

How did this happen?
• How did the fifth phase of the Wars start?

• Cite significant events that happened during

the fifth phase of the Wars.

• How did the Sixth phase of the wars start?

• What were the reasons of the Spaniards to

resume war over the Sulu?
THE END