With a rich history that stretches back thousands of years, Manila is the capital of the Philippines and one of the most important cities in the Pacific. Manila was a pivotal trading hub that connected Asia to South America and is recognized as one of the world's first “global cities”. Its importance as a trading port earned it the nickname “The Pearl of the Orient”.
Read on to learn about the fascinating history of Manila.
From Prehistory to History
Present-day Manila is situated on the eastern coast of Luzon – the largest island in the Philippines. The area is bisected by the Pasig River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean via Manila Bay. So it's no surprise that the area was attractive for human settlers.
It's believed that the Philippines were settled by other species of humans as early as 65,000 BC. Evidence of the presence of modern humans survives through the Angono Petroglyphs, a collection of rock art in modern-day Rizal that dates from 3000 BC.
In 1989, the Laguna Copperplate was discovered in the Philippines. Dating from approximately 900 AD, the plate is believed to list several contemporary city-states known as barangays. It's clear that many of these states were part of the Tagalog people – an Austronesian ethnic group. The plate also seems to function as a calendar, making it the earliest historical document from the Philippines.
City-States, Trade, and Invasion
Many of these city-states were concentrated on the banks of the Pasig River and the surrounding delta. Tondo is the most famous and is mentioned on the Laguna Copperplate. As early as the 12th Century, Tondo was joined by another city-state on the southern bank of the Pasig – Maynila.
Due to their prominent position at the mouth of the Pasig River, Tondo and Maynila could control the flow of goods coming into the Philippines from Ming China and other nearby civilizations. The relationships between these city-states is complex, containing several social and ethnic groups.
There were also religious differences between the two states. Tondo embraced a mix of Buddhist and Hindu culture, probably due to its relationship with the Majapahit empire in Indonesia. Maynila, meanwhile, was ruled by Islamic rajahs that were linked to the Sultanate of Brunei.
Sadly, this complex patchwork of city-states was soon to encounter enormous change when the Spanish arrived.
The Spanish Era
In the 1500s, the Spanish had started colonising islands in the Pacific to expand their territory. Many of these expeditions originated from Spanish Mexico, including one led by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.
In 1565, de Legazpi reached the Philippines and landed on Cebu, one of the central islands. After establishing colonies on Cebu and neighboring Panay, de Legazpi heard tales of the rich barangays on Luzon and dispatched one of his conquistadors, Martin de Goiti.
When de Goiti reached Manila Bay, he initially allied with the local Muslim rulers, led by Rajah Matanda. However, one of Matanda's rivals, Rajah Sulayman, refused to submit. As tensions rose, Sulayman's forces clashed with the Spanish at the Battle of Manila in 1570. The Spanish overpowered the natives, but during the battle a series of fires broke out in the city.
In 1571, Lopez de Legazpi relocated the entire Spanish force to Maynila. But more native opposition arrived in the form of Tarik Sulayman, another local ruler. After failing to gain support from other rulers, Tarik Sulayman attacked the Spanish. At the Battle of Bangkusay, the Spanish and their allies destroyed Sulayman's resistance.
After the victory, de Legazpi officially claimed Manila for Spain on June 24th, 1571. He established a colony among the ruins of Maynila and announced Spain's rule over the Philippines. Both Fort Santiago and Manila Cathedral were built during the first year. Over the next few years, the young colony was plagued by attacks from Chinese pirates and was even razed during a Chinese rebellion in 1574.
After another fire broke out in 1583, the new governor, Santiago de Vera, ordered that the city be rebuilt in stone and protected by a series of forts. This walled district became known as Intramuros and still survives as the historic center of modern-day Manila. The city became the capital of the Spanish Philippines in 1595.
Changing Hands and the End of Spanish Rule
Spanish rule continued until 1762, when Manila was captured by the British during the Seven Years War. Spain had taken the side of Britain's arch-nemesis, France, but the alliance cost Spain dearly. In September 1762, the British arrived in Manila Bay before besieging and capturing the city on the 6th of October.
After sacking the city after their victory, the British occupied Manila until 1764. But it wasn't a peaceful or permanent occupation. A Spanish resistance, led by Simon de Anda y Salazar, blockaded the city and prevented the British from expanding north. After the Seven Years War ended in 1763, the British agreed to hand back Manila to de Anda and withdrew in 1764.
The Spanish continued to rule Manila and the Philippines until 1898. In 1821, Spain lost control of Mexico after the Mexican War of Independence and had to govern Manila directly from Spain. Revolutionary feelings began to bubble up in the Philippines.
In 1886, a Filipino writer called Jose Rizal wrote a book criticizing Spanish rule. After a period of exile, Rizal founded a nationalist movement, La Liga Filipina, in 1892. This inspired Andres Bonifacio, another Filipino native, to create the revolutionary Katipunan organization to fight against Spanish rule. In 1896, the powder keg exploded as the Katipunan instigated a revolt and attacked Manila. The coup failed, and Bonifacio was executed.
In 1898, the Spanish were defeated by the United States in the Spanish-American War. During the Battle of Manila Bay on May 1st, the Americans annihilated Spain's Pacific fleet and blockaded the city. The Battle of Manila followed on August 13th, and the Americans took control. The Philippines was ceded to the Americans for $20 million, who soon had to deal with their own native revolt.
During the Spanish-American War, revolutionary Filipinos had created the First Filipino Republic and allied with the Americans against Spain. However, once it became clear the the Americans had no intention of acknowledging Filipino independence, the alliance was broken.
In 1899, the Philippine-American War broke out on February 4th as the two sides fought another Battle of Manila. The Americans won, but the war would continue until 1902. After the conflict, a civil government was established in Manila.
In 1935, the Americans decreed that they would grant the Philippines independence over a ten-year period and established the Commonwealth of the Philippines. However, that process was delayed by another bloody conflict.
World War Two and Japanese Occupation
On December 7th, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. As the Americans scrambled to respond, US and Filipino troops were ordered to abandon Manila. To protect Manila from Japanese retribution, it was declared an open city. However, the Japanese still bombed the city, causing widespread destruction before taking control on January 3rd 1942.
On October 20th, 1944, the Americans and their allies returned to retake the Philippines. From February 3rd to March 3rd, 1945, Manila was devastated by the Battle of Manila. The remaining Japanese forces massacred over 100,000 civilians, and thousands more were killed by Allied shelling.
Once the smoke cleared, Manila had suffered the worst destruction of any city in the world apart from Warsaw in Poland. Approximately half a million Filipinos had died during Japan's occupation of the Philippines.
Post-WW2 and Modern-day Manila
After the war, the Philippines officially became independent in 1946. The national flag was raised in Rizal Park in celebration as the rebuilding got underway. During the 1950s and 1960s, Manila enjoyed a Golden Age and reclaimed its title as the “Pearl of the Orient”.
However, there were growing pains. In 1972, the corrupt President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law. In 1983, the opposition candidate Benigno Aquino Jr. was assassinated at Manila International Airport. After Marcos won another election in 1986, the public had had enough. The People Power Revolution overthrew Marcos and brought democracy back to the Philippines.
Aquino's widow, Corazon, became President after the revolution. However, she faced eight attempted coups from 1986 to 1992. During Alfredo Lim's second term as Manila's mayor, the city experienced further unrest.
Despite enduring years of foreign occupation and numerous battles and crises within the city, like the 2010 hostage crisis, Manila continues to be one of the most prosperous and fastest-growing cities in the Pacific. Today, Manila is home to over 14 million people. It has several historical landmarks dating from the Spanish era as well as fantastic museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Manila.
Famous Landmarks
- Fort Santiago – 1571
- Manila Cathedral – 1571
- Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene – 1586
- San Agustin Church – 1607
- Rizal Park – 1820
- Binondo Church – Founded 1596, Building complete 1852
- San Sebastian Church – 1891
- Paco Park
- National Museum of Fine Arts – 1926
- Manila City Hall – 1941
- Metropolitan Museum of Manila – 1976