History of Manila

Miguel López de Legazpi, the Spanish conqueror of the Philippines, founded Manila as a fortified colony in 1571, after defeating the forces of the Muslim ruler Rajah Soliman.

In 1601 a seminary for nobles, the first educational institution in the country, was established at Manila by the Jesuits.

From the 16th to early 19th centuries, Manila played an important role in trade as a port for the Manila galleons, huge trading ships that carried goods from Manila to Acapulco, Mexico (then part of New Spain).

During this time, Chinese merchants settled in Manila and became middlemen for other trade from China.

By the 1590s the Chinese had become an economically important community. Many Chinese, aware of the political and social advantages enjoyed by the Roman Catholics in the colony, converted to Catholicism and married Filipino women. Many of their mixed-blood descendants became important in Manila.

The city remained under continuous Spanish colonial rule for about 350 years, except for a brief period during the Seven Years' War when Britain held the city from 1762 to 1764.

Discontent with Spanish rule among urban Filipinos and some of the Filipino clergy became especially significant in Manila during the latter half of the 19th century.

Nationalist sentiment erupted in 1872 when three Filipino priests, who had been charged with leading a military mutiny at an arsenal near Manila, were executed by the Spaniards.

In 1896, the execution in Manila of Filipino patriot José Rizal, convicted by a Spanish military court of sedition, facilitated a revolt against Spain.

The Spanish, meanwhile, had become enmeshed in an unsuccessful war in their Cuban colony and were eager to end the fighting in the Philippines. They offered revolutionary leader Emilio Aguinaldo amnesty and an indemnity payment if he would go into exile.

Aguinaldo agreed and left the Philippines at the end of 1897.

In May 1898 a U.S. fleet under Commodore George Dewey steamed into Manila Bay and destroyed the Spanish fleet (see Spanish-American War; Manila Bay, Battle of). Thereafter Manila became the headquarters of the U.S. administration of the Philippines.

Manila was occupied by the Japanese during World War II from January 1942 until February 1945, and was considerably damaged during the struggle to recapture the city.

Both American and Japanese funds were used to rebuild much of the city after the war.

The Philippines became independent in 1946 and Manila was named the capital. It was replaced as capital by Quezon City in 1948, but remained the country's main administrative center.

In 1976, as part of a local government reorganization that established metropolitan Manila, the city again became the capital.

Between 1972 and 1981 Manila and the Philippines were placed under martial law by President Ferdinand Marcos.

Marcos continued his dictatorial rule while the local economy continued to disintegrate amid charges of overwhelming corruption by Marcos; his wife, Imelda; and other associates. Increasingly, the population opposed the Marcos' rule.

On August 21, 1983, opposition leader Benigno Aquino flew to Manila from the United States and was assassinated as he left the airplane in Manila.

After much turmoil, Aquino's widow, Corazon, was elected president in 1986.

During the Aquino presidency, Manila witnessed six unsuccessful coup attempts, the most serious occurring in December 1989.