History of the Philippines establishment of new kingdoms largely

The history of what is today The Philippines influenced by the Indian culture and traditions.
started with the arrival of its first humans. The date inscribed in the oldest Philippine
It is believed they used rafts or boats around document found so far, the Laguna
60,000 years ago, with groups of diverse Copperplate Inscription, is 900 AD. From the
people settling in the archipelago. details of the document, written in Kawi script,
the bearer of a debt, Namwaran, along with his
Some of these groups started to develop and
children, is cleared of a debt by the ruler of
expand into bigger settlements and in the next
Tondo.
thousands of years, they evolved in what some
scholars believe to be considered early states. It is the earliest document that shows the use
of mathematics in pre-colonial Philippine
Austronesians and, afterward, speakers of the
societies.
Malayo-Polynesian languages, began to arrive
in successive waves beginning about 4000 BC. A standard system of weights and measures is
also demonstrated by the use of precise
According to the existing evidence, a jade
measurement for gold and other items, as well
culture existed on these lands, starting with the
as in astronomy.
Neolithic era.
From the various Sanskrit terms and titles seen
By 1000 BC, it is believed that the inhabitants
in the document, the culture and society of
of the archipelago had developed into four
Manila Bay were that of a Hindu–Old Malay
distinct kinds of peoples: tribal groups, warrior
amalgamation, similar to the cultures of Java,
societies, the petty plutocracy, and the harbor
Peninsular Malaysia, and Sumatra at the time.
civilizations.
In the years leading up to 1000, there were
Also important to note is the fact that
already several maritime societies existing in
metallurgy reached the archipelago due to
the islands but there was no unifying political
trade with India.
state encompassing the entire Philippine
Around 300–700 AD, the seafaring peoples of archipelago.
the islands began to trade with the Indianized
Instead, the region was divided into numerous
kingdoms in the Malay Archipelago and the
semi-autonomous city-states under the rule of
nearby East Asian principalities, adopting
the plutocracy while a number of states existed
influences from both Buddhism and Hinduism.
alongside the highland societies. These small
Some cultures of present-day Vietnam showed structures alternated between being part of or
evidence of an extensive trade network. being influenced by larger Asian empires, like
Artifacts and goods were traded such as glass, Maja Pahit, the Ming Dynasty of China, and
agate, or gold. There were also other items Brunei.
present in the region which were most likely Around 1225, the nation of Ma-i, a Buddhist
imported, including ear ornaments that have pre-Hispanic Philippine island-state centered in
been found in archaeological sites in the Mindoro, flourished, attracting traders and
Philippines, Thailand, and Taiwan. shipping from the Kingdom of Ryukyu to the
The Indian culture influenced The South East Empire of Japan. Chao Jukua, a customs
Asian region starting with 1st Century AD. inspector in Fukien province, China wrote the
"Description of the Barbarous Peoples",
During the period of the south Indian Pallava describing trade with this pre-colonial state. Its
dynasty and the north Indian Gupta Empire, people were noted for their honesty in trade.
Indian culture spread to Southeast Asia... and
it reached the Philippines, which led to the Much of what is now Indonesia was ruled by
the Hindu Maja Pahit empire. During the
1300s, this empire ruled over Luzon island and In 1521, the Spanish reached the archipelago
the Sulu archipelago. As more and more through the expedition around the world led by
influence was on these islands, skirmishes and Portuguese-born Spanish explorer Ferdinand
battles also existed. Some local tribes were Magellan.
waging incessant guerrilla warfare against Magellan landed on the island called Homon
them. Hon, claiming the islands he saw for The
Eventually, the kingdoms of Luzon regained Spanish Empire. He established friendly
independence from Maja Pahit after the Battle relations with some of the local leaders,
of Manila (1365) and Sulu also reestablished especially with Rajah Humabon, and converted
independence, and in vengeance, assaulted some of them to Roman Catholicism.
the Maja Pahit province of Brunei before a fleet Because the Philippines are a large
from the capital drove them out. archipelago, the Spaniards started to explore
The start of the Islamic era in Indonesia set the many islands. However, the explorer,
collapse of the Maja Pahits as its provinces Ferdinand Magellan, was killed during the
eventually seceded and became independent Battle of Mactan against the local ruler, Lapu-
sultanates. Lapu.
In 1380, Makhdum Karim, an Arab trader born Over the next several decades, other Spanish
in Johore, arrived in Sulu from Malacca and expeditions were dispatched to the islands. In
brought Islam to the Philippines. Additionally, 1543, an expedition was led to the islands
Sharif ul-Hashim, an Arab Muslim explorer, naming them: Philippines: in honor of Philip of
established the Sultanate of Sulu by converting Austria, who became Philip II of Spain on
its previous ruler, the Hindu king, Rajah January 16, 1556. The name was then
Baguinda, to Islam and then marrying his extended to the entire archipelago later on in
daughter. The Sultanate of Maguindanao rose the Spanish era.
to prominence at the end of the 15th century, European colonization began in earnest when
meanwhile, Shariff Mohammed of Johor Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi
introduced Islam in the island of Mindanao. arrived from Mexico in 1565 and formed the
The religion was introduced to the area by first European settlements in Cebu. Through
Muslim missionaries and traders from the diplomatic and military annexation of some
Middle East, Indian and Malay regions who lands, incorporating local states, including the
propagated Islam to Sulu and Maguindanao. kingdom of Tondo, the Spaniards established
As before, when Buddhist and Hindu cultures Manila as the capital of the Spanish East
influenced the archipelago, the same case Indies.
happened with the Muslim culture.
In 1578, the Castilian War erupted between the
Upon the secession of Brunei from the Maja Christian Spaniards and Muslim Bruneians
Pahit Empire, they imported the Arab Emir over control of the Philippine archipelago.
from Mecca, Sharif Ali, and became an
independent Sultanate. The new religion The Christian troops were so diverse due to
started to grow roots in the Philippines through generally being made up of people under the
conquest and conversion of local leaders in the Spanish Rule including Native Americans,
next decades. namely, Aztecs, Mayans, and Incans, who
Moreover, Islam was further strengthened by were gathered and sent from Mexico and
the arrival to the Philippines of traders and South America to be led by Spanish officers
proselytizers from Malaysia and Indonesia. that had worked together with native Filipinos
in military campaigns across Southeast Asia.
The Muslim side was also very diverse though. Treaty of Manila in 1946 established an
They were supported by the Ottoman Empire independent Philippine Republic.
with their troops consisting of Malay warriors The period of their independence was marked
and expeditionary forces sent by the Ottomans; by internal skirmishes, a smaller period of
which included mainly Turks, Egyptians, dictatorship, but also huge progress and
Swahilis, Somalis, Indians, and others. The development, with Manuel Roxas becoming
conflict ended with a STATUS QUO ANTE the first president of the independent Republic
BELLUM. of the Philippines.
Just twenty years after the conquest of Luzon, The United States ceded its sovereignty over
remarkable progress existed in the work of the Philippines on July 4, 1946, as scheduled.
colonization of the islands and the spread of
Christianity. However, the Philippine economy remained
highly dependent on United States markets.
A cathedral was built in the city of Manila with Roxas died suddenly of a heart attack in April
an episcopal palace. Other monasteries and 1948, and the vice president, Elpidio Quirino
churches were built across islands, and more ruled the country until 1953. Some communist
and more people started to convert to partisans existed in the islands but were
Christianity. Furthermore, Spanish and defeated in the ’50s.
Mexican families settled in the new lands,
creating stronger communities. Additionally, an important event happened in
the middle of the 1960s. Ferdinand Marcos
Much of the archipelago came under Spanish took the power in 1965 and ruled until 1986.
rule, creating the first unified political structure
known as the Philippines. Spanish colonial rule This era includes the final years of the Third
saw the introduction of Christianity, the code of Republic (1965–1972) and the Philippines
law, and the oldest modern university in Asia. under martial law (1972–1981). His reign was
The Philippines was ruled by the Mexico-based marked by dictatorship and instability.
Viceroyalty of New Spain, and after, the colony In 1986, Ferdinand Marcos was removed from
was directly governed by Spain. power and replaced by Maria Corazon Aquino.
Many of the local people revolted in the next Up to the current day, 5 other presidents ruled
centuries due to some abuses made by the The Philippines.
Spanish authorities. Their rule ended after the
American – Spanish War at the end of the 19
th century, in 1898. The Philippines became a
territory of the United States.
The United States then established the Insular
Government to rule the Philippines. In 1907,
the elected Assembly was set up with popular
elections.
The U.S. promised independence in the Jones
Act to the country and The Philippine
Commonwealth was established in 1935, as a
10-year interim step prior to full independence.
But before gaining total freedom, in 1942
during World War II, the Philippines was
occupied by the Japanese Forces. By 1945,
the US liberated The Philippines and The