Ruy Lopez de Villalobos led the fourth Spanish expedition to the Philippines in 1542 to secretly colonize the islands while avoiding Portuguese territories. After arriving in Mindanao and establishing a colony, Villalobos named the islands Las Islas Filipinas. However, conflicts with natives and hunger forced Villalobos to abandon the settlement. The expedition was then captured by the Portuguese in the Moluccas, and Villalobos died in prison in 1546 while some crew members survived and were transferred to Lisbon.
Ruy Lopez de Villalobos led the fourth Spanish expedition to the Philippines in 1542 to secretly colonize the islands while avoiding Portuguese territories. After arriving in Mindanao and establishing a colony, Villalobos named the islands Las Islas Filipinas. However, conflicts with natives and hunger forced Villalobos to abandon the settlement. The expedition was then captured by the Portuguese in the Moluccas, and Villalobos died in prison in 1546 while some crew members survived and were transferred to Lisbon.
Ruy Lopez de Villalobos led the fourth Spanish expedition to the Philippines in 1542 to secretly colonize the islands while avoiding Portuguese territories. After arriving in Mindanao and establishing a colony, Villalobos named the islands Las Islas Filipinas. However, conflicts with natives and hunger forced Villalobos to abandon the settlement. The expedition was then captured by the Portuguese in the Moluccas, and Villalobos died in prison in 1546 while some crew members survived and were transferred to Lisbon.
Ruy Lopez de Villalobos led the fourth Spanish expedition to the Philippines in 1542 to secretly colonize the islands while avoiding Portuguese territories. After arriving in Mindanao and establishing a colony, Villalobos named the islands Las Islas Filipinas. However, conflicts with natives and hunger forced Villalobos to abandon the settlement. The expedition was then captured by the Portuguese in the Moluccas, and Villalobos died in prison in 1546 while some crew members survived and were transferred to Lisbon.
The Expedition of Ruy Lopez de Villalobos to the Philippines
I. A. Spain's interest in conquering the Philippines - After the celebration of Spain's victory with the return of Elcano, King Charles I decided to fully conquer the Philippines. B. Previous expeditions to the Philippines - Thus, the king sent five consecutive expeditions to the Philippines, led by Garcia Jofre Loaisa (1525), Sebastian Cabot (1526), Alvaro de Saavedra (1527), Ruy Lopez de Villalobos (1542), and Miguel Lopez de Legazpi (1564). Among these expeditions, only Villalobos and Legazpi succeeded in reaching the Philippines. C. Challenges posed by the Treaty of Zaragoza - However, before they could arrive, the Spaniards encountered issues with the Treaty of Zaragoza, which recognized the influence of the Portuguese, including the islands of the Moluccas in Indonesia, which were close to the Philippines.
II. Villalobos' Expedition Preparation
A. Instructions from Antonio de Mendoza - Villalobos was then tasked with leading the fourth expedition to explore and secretly colonize the Philippines while avoiding Portuguese territories. - In 1542 CE, Ruy Lopez de Villalobos was instructed by the first viceroy of New Spain, Antonio de Mendoza, to send an expedition to the Islas del Poniente or islands of the west, now known as the Philippines, under the monarchy of King Charles I. B. Composition of the expedition fleet - The expedition consisted of four hundred crew members aboard six galleon ships: Santiago, San Jorge, San Antonio, San Cristobal under the command of Gines de Mafra, San Martin, and San Juan de Letran under the leadership of Bernardo de la Torre.
III. Journey to the Philippines
A. Departure from Barra de Navidad, Mexico - Villalobos' group set sail from New Spain, known today as Mexico, from the port of Barra de Navidad on November 1, 1542. B. Separation of the San Cristobal from the main group - Following Magellan's route, between January 6 and 23 of the year 1543, the galleon ship San Cristobal, led by Gines de Mafra, a former member of Magellan's expedition, became separated from Villalobos' group due to a series of powerful storms. C. Arrival of San Cristobal at Limasawa - De Mafra reached the island of Mazaua, where Magellan had anchored in 1521. This marked de Mafra's second visit to the Philippines, now recognized as Limasawa, in the southern part of Leyte Island.
IV. Arrival in the Philippines
A. Entry to the eastern coast of Mindanao - On the second day of February in 1543, Villalobos' group entered the eastern coast of Mindanao. B. Naming of Caesarea Caroli - Villalobos named it Caesarea Caroli, in honor of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. C. Encounter with severe hunger and attempts to find food - The group stayed for 32 days, during which the crew experienced severe hunger. - Villalobos instructed his soldiers to plant corn, but their efforts were unsuccessful. - They attempted to return to Mazaua or Limasawa to find food, but ended up reaching Sarangani after a few days. Meanwhile, two months prior, the galleon ship San Cristobal arrived at Limasawa, showing Villalobos' group that they had brought cargos of rice and other provisions. - Villalobos then sent back the ships San Juan and San Cristobal to Leyte and Samar for additional food supplies. D. Interaction with Portuguese authorities - On August 7, 1543, a Portuguese messenger arrived, delivering a letter from the governor of the Moluccas, Jorge de Castro, questioning why Spanish galleons were in Portuguese territory. Villalobos responded, asserting that they did not trespass and were within the demarcation line. The demarcation line, established by the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas, divided the New World between Spain and Portugal.
V. Establishing a Colony A. Sending back ships - Villalobos then sent the ship San Juan de Letran back to Mexico on August 27 of the same year, under the command of Bernardo de la Torre, to search for the Tornaviaje route, which would take over two decades before it was discovered by Andres de Urdeneta. - Several weeks later, another letter arrived from Jorge de Castro with similar protestations, to which Villalobos reiterated the same response. - They departed from Abuyog in Leyte with the remaining ships, but were unable to navigate the coasts due to unfavorable winds. B. Naming the islands Las Islas Filipinas - In April 1544, Villalobos and his group sailed to Samar and Leyte. Upon reaching the island, he named it Las Islas Filipinas, in honor of the then Prince of Spain who later became King Philip II. - According to Dr. Jose Rizal's annotations in Antonio de Morga's book "Sucesos de las islas Filipinas," Villalobos first named the islands after encountering one of the southern islands called "Tandaya," now known as Leyte, and the name was eventually extended to the entire archipelago. C. Attempts to establish a colony and conflicts with natives - Villalobos established a colony, but relations with the natives soured, leading to skirmishes.
VI. Abandonment of Settlement and Capture
A. Forced abandonment of the settlement due to hunger and conflicts - Due to this, Villalobos was forced to abandon his settlement and the expedition due to severe hunger and the imminent defeat against the natives. B. Capture and imprisonment by the Portuguese in Moluccas - Villalobos' group then sailed towards the Moluccas to seek refuge, but unfortunately, they were captured and imprisoned by the Portuguese.
VII. Aftermath A. Death of Villalobos in prison on April 4, 1546 - On April 4, 1546, Villalobos died in his cell in the prison on the island of Amboina due to tropical fever. - He was attended by the Roman Catholic priest Saint Francis Xavier, who was then traveling for evangelization in the Moluccas under Portuguese rule and as the pope's envoy in Asia. B. Survival of some crew members and their transfer to Lisbon - One hundred and seventeen crew members survived, including Gines de Mafra and Guido de Lavezaris. They boarded a ship bound for Malacca, where the Portuguese transferred them to a ship headed for Lisbon, Portugal. - Approximately thirty chose to stay in the Moluccas with Gines de Mafra.
