On September 20, 1519, Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer working for Spain, led the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe in search of valuable spices, bringing his crew of 241 men, and a fleet of five ships – Trinidad, San Antonio, Concepcion, Victoria, and Santiago. Trading in spices during those times brought immense wealth to European nations. There were two records of the journey. The first was a journal by Italian passenger Antonio Pigafetta, and the second, a series of interviews with survivors by Maximilianus of Transylvania. Magellan’s expedition was undertaken because the Spaniards were looking for alternate routes to the east; wanted to discover lands, spices, and gold; and wanted to expand Spanish territory and spread Christianity. Magellan’s travel was long and arduous, and only two ships survived it. He discovered the Strait of Magellan at the southern tip of South America and became the first European to cross the Pacific Ocean. His remaining ships arrived at Homonhon island in Samar on March 16, 1521, named it Isla San Lazaro, erected a cross, and claimed it for Spain. The islands were later named Filipinas (Philippines) in honor of King Philip of Spain. The first Catholic mass was celebrated on Limasawa island in Leyte on March 31, 1521, by Spanish friar Fr. Pedro Valderama. Among those present were Rajah Siagu and Rajah Kolambu who forged a blood compact with Magellan. Fr. Valderama baptized the two rajahs and 400 natives on April 14, 1521, in Cebu where Magellan erected a huge cross – the famous “Magellan’s Cross” – and gifted the converts with the Sto. Niño images as peace symbol. Magellan was killed by poisoned arrows on April 27, 1521, during the Battle of Mactan by natives of the island led by local chieftain Lapu-Lapu, who refused to recognize Spanish authority. The battle was considered the first Filipino resistance against foreign invaders, and Lapu-Lapu was hailed a hero. Magellan was credited with leading the first expedition that proved that the world is round by sailing from east to west. After him, five more Spanish expeditions followed between 1525 and 1542, starting Spain’s colonization of the Philippines in the next three centuries. Born in Oporto, Portugal, in 1480 to members of Portuguese nobility, Magellan served royalty at an early age. In Lisbon, he learned cartography (mapmaking), astronomy, and celestial navigation (steering a ship based on positions of the stars). He joined the Portuguese fleet sailing in 1505 to East Africa, and went to Malacca (Malaysia) and to Moluccas (Indonesia). In 1513 Magellan was wounded in a battle in North Africa. In 1517, he went to Seville to work for Spanish royalty.

There are reliable records for four main periods of Philippine history:

• Spanish rule (1521–1898)

• American rule (1898–1946)

• Japanese occupation (1941–1946)

• Philippine self rule (1946–present)

The Spanish colonial period of the Philippines began when explorer Ferdinand Magellan came to the islands in 1521 and claimed it as a colony for the Spanish Empire. The period lasted until the Philippine Revolution in 1898

When the Spanish-American War ended in December 1898, Spain sold the entire Philippine archipelago to the United States for $20 million. The Philippines had acquired a new colonial ruler. The United States had acquired a colony the size of Arizona, located more than 4,000 miles away across the Pacific

The Japanese occupation of the Philippines occurred between 1942 and 1945, when Imperial Japan occupied the Commonwealth of the Philippines during World War II. The invasion of the Philippines started on 8 December 1941, ten hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: 1898 June 12, Philippine independence declared: “During the Spanish-American War, Filipino rebels led by Emilio Aguinaldo proclaim the independence of the Philippines after 300 years of Spanish rule

THE FOUNDER OF KKK (KATIPUNAN)

The original members of the Katipunan were: Andres Bonifacio, Valentin Diaz, Teodoro Plata, Ladislao Diwa and Deodato Arellano. C) The Katipunan recruited members using the triangle system. The katipunero (revolutionary) in the triangle took in two new members who did not know each other but both knew the katipunero

Martial law was lifted by President Marcos on January 17, 1981, through Proclamation 2045. He continued to rule the country until 1986 when he went to exile after the People Power Revolution.

However, Marcos retained virtually all of the executive powers he held as dictator, through a combination of the 1972 constitution and the various decrees he had put in place before Martial Law, which all remained in effect.

Marcos issued Proclamation No. 1081, declaring and imposing martial law in the entire country. This was six hours after the alleged assassination attempt against Enrile . It also involved citing more than 15 bombing incidences, chaos and lawlessness

Martial law was lifted by President Marcos on January 17, 1981, through Proclamation 2045. He continued to rule the country until 1986 when he went to exile after the People Power Revolution.

However, Marcos retained virtually all of the executive powers he held as dictator, through a combination of the 1972 constitution and the various decrees he had put in place before Martial Law, which all remained in effect.

Marcos issued Proclamation No. 1081, declaring and imposing martial law in the entire country. This was six hours after the alleged assassination attempt against Enrile . It also involved citing more than 15 bombing incidences, chaos and lawlessness

The Philippines was praised worldwide in 1986, when the so-called bloodless revolution erupted, called EDSA People Power’s Revolution. February 25, 1986 marked a significant national event that has been engraved in the hearts and minds of every Filipino. This part of Philippine history gives us a strong sense of pride especially that other nations had attempted to emulate what we have shown the world of the true power of democracy. The true empowerment of democracy was exhibited in EDSA by its successful efforts to oust a tyrant by a demonstration without tolerance for violence and bloodshed. Prayers and rosaries strengthened by faith were the only weapons that the Filipinos used to recover their freedom from President Ferdinand Marcos’s iron hands. The Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) stretches 54 kilometers, where the peaceful demonstration was held on that fateful day. It was a day that gathered all Filipinos in unity with courage and faith to prevail democracy in the country. It was the power of the people, who assembled in EDSA, that restored the democratic Philippines, ending the oppressive Marcos regime. Hence, it came to be known as the EDSA People Power’s Revolution

RIZAL LAST HOURS

On December 26, 1896, the military court tried Jose Rizal and later found him guilty of rebellion, sedition, and conspiracy. The Spanish authorities believed that Rizal’s writings “fatally and necessarily” incited the rebellion which, by 1896, had already become a revolution. On December 29 at 6 a.m., Capt. Rafael Dominguez read before Rizal his death sentence. His execution was scheduled the following day.

At around 7 a.m. of December 29, Rizal was transferred to his death cell in Fort Santiago. There he received numerous visitors, including his counsel; some Spanish officials; and several priests, his former professors, with whom he supposedly discussed reason and religion. The Archbishop of Manila, Rev. Bernardino Nozaleda, recalled: “During that day, although Rizal did not reject [the Jesuits], he persisted in his errors contrary to the Catholic faith.… However, at the last hour, Rizal abjured, in writing, his religious errors.” In other words, Rizal, a Mason, was said to have recanted his statements against the Church and to have returned to the Catholic faith

Magellan's expedition had left Spain in August 1519 on a mission to find a westward route to the Moluccas or Spice Islands. On March 16, 1521 (Julian calendar), Magellan sighted the mountains of what is now Samar. This event marked the arrival of the first documented Europeans in the archipelago. The following day, Magellan ordered his men to anchor their ships on the shores of Homonhon Island.

There, Magellan befriended Rajah Kolambu and Rajah Siagu, king of Limasawa, who guided him to Cebu. There he met Rajah Humabon, the Rajah of Cebu. Then, Rajah Humabon and his queen were baptized into the Catholic faith, taking the Christian names Carlos, in honor of King Charles of Spain, and Juana, in honor of King Charles' mother. To commemorate this event, Magellan gave Juana the Santo Niño, an image of the infant Jesus, as a symbol of their new alliance and held their first Mass on the coast.

As a result of Magellan's influence with Rajah Humabon, an order was issued to each of the nearby chiefs, to provide food supplies for the ships, and to convert to Christianity. Most chiefs obeyed. Datu Lapulapu, one of the two chiefs on the island of Mactan, was the only one to show opposition: he refused to accept the authority of Rajah Humabon in these matters. This opposition proved influential. Antonio Pigafetta, Magellan's voyage chronicler, wrote that Zula, the island's other chief, sent one of his sons to Magellan with gifts but Lapulapu prevented the journey and refused to swear fealty to Spain.

Rajah Humabon and Datu Zula suggested that Magellan go to Mactan, to force the Datu's compliance. Magellan saw an opportunity to strengthen the existing friendship ties with the ruler of the Visayan region and agreed to help him subdue the resistant Lapulapu.

The Precolonial Era (1450–1620)

How They Were Governed

Kingdom of Portugal

During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Kingdom of Portugal was one of the most powerful empires in the world. Given its geographic location (at the western edge of the Iberian Peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean) and thriving port cities, Portugal was a natural candidate to pioneer exploration. A Portuguese navigator, Bartolomeu Dias (1450–1500), was the first European to sail around the Cape of Good Hope at the southernmost tip of Africa, opening a route to the Indian Ocean that the Europeans had been seeking for decades and making Portugal a leader in the lucrative spice trade. While exploring Africa, the Portuguese became slave traders, exporting Africans first to the Arab nations and Asia, then later to the New World. The Portuguese also established a colony in Brazil, which is the only country in the Americas whose official language is Portuguese.