User:VonTheGreater26/Philippines

Brief history

Ancient Philippines

The Philippines' recent history began with the advent of the first humans. Diverse groups of people are estimated to have settled the archipelago approximately 60,000 years ago using rafts or boats. Some of these groupings began to develop and expand into larger communities, and over the next several thousand years, they grew into what some scholars consider to be early states. After then, Austronesians and speakers of Malayo-Polynesian languages began to come in consecutive waves around 4000 BCE. Existing evidence indicates that a jade civilization existed in these countries as early as the Neolithic period. It is believed that by 1000 B.C., the inhabitants of the archipelago had evolved into four different types of people: tribal groups, warrior societies, petty plutocracy, and harbor civilizations. It is also crucial to note that trade with India brought metalworking to the archipelago. Around 300–700 AD, the island's seafaring peoples began trading with the Indianized kingdoms of the Malay Archipelago and the neighboring East Asian principalities while accepting Buddhist and Hindu influences. Some ancient Vietnamese societies left traces of an extensive trade network. Glass, agate, and gold were among the exchanged objects and items. Aside from the ear ornaments discovered in archaeological sites in the Philippines, Thailand, and Taiwan, other artifacts were prevalent in the region that was most likely imported. Beginning in the 1st century AD, South East Asia was impacted by Indian culture. During the south Indian Pallava dynasty and the north Indian Gupta Empire, Indian culture extended to Southeast Asia and the Philippines, resulting in the development of new kingdoms heavily influenced by Indian culture and tradition.

Well-known artifact

The date engraved on the Laguna Copperplate Inscription, the oldest Philippine document discovered to date, is 900 A.D. Based on the details of the document written in Kawi script, Namwaran and his children are released from their debt by the ruler of Tondo. It is the earliest evidence that pre-colonial Philippine societies used mathematics. A standard system of weights and measures is also supported by exact measurements of gold and other objects and astronomy. The multiple Sanskrit phrases and titles found in the record indicate that the culture and society of Manila Bay at the time were a Hindu–Old Malay fusion, comparable to those of Java, Peninsular Malaysia, and Sumatra.

Diverse nations

Several nautical societies existed on the islands before the year 1000, but no unified political entity comprised the entire Philippine archipelago. Instead, the territory was divided into multiple semi-autonomous city-states ruled by the plutocracy, while several states coexisted with the highland societies. These minor monuments were alternately a part of or affected by larger Asian civilizations, such as Maja Pahit, the Ming Dynasty, and Brunei. The nation of Ma-i, a Buddhist pre-Columbian Philippine island-state located in Mindoro, flourished about the year 1225, attracting traders and shipping from the Kingdom of Ryukyu to the Empire of Japan. Chao Jukua, a Chinese customs inspector from Fukien province, penned "Description of the Barbarous Peoples" to describe trade with this pre-colonial nation. Its citizens were known for their trade integrity. The Hindu Maja Pahit empire dominated a significant portion of what is now Indonesia. This empire ruled over Luzon island and the Sulu archipelago during the 1300s. There were skirmishes and conflicts on these islands as their influence increased. Several native tribes waged a ceaseless guerilla battle against them. Eventually, the kingdoms of Luzon regained their independence from Maja Pahit with the Battle of Manila (1365), and Sulu also reestablished its independence and, in retaliation, attacked the Maja Pahit province of Brunei until a fleet from the capital repelled them. The beginning of the Islamic era in Indonesia precipitated the fall of the Maja Pahits, whose districts ultimately seceded and established separate sultanates. Makhdum Karim, a Johore-born Arab merchant, arrived in Sulu from Malacca in 1380 and introduced Islam to the Philippines.

Introducing Islam

Sharif ul-Hashim, an Arab Muslim explorer, also formed the Sultanate of Sulu by converting the Hindu king, Rajah Baguinda, to Islam and marrying his daughter. At the end of the 15th century, the Sultanate of Maguindanao gained importance. During this time, Shariff Mohammed of Johor introduced Islam to Mindanao. Muslims from the Middle East, India, and Malay countries brought Islam to Sulu and Maguindanao as missionaries and merchants. When the Buddhist and Hindu cultures affected the archipelago, the Muslim culture did the same. Brunei seceded from the Maja Pahit Empire, imported the Arab Emir Sharif Ali from Mecca, and founded an independent Sultanate. The new religion began to establish itself in the Philippines through conquest and the conversion of local leaders during the succeeding decades.

In addition, the advent of traders and proselytizers from Malaysia and Indonesia in the Philippines bolstered the Islamic religion. In 1521, a Spanish expedition commanded by the Portuguese-born explorer Ferdinand Magellan entered the archipelago. Magellan arrived on Homonhon island and claimed the surrounding islands for the Spanish Empire. Some of the local chiefs, including Rajah Humabon, were converted to Roman Catholicism due to his establishing cordial connections with them. Due to the Philippines' size as an archipelago, the Spanish began to explore numerous islands.

Discovery of an european explorer

Nonetheless, the explorer Ferdinand Magellan was murdered in the Battle of Mactan against the local king Lapu-Lapu. Over the subsequent decades, other Spanish expeditions were sent to the islands. In 1543, an expedition led by Philip of Austria, who became Philip II of Spain on January 16, 1556, named the islands the Philippines. During the Spanish era, the name was extended to the entire archipelago. When the Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi arrived from Mexico in 1565 and established the first European colony in Cebu, European colonization began in earnest. The Spaniards established Manila as the capital of the Spanish East Indies by the diplomatic and military annexation of certain regions and incorporation of local governments, such as the kingdom of Tondo. In 1578, the Castilian War broke out between the Christian Spaniards and the Muslim Bruneians for the archipelago of the Philippines.

The Christian troops were so diverse because they were generally composed of people under Spanish Rule, such as Aztecs, Mayans, and Incans, who were sent from Mexico and South America to be led by Spanish officers who had collaborated with native Filipinos in military campaigns across Southeast Asia. In any event, the Muslim side was also extremely diversified. Their armies consisted of Malay warriors and expeditionary forces dispatched by the Ottomans, primarily composed of Turks, Egyptians, Swahilis, Somalis, and Indians, among others. The fight concluded with an ANTEBELLUM OF STATUS QUO. Twenty years after the conquest of Luzon, the colonization of the islands and the propagation of Christianity had made great progress. In Manila, a church was constructed alongside an episcopal palace. On islands, different monasteries and churches were constructed, and an increasing number of individuals converted to Christianity.

Spanish and American colonial period

Spanish and Mexican families also migrated to the new areas, strengthening the towns. A significant portion of the archipelago fell under Spanish dominion, establishing the first united political organization known as the Philippines. Under the Spanish colonial administration, Christianity, the code of law, and the earliest modern university in Asia were introduced. Initially, the Philippines were managed by the Viceroyalty of New Spain, situated in Mexico; later, the colony was governed directly by Spain. Due to the excesses committed by the Spanish authority, a significant number of locals revolted in subsequent ages. Their authority ended in 1898, following the American-Spanish War after the 19th century. The Philippines became a United States territory. The United States then created the Insular Government to administer the Philippines. In 1907, the elected Assembly was established through democratic elections. In the Jones Act, the United States guaranteed freedom to the country, and in 1935, The Philippine Commonwealth was founded as a 10-year interim phase before full independence. Before attaining complete independence, however, the Philippines were seized by Japanese forces in 1942, during World War II. The United States conquered the Philippines in 1945, and the Treaty of Manila secured the Philippine Republic's independence in 1946. Manuel Roxas was the first president of the independent Republic of the Philippines, defined by internal conflicts, a brief time of tyranny, and enormous progress and prosperity. As planned, on July 4, 1946, the United States relinquished its sovereignty over the Philippines.

Country's Independence

Nonetheless, the Philippine economy remained strongly reliant on U.S. markets. In April 1948, Roxas died unexpectedly of a heart attack, and Elpidio Quirino controlled the country until 1953. There were communist partisans on the islands, but they were defeated in the 1950s. In addition, a significant event occurred in the middle of the 1960s. In 1965, Ferdinand Marcos seized power and reigned until 1986. This period encompasses the closing years of the Third Republic (1965–1972) and martial law in the Philippines (1972–1981). His rule was distinguished by authoritarianism and instability. In 1986, Ferdinand Marcos was deposed from office, and Maria Corazon Aquino took his place. Before the current president, four former leaders governed the Philippines.