Spanish Moro Wars Overview

Study Notes

A war against Muslim sultanates in Mindanao, framed by the Spanish as a fight against "Moro pirates" to conceal its colonial nature.
The conflict involved thousands of Filipinos, who were often misled into supporting the colonizers.
The war was divided into six phases.

The first phase began around 1565, during Legazpi's arrival.
It ended with Spanish invasions of Borneo in 1578 and 1581.
The Spanish captured a Bornean trading vessel in 1565 near Bohol.
In 1569, Spanish traders successfully engaged 20 Bornean and Sulu vessels.
The Spanish interfered in a Brunei dynastic dispute, supporting a pro-Spanish candidate for their throne.
This intervention aimed to secure Spanish sovereignty over the area and eliminate Bornean influence.
The Spanish believed that with Brunei neutralized, accepting Spanish rule would follow.
The Spaniards succeeded in eventually eliminating Bornean influence in the Philippines.

The second phase saw Spanish attempts to establish forts in Muslim territories and collect tribute.
The phase lasted until roughly 1599.
The Sulu sultan and some Pulangi chieftains paid tribute.
A 1587 uprising, led by Magat Salamat, to contact the Brunei Sultan for help against the Spanish, was unsuccessful.
The Spanish government aimed that Mindanao would act as a base to take control of the Moluccas, Borneo, and Java.
The governor of Mindanao, Esteban Rodríguez de Figueroa, was killed.
Continuing harassment, lack of supplies, and communication problems led to Spanish abandonment of certain forts.
Ternatan aid came to help Muslim forces due to religious and kinship ties, and concern over Spanish expansion.

Began in 1599-1600;
A Maguindanao offensive against Spanish forces in the Visayas demonstrated Muslim resistance.
The offensive successfully competed with Spain for tribute collection in the Visayas.
Initial Spanish counteroffensives failed.
The Spaniards later conquered Ternate in 1635, establishing a fort in Zamboanga.
Muslim forces had support from the Dutch.
The rajahs of Maguindanao and Buayan made two devastating raids on the Bisayas in 1599-1600 and 1602 involving thousands of warriors each.

Focused on conflicts and political maneuvering, with the Spanish King ordering the refortification of Zamboanga.

The final phase involved Spanish attempts to conquer Muslim sultanates, especially Sulu, in the mid-19th century, not primarily for religious reasons, but due to European colonialism vying for power.
Dutch and British presence in the region compelled Spanish policy adjustments.

President McKinley's policy aimed at civilizing and educating the Filipinos.
The US initially attempted to secure Muslim acknowledgement of US sovereignty.
The US established the Moro Province for administrative control of Moroland.
American policies in Moroland were met with military resistance, with some Muslims accepting, others resisting.
There was a complex interplay of diplomacy and conflict between the US and Muslim Filipinos.