The World and the Beginnings of Philippine Sovereignty, 1565-1610
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The Birth of Globalization: The World and the Beginnings of Philippine Sovereignty, 1565-1610 A dissertation presented by Ethan P. Hawkley to The Department of History In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the field of History Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts April 2014 1 The Birth of Globalization: The World and the Beginnings of Philippine Sovereignty, 1565-1610 by Ethan P. Hawkley ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities of Northeastern University April, 2014 2 In this dissertation, I argue that early Philippine sovereignty developed not only as a consequence of Spanish imperialism, but in a fuller sense, in relation to a convergence of global forces emanating out of the early modern Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and East Asian worlds. Before 1565, the place now known as the Philippines was an undefined extension of the Malay archipelago, populated by dozens of ethnic groups, living in a myriad of independent villages, scattered over thousands of islands. By 1610, however, a hybrid system of early modern power had unified hundreds of these villages into a blended network of colonial authority. This transformative process marked both the beginnings of the modern Philippine nation and also the completion of the birth of globalization. I describe this dual process through three intersecting micro-histories: one of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, a Spanish conquistador, another of Miguel Banal, a Tagalog chieftain, and the third of Eng Kang, a Chinese merchant. In relation to globalization, each of these leaders—and the populations they represent—was a direct participant in a word-wide convergence, and each also engaged in the convergences of the other two. The first of these convergences was that of Spain and Portugal, the second was of Islam and Christianity, and the third was of Chinese silk and American silver. Collectively, these convergences finalized the birth of globalization by completing the first full-circle global network of power, culture, and commerce. As these convergences stabilized, they also incorporated the emerging Philippine colony into three external systems of authority: the European imperial system, the Southeast Asian Moro system, and the Chinese tributary system. Meanwhile, Legazpi, Banal, and Eng Kang were also involved in three interrelated conquests: the conquest of Cebu, the conquest of Manila, and the conquest of the Parian. Together these conquests created a blended form internal authority over 3 the newly unifying colony, a blended structure of power that included elements of authority drawn from each of these men's native cultures. This blended internal structure of power complemented the above mentioned external systems of authority to form the beginnings of Philippine sovereignty, beginnings that were thus intertwined with the creation of the final link in the birth of globalization. 4 For my Dad, Daniel Leland Hawkley 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I do not feel I can describe the contributions that many dear friends and colleagues have made to this dissertation without telling a brief biographical story. On my twentieth birthday, I was living away from my family in the town of Baler, Aurora as a missionary, struggling to learn Tagalog among Filipino members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a.k.a. Mormons). That morning, the Mormon community held a funeral for an eight-year-old boy who had drowned only a few days before. The boy had been the pride and joy of his family and of his community; and I too, having known the boy and being relatively young myself, felt very disturbed by his passing. In the evening, I was invited to the small home of a Filipina named 'Nanay' Baby Magno, where she presented me with a birthday cake. Then Nanay, her husband, and two other Filipino friends sang to me. I had not planned nor was I expecting any celebration, and our gathering was small and quiet. This was a simple gesture of kindness, and it did little to dispel the gloom of the day. But it nevertheless did a lot for me personally during a difficult time. I tell this story for three reasons. First, I feel that it would be inappropriate for me to acknowledge anyone for the production of this work without first recognizing, in some measure, the exceptional generosity of numerous Filipino friends, people who have overwhelmed me with kindness time and again, even though they have consistently been in more difficult circumstances than I. Don Mayang, the Tanghal family, Gilbert Martinez, Baby Magno, Trinidad Ronato, Joel Valen Jr., Bishop Gonzales and family, Jimmy Doliente, the Francisco family, Celso and Florita Espiritu and family, Myrna Aragon and family, Mario and Maria Fe Aragon and family, Reynaldo and Florenita Bontilli and family, Hermenia and Danny Balucanag and family, Ramon and Corazon Gonzales and family, Danilo Ramirez, Orlan Dropite, Eric de Alday, Rey 6 Caparoso, Maria Lourdes Rodriguez, and innumerable others have demonstrated to me, through countless acts of hospitality and compassion, the undeniable importance and value of building friendships across cultural divides. This work was first born out of their kindness, and I hope that it ultimately contributes to their and their nation's self-understanding and welfare. Nanay Magno's kindness also represents, to me, the professional support of many colleagues, people who have often given quality attention to my work despite other important demands on their time and focus. These have made numerous contributions that they might consider small; but as I have worked through this process, even brief emails and short conversations have frequently helped me redirect or refocus my attention and move forward. The support I received during my undergraduate career at Brigham Young University from Brian Cannon, Andrew Johns, Jenny Pulsipher, Dean Duncan, Jeff Parkin, and Kendall Wilcox guided me toward my pursuit of a Ph.D. Since the beginning of my graduate career at Northeastern University, several formal and informal advisors have continued to be a positive influence on the direction of my research. Many of this dissertation's central arguments began their formation in courses and conversations with Karin Vélez. Linda Rhoads' enthusiastic involvement in my writing, ideas, and development have also made irreplaceable contributions to this work. Katherine Luongo's methodological brilliance and high standards broke down my every assumption and then, thankfully and productively, helped me to re-form and rebuild my way of thinking about the past. The late Christina Gilmartin was always a concerned advocate, a wise mentor, and an unselfish supporter. She is someone I remain deeply indebted to, and I miss her. Tom Havens, who kindly stepped in to help after Chris' passing, has gone above and beyond what I might have expected in providing me with prompt and practical guidance, insightful 7 feedback, and helpful encouragement. Others from outside of the Northeastern community have likewise made important contributions to this dissertation. Richard Chu, of UMass, helped me to gain a solid footing in Southeast Asian/Philippine studies while also offering sustained interest and timely advise. Evelyn Hu-Dehart, of Brown University, has likewise contributed valuable perspective, consistent support, and practical help to this project. There are, of course, many other colleagues who read drafts, offered suggestions, and helped me to arrive at important conclusions including Harvey Green, Tim Brown, Zachary Scarlett, Samantha Christiansen, Yan Li, Burleigh Hendrickson, James Bradford, Colin Sargent, Ross Newton, Stacy Fahrenthold, Colleen McCormick, Tara Dixon, Joshua Sooter, Andrew Kuech, Allyssa Metzger, Matthew Williamson, David Albanese, Elizabeth Lehr, Omri Frenkel, Rose Marie Mendoza, Liberato Ramos, etc. This project was also made possible by a coalition of generous institutional backers. Northeastern University provided significant financial support with various scholarship awards, a dissertation completion fellowship, and a Gillis Family Fund research grant. Additional research funds were also generously provided by a short-term fellowship at the Newberry Library in Chicago, a grant from the Program for Cultural Cooperation between Spain's Ministry of Culture and United States Universities, an Everett Helm Visiting Fellowship from the Lilly Library in Bloomington, and support from Ateneo de Manila University's Center for Asian Studies in Quezon City. I am further indebted to the archivists and staffs of the Newberry Library, the Lilly Library, the Archivo General de Indias, the Philippine National Archives, and the Benavides Library at the University of Santo Tomas. 8 Finally, the above story about Baby Magno's generosity demonstrates the too-often- unsung but foundational importance of my family and friends. During my time at Baler, I lived on the financial assistance of my dear parents, Dan and Renee Hawkley, and I also relied heavily on the emotional and spiritual support of other family members and friends. As I have pursued my Ph.D., these have continued to assist me in the most essential ways. The importance of the ongoing support from my mother and father to my education cannot be overstated. I am also grateful to Laura Vianna for her many sacrifices and for her steady encouragement. My siblings —Dan, Jill, Curtis, Clayton, Kyle, Anthony, and Janette—have always been close friends; and they have each done more than they know in helping me to get through many of the personal and professional challenges that I have faced during the years that it has taken to complete this project. The various spouses and children who have become part of our family—Randy, Rachel, d'Artagnan, Candice, Iris, Chime, Brandan, Roots, Mercedes, Lauren, Olivia, Cohen, Mike, and Lilly—have all likewise done more for me than I can even begin to say, as have Matthew Wyatt, Matthew Bodett, and the entire Revere Second Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.