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Philippines without Spanish colonization

Ricardolindo

Well-known member
Location
Portugal
What if Spain never colonized the Philippines? We should note the Philippines were an outlier in Southeast Asia in being colonized so early. Most of Southeast Asia was only colonized from the late 18th century or the 19th century. Regardless, when Spain conquered it, Manila was being Islamized by Bruneian missionaries and the Moros were raiding the Visayas. How Islamic would the Philippines have become? Also, without the Philippines, would Spain still colonize Micronesia?
 
The Philippines were an essential stop on the trade route to China, which was the destination for a lot of Spanish silver. If they can find a replacement, maybe? But they'll need one.

For ref:

1920px-16th_century_Portuguese_Spanish_trade_routes.png


Spanish routes in white.
 
The Philippines were an essential stop on the trade route to China, which was the destination for a lot of Spanish silver. If they can find a replacement, maybe? But they'll need one.

For ref:

1920px-16th_century_Portuguese_Spanish_trade_routes.png


Spanish routes in white.

The conquest could easily have been prevented. The Spaniards were at the end of a really long supply route and didn't have the disease advantage they had in the Americas.
 
The conquest could easily have been prevented. The Spaniards were at the end of a really long supply route and didn't have the disease advantage they had in the Americas.

That's really not going to stop them snapping up one good port, which is how it starts.

If you want to avoid it, just find them another good port to do the same work.
 
Looking at the currents, literally the only alternative I can come up with is 'trade concession on Taiwan', but Manila's the better harbour and you'd come to it first anyway.

I just can't see how anybody sailing from Mexico to Asia doesn't end up seeing the Philippines as the best place to make landfall and resupply.
 
That's really not going to stop them snapping up one good port, which is how it starts.

If you want to avoid it, just find them another good port to do the same work.

Looking at the currents, literally the only alternative I can come up with is 'trade concession on Taiwan', but Manila's the better harbour and you'd come to it first anyway.

I just can't see how anybody sailing from Mexico to Asia doesn't end up seeing the Philippines as the best place to make landfall and resupply.

I don't see why the Spaniards couldn't limit themselves to trade concessions if the local kingdoms were militarily stronger. That's what happened in the rest of Southeast Asia. Large scale colonization of the rest of Southeast Asia only began in the late 18th century
 
The fact that Manilla had the world's first China town so eventually someone is going to take it, I would guess if it's not the Spanish, I would say the Dutch due to their trade in Japan and overlordship of Taiwan. Also the British have a strong chance later due to their interest in the orient. Portugal also have a chance but not sure if they are rich enough to develop the colony to a sizeable level.
 
I don't see why the Spaniards couldn't limit themselves to trade concessions if the local kingdoms were militarily stronger. That's what happened in the rest of Southeast Asia. Large scale colonization of the rest of Southeast Asia only began in the late 18th century

Spain don't really care about trading with the locals, they need a big ass port to trade with China from. They could take just an island but someone in the future will have the bright idea to expand from it.
 
If Spain never got itself as involved in the Philippines as it did, chances are that the Philippines would share a lot of history with Indonesia, and may very well end up as a nominally Muslim Northern Indonesia.
 
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