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Spanish Formosa
Spanish Formosa (Spanish: Gobernación de Hermosa española) was a small colony of the Spanish Empire established in the northern tip of the island now known as Taiwan, then known to Europeans at the time as Formosa or to Spaniards as "Isla Hermosa" from 1626 to 1642. It was ceded to the Dutch Republic during the Eighty Years' War.
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach the island in 1544, and named it Formosa (Portuguese for "beautiful") due to the beautiful landscape as seen from the sea. The Spanish had translated the name into Spanish as "Hermosa" and is what was historically used in Spanish maps and documents about the colony.
The Spanish set up a colony in the north of the island in 1626 as part of the Manila-based Spanish East Indies that was also subordinated to New Spain (Mexico) at that time. As a Spanish colony, it was meant to protect the regional trade of Spanish Philippines, especially Manila-bound junk ships coming from Ming China and Japan from interference by the Dutch in Dutch Formosa in the south of the island. The colony was short-lived due to the loss of its strategic importance and unwillingness by Spanish authorities in Manila to commit more resources to its defense. After seventeen years, the last fortress of the Spanish was besieged by Dutch forces and eventually fell, giving the Dutch control over much of the island.
Spanish Catholic friar missionaries, especially Dominicans and Franciscans, Christianized about 5,000 indigenous Formosans, mostly the Basay people in Keelung and Tamsui and the Kavalan people in Yilan, during the time of the Spanish governorate. The Spanish also settled Sangley Chinese and a few Christian Japanese in Chinese trading settlements (Parián) as traders and laborers and employed at least 300 or more native Filipinos (especially Kapampangan), Mexican Mestizos, Mulattos, Blacks, Mexican Amerindians, and some Mexican Criollo Spaniards from New Spain (Mexico) and Spanish Filipinos from Spanish Philippines as soldiers, laborers, and friar missionaries garrisoned in the forts and settlements of Spanish Formosa.
In 1566, the Dutch rose up against Spanish rule in the Habsburg Netherlands. The Dutch and their allies, England and France, attacked Spain's overseas colonies as part of the Eighty Years' War.[citation needed] The Spanish cut the Dutch rebels off from the spice trade based in Lisbon, making it necessary for the Dutch to send their own expeditions to the sources of these commodities to take control of the much desired spice trade in the East Indies.[citation needed]
As a result of the Iberian Union of Portugal and Spain in 1580, the Dutch of the Seventeen Provinces fought the Dutch–Portuguese War. England and France became enemies of both Portugal and Spain. The Dutch colonisation of Formosa was part of the unsuccessful campaign to seize the possessions of the Spanish Habsburgs in Asia, including the Philippines. The Dutch began to attack a string of often undermanned coastal fortresses that comprised the Habsburg's Portuguese African and Asian possessions. The settlements were sometimes isolated, difficult to reinforce if attacked, and prone to being picked off one by one. However, the Dutch were mostly unsuccessful in these attempts.
Pursuing their quest for alternative routes to Asia for trade, the first Dutch privateer squadron to reach the Philippines on 14 December 1600 was led by pirate Olivier van Noort. The Dutch sought to dominate the commercial sea trade in Southeast Asia, often engaging in piracy and privateering. They attempted to disrupt trade by harassing the coasts of Manila Bay and its environs, and preyed on sampans and junks from China and Japan trading at Manila.[citation needed] In the context of this competition for trade, the Dutch established a colony at Tayouan, present-day Anping, in the south of Formosa. From there they tried threaten Spain's trade in the region. As a counter to this threat, the Spanish colonial authorities in Manila decided to establish their own colony in the north of the island.[citation needed]
Landing at Cape Santiago in the north-east of Formosa but finding it unsuitable for defensive purposes, the Spanish continued westwards along the coast until they arrived at Keelung. A deep and well-protected harbour plus a small island in the mouth of the harbour made it the ideal spot to build the first settlement, which they named Santissima Trinidad. Forts were built, both on the island and in the harbour itself.
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Spanish Formosa
Spanish Formosa (Spanish: Gobernación de Hermosa española) was a small colony of the Spanish Empire established in the northern tip of the island now known as Taiwan, then known to Europeans at the time as Formosa or to Spaniards as "Isla Hermosa" from 1626 to 1642. It was ceded to the Dutch Republic during the Eighty Years' War.
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach the island in 1544, and named it Formosa (Portuguese for "beautiful") due to the beautiful landscape as seen from the sea. The Spanish had translated the name into Spanish as "Hermosa" and is what was historically used in Spanish maps and documents about the colony.
The Spanish set up a colony in the north of the island in 1626 as part of the Manila-based Spanish East Indies that was also subordinated to New Spain (Mexico) at that time. As a Spanish colony, it was meant to protect the regional trade of Spanish Philippines, especially Manila-bound junk ships coming from Ming China and Japan from interference by the Dutch in Dutch Formosa in the south of the island. The colony was short-lived due to the loss of its strategic importance and unwillingness by Spanish authorities in Manila to commit more resources to its defense. After seventeen years, the last fortress of the Spanish was besieged by Dutch forces and eventually fell, giving the Dutch control over much of the island.
Spanish Catholic friar missionaries, especially Dominicans and Franciscans, Christianized about 5,000 indigenous Formosans, mostly the Basay people in Keelung and Tamsui and the Kavalan people in Yilan, during the time of the Spanish governorate. The Spanish also settled Sangley Chinese and a few Christian Japanese in Chinese trading settlements (Parián) as traders and laborers and employed at least 300 or more native Filipinos (especially Kapampangan), Mexican Mestizos, Mulattos, Blacks, Mexican Amerindians, and some Mexican Criollo Spaniards from New Spain (Mexico) and Spanish Filipinos from Spanish Philippines as soldiers, laborers, and friar missionaries garrisoned in the forts and settlements of Spanish Formosa.
In 1566, the Dutch rose up against Spanish rule in the Habsburg Netherlands. The Dutch and their allies, England and France, attacked Spain's overseas colonies as part of the Eighty Years' War.[citation needed] The Spanish cut the Dutch rebels off from the spice trade based in Lisbon, making it necessary for the Dutch to send their own expeditions to the sources of these commodities to take control of the much desired spice trade in the East Indies.[citation needed]
As a result of the Iberian Union of Portugal and Spain in 1580, the Dutch of the Seventeen Provinces fought the Dutch–Portuguese War. England and France became enemies of both Portugal and Spain. The Dutch colonisation of Formosa was part of the unsuccessful campaign to seize the possessions of the Spanish Habsburgs in Asia, including the Philippines. The Dutch began to attack a string of often undermanned coastal fortresses that comprised the Habsburg's Portuguese African and Asian possessions. The settlements were sometimes isolated, difficult to reinforce if attacked, and prone to being picked off one by one. However, the Dutch were mostly unsuccessful in these attempts.
Pursuing their quest for alternative routes to Asia for trade, the first Dutch privateer squadron to reach the Philippines on 14 December 1600 was led by pirate Olivier van Noort. The Dutch sought to dominate the commercial sea trade in Southeast Asia, often engaging in piracy and privateering. They attempted to disrupt trade by harassing the coasts of Manila Bay and its environs, and preyed on sampans and junks from China and Japan trading at Manila.[citation needed] In the context of this competition for trade, the Dutch established a colony at Tayouan, present-day Anping, in the south of Formosa. From there they tried threaten Spain's trade in the region. As a counter to this threat, the Spanish colonial authorities in Manila decided to establish their own colony in the north of the island.[citation needed]
Landing at Cape Santiago in the north-east of Formosa but finding it unsuitable for defensive purposes, the Spanish continued westwards along the coast until they arrived at Keelung. A deep and well-protected harbour plus a small island in the mouth of the harbour made it the ideal spot to build the first settlement, which they named Santissima Trinidad. Forts were built, both on the island and in the harbour itself.