When Britain Ruled the Philippines 1762-1764
The Story of the 18th Century British Invasion of the Philippines During the Seven Years War
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
"Whereas, we have found it necessary to declare war against Spain, and nothing can tend so much to the effectually annoying and distressing our enemies as attempts on their colonies and settlements in the different parts of the world; and we judging that a successful attack made by our forces in the East Indies on the Spanish settlement of Manila in the Philippine Islands would be greatly for the advantage of our trading subjects in those parts, and would at the same time give a very sensible blow to the commerce of Spain." 1 King George III
One of the more obscure and least understood historical events of the eighteenth century was the British invasion of the Philippines in 1762. Although the country of more than seven thousand islands had been periodically engaged in conflicts with the Dutch, Chinese and Muslims during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the British attack was the first time Spain’s sovereignty in the archipelago was successfully challenged by a European power.
As a Spanish possession, the archipelago had been reluctantly drawn into the war as part of a plan launched by the British Admiralty in London and approved by King George III to attack Spanish and French settlements in North America and Asia. The invasion took place during the latter stages of the Seven Year’s War, which began in 1756 and concluded in 1763. Peace talks were already underway between Britain and France in 1761-62, and it was just a matter of months before a treaty would be hammered out between Britain, France and Spain. But an event occurred which was to ultimately affect the Philippines. The war, which began over a succession issue in Europe, had escalated into a continuation of colonial rivalries between Britain and France. This led to fierce battles being fought between the two countries in Europe, North America and in India in an attempt to gain new territories and commercial supremacy.
Spain managed to maintain her neutrality throughout the entire period of conflict, but during the latter months before the war’s conclusion, she became allied to France. On 15 August 1761, an exhausted France, still reeling after having lost many ships and troops to the British in North America and in India, turned to Spain for its support. When the Spaniards signed the Family Pact with France, due mainly to the royal ties that bound the two countries to each other, Spain, had in turn, become Britain’s enemy.
King Charles III of Spain decided on the Spanish-Franco alliance. Signing the agreement with the French King, Louis XV, the pact indicated that both countries would come to the defense of the other if required. Spain’s entrance into the conflict was viewed as being quite a pointless move. As Spain had much to lose and little to gain by aligning herself to France so late in the war, the decision succeeded in placing the country in a very dangerous situation.
By the end of 1761, Spain had achieved a certain level of prosperity in the Americas, and it was presumed that this was also the case in her Asian colony of the Philippines. While her American possessions provided the peninsular Spaniards with a continuous flow of silver helping to invigorate her ailing economy, the Philippines on the other hand, was almost completely neglected by Spain and its colonial government in Manila. For the few Spaniards living in the Philippines, only the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade mattered or prospered. Nevertheless, by remaining outside the disputes between France and Britain, she was able to concentrate on strengthening her overseas territories and in particular, her colonies in the Americas. It was therefore, absolutely necessary to maintain her neutrality if she was to hold onto her prized settlements in the Americas and in Asia without suffering huge losses a war would surely extract from her Royal Treasury.
At the same time, Britain was on the verge of becoming an all encompassing empire and naval power in the world. She had achieved numerous successes in North America and in India, which had, in turn, infused the British people with a new sense of patriotism and invincibility. With Spain’s alliance to France, the British government and the East India Company realized that a new opportunity had come about to exploit and gain greater commercial concessions, as well as new territories. Spain was clearly vulnerable to Britain’s military designs and possibly an attack or an invasion of her settlements.
Thus, the British government wasted little time and had rapidly seized upon the opportunity to encroach upon Spain’s territories. The main objective in the Philippines was the retention of the island of Mindanao once a peace treaty was signed. With this in mind, Britain declared war against Spain on 4 January 1762. The Spaniards, upon hearing the news, reacted by issuing their own declaration of war against Britain later that same month on 18 January.
Events moved quickly after the declaration of war was announced. On a cold winter’s day in London, the British government and officials of the Admiralty convened a Secret Committee meeting on 6 January 1762. Under discussion were the war measures to be enacted against Spain and France. Attending the meeting were George Anson, the First Lord of the Admiralty; Lord Ligonier, Commander-in-Chief of the British Army; Grenville, the Duke of Devonshire (Lord Chamberlain); Duke of Newcastle (First Lord of the Treasury); the Earl of Egremont (Secretary of State for the Southern Department), and the Earl of Bute (Prime Minister).
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
The British invasion of the Philippines was the first challenge to Spain's control of the archipelago after 191 years of rule. The Royal Navy and British Army joined with the East India Company in Madras to capture Spain's Asian colony. In conjunction with the attack against Spain's key possession in the Americas, Havana, both settlements were successfully seized. However, in the Philippines, whilst the expedition was launched as part of a plan to harass the Spaniards in their possessions, as well as for commercial gain and new territories, the military campaign led by General William Draper and Admiral Samuel Cornish, may have been launched under the guise of an invasion in order to gain prize money. The author describes the events as they unfolded at the Admiralty in London and at the East India Company in Madras, leading to the invasion and occupation of the capital Manila and the port city of Cavite. The capital was looted, a galleon was seized, and the British commanders imposed a ransom of four million dollars upon the Spaniards. The enormous sums in prize money and valuables seized mainly benefited the commanders...
About the Author
Shirley Fish is an American Freelance Writer and Researcher working in Asia for the past 23 years. She has lived in Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia and is currently in Manila, Philippines. Over the years she has been a magazine editor and correspondent with various Asian publications. She has a Master's Degree in Education from the University of Southern California.