#TodayInPhilippineHistory September 23, 1762, the British flotilla landed in Manila, which marked the beginning of the British invasion of the Philippines. General William Draper, who was in the service of the British East India Company, led the expeditionary forces to capture Manila, which at that time was a Spanish colony. Drapers forces consisted of European and Indian (known as Sepoy) regulars, volunteers and mercenaries. They encamped south of Intramuros. Notably, the British war against Spain traced back from the Seven Years’ of War between England and France in 1756 where the Spanish King sided with France. With the Spanish forces and hundreds of volunteers facing defeat against British troops, it was the native population of nearby Pampanga and Bulacan provinces who gave the British forces a lesson or two in guerrilla warfare. About a thousand Filipino fighters, who was convinced by their Spanish parish priests that the British were invading demons, staged surprise attacks against the invaders, although they were subsequently repelled. On the other hand, among those siding with the British were Filipino freedom fighters like Diego Silang who led an uprising in the Ilocos against Spanish rule, and Juan de la Cruz Palaris in Pangasinan who had direct or indirect ally in England during and after the war. Sultan Azim ud Din I (Alimudin) of Sulu and Sabah also entered into a mutual defense pact with the British. Majority of the Chinese residents in Manila aided the British and formed military units against Spain. The British occupation of the Philippines was short-lived as the Seven Years’ War ended in Europe on February 10, 1763 with the signing of the peace treaty in Paris (Treaty of 1763). The British invaders returned Spanish sovereignty over Manila and its environs in March 1764 and sailed back to India in April of the same year. The British occupation left a distinct features of Indian ancestry, as seen in the towns of Cainta and Taytay in the former Morong (now Rizal) province, as Sepoy members of the British forces chose to remain and married Filipino women. The war also brought about ideological change among Filipinos. Knowing that Spain was not invulnerable at all and its rule in the Philippines would not last forever, it was inevitable that Filipinos themselves would rule.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 14:27:12 +0000
Trending Topics
© 2015