Mindanaotoday.com | Crusades for commerce
RAI Bollozos Sanchez | Historyahe!
HI there!
In my last publication, I wrote, quoting the French Annales historian Fernand Braudel that “history goes to a thousand places, instantaneous, definitive, and progressive.”
My belief in history’s spatial immersion of a series of relationships, situations, and circumstances interprets as historically dynamic and interesting.
In one instance, in one of my classes, I jokingly told my student that “studying a primary source relating to a historical event, I can perceive five different histories according to context.”
For example, it is a typical historical belief that a Crusading spirit dominated the Spanish colonization.
While textbook history introduced the Spanish colonization was about “God, gold, and glory.”
According to William Henry Scott, “Spanish relations with the rest of the world during the Age of Discovery are defined by their unrelenting drive to eradicate Islam, which has been described as fanatical hatred, with policy or economic considerations being secondary or incidental.”
Nonetheless, let us try to change the perspective of what could have caused the Spanish voyages in the Philippines.
What if Magellan’s voyage was “crusades for commerce in quest of Spanish economic expansion during the early stages of the 16th century?”
Spain survived and fought “The Moorish Conquest” from 711 to 1492, and when they became victorious in the latter part of the 15th Century, it was a period called “The Reconquista.”
By then, the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella II of Castille adopted a uniform policy that established modern Spain.
The policy established a Tribunal See of the Inquisition that brought changes to the City of Seville, becoming an active commercial center.
In contrast, Barcelona became Spain’s greatest mercantile and industrial center. This has brought Spain to join the bandwagon with Portugal, England, and Holland.
Spain conducted its voyages were part of the efforts to develop its economic system, as the trend of commanding an extensive empire could lead to financial dependency.
Spain must respond to the developing mercantilist system to bolster its economic development.
Schools never discuss mercantilism which, in essence, was a primitive type of capitalism.
The mercantilist believed that the power of the country/nation depends on the specie it could accumulate.
For mercantilists, shipments (export) out of the country of silver or gold were discouraged, but the acquisition of silver and gold was more favorable.
Thus, the late Filipino historian Renato Constantino claims that “colonies were sources of gold or silver; or, if not, sources of precious metals.”
Spain used these precious metals to pay off mounting debts to German and Italian banking houses.
During this period, Spain witnessed a transformation in its society with the rise of the middle class.
The towns were becoming centers of economic activities and focused on financial strength.
These towns progressed and became wealthy with the development of industry and commerce.
The merchants clamored for equality and political power. Hence, they connected themselves with the monarchy and supported the centralizing and absolutist policies of the monarch.
Therefore, the Magellan expedition was capitalist in its purest venture.
In William Henry Scott’s article Crusades or Commerce: Spanish Moro Relations in the 16th Century. W.H. Scott said King Charles was still a young king at seventeen, new to the throne, and typically had no living allowance.
On the other hand, Ferdinand Magellan had inherited a multi-million dollar debt from his grandfather Maximillian.
To alleviate such penury to Magellan, he offered his services to King Charles, and for the latter to support the voyage, he made a commercial contract with Magellan.
Charles loaned money to a wealthy German banker, Jakob Fugger, to help the expedition.
The capitalist enterprise changed Spain’s configuration during the late 15th and early stages of the 16th Century.
Although feudal systems still exist, there were few changes in their social and political institutions.
The agreement between Magellan and King Charles was a straightforward business contract.
Each party was to contract, which stated to contribute and to receive.
His majesty’s wares were sold at the best price, while all the precious stones and metals should be his spoil. Other spoils will be divided by Magellan and his crew.
Further, hostilities should be avoided to protect future trade, and Magellan would not leave the flagship (Victoria) to set ashore. Thus, all of these baptisms in Cebu directly disobeyed the king.
Hence, Spanish colonization in the Philippines has a Crusading spirit. Not to the spread of Catholicism but for the Spanish nation’s development into a commercial and trade power in Western Europe.
The impending evolution of economic activities within Spain progressed as synonymous with the race of the Spice Trade.
Spain’s colonization, especially in the Philippines, was in response to the development of the mercantilist system bolstered with capitalistic approaches.
I hope someday, teachers will teach such for their students to understand the Spanish conquest in the Philippines in 1521 instead letting the students sing, “On March 16, fifteen-hundred-twenty-one. When the Philippines was discovered by Magellan.” (MT)
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