Spanish expedition to Formosa

Formosa Expedition
	; Flag of New Spain.
Date	1626
Location	Keelung, Taiwan
Result	Spanish victory Spanish establishment in Formosa;
Belligerents
Kingdom of Middag	Spanish East Indies
Strength
	200 Spaniards and 400 native Filipinos

Last updated November 02, 2023

The Spanish expedition to Formosa was a campaign mounted by the Spanish based in Manila, Philippines in 1626. It was the Spanish response to Dutch settlements being built in Formosa, now known as Taiwan. In cooperation with the Portuguese, this venture was made to attract Chinese traders and curtail the expansion of Dutch power in Asia.

Background

As part of its campaign in Asia, the Dutch East India Company attempted to establish a trading outpost on the Penghu Islands (Pescadores) in 1622, but were driven off by the Ming authorities.^[1] In 1624, the Company established a stronghold called Fort Zeelandia on the coastal islet of Tayouan, which is now part of the main island at Anping, Tainan.^[2] David Wright, a Scottish agent of the Company who lived on the island in the 1650s, described the lowland areas of the island as being divided among 11 chiefdoms ranging in size from two settlements to 72. Some of these fell under Dutch control while others remained independent.^[3] The Company began to import laborers from Fujian and Penghu (Pescadores), many of whom settled.^[1]

Expedition

On 5 May 1626, the first Spanish landing on Formosa, as ordered by Governor-General of the Philippines Fernándo de Silva, was at Cape Santiago, but they decided that the area was not suitable for defense.^[4] So, the Spanish continued westwards along the coast until they arrived at Keelung. A deep and well-protected harbor, including a small island in the mouth of the harbor, made it the ideal spot to build the first settlement, which they named Santisima Trinidad. Forts were built, both on the island and on the harbor itself. It was garrisoned by hundreds of Spaniards (Spanish Filipino) and native Filipino soldiers from the Philippines. The colony was designed to protect Spanish and Portuguese trade from interference by the Dutch base in the south of Taiwan.

Aftermath

Fort San Domingo was built by the Spanish in 1629 at Tamsui after which the present site of the Fort was named in order to bolster the success of establishing Spanish power in Formosa.^[5] On a night in 1636, a group of local people, angered by the taxes that the Spanish governor had imposed, successfully attacked the fort and demolished it. In 1637, the Spanish rebuilt the fort using stone and raised the height of the walls to twenty feet or more.

However, in August 1642, the Dutch returned to Keelung with four large ships, several smaller ships, and with approximately 369 Dutch soldiers.^[6] A combination of Spaniards, aboriginals, and Pampangos from the Philippines held off troops for six days, they eventually returned to Manila defeated, and gave up their flags and what little artillery remained with them.^[6] Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera, governor of the Philippines, was originally to blame for the loss of the Formosa and was eventually tried in court for his actions,^[7] and was imprisoned for five years in the Philippines. Historians since Corcuera's time have chastised him for the loss of the Formosa,^[6] but other factors, such as the continuing rise of the Dutch Empire in Southeast Asia, and financial troubles within the Spanish Empire, were also contributing factors.

Related Research Articles

The history of the island of Taiwan dates back tens of thousands of years to the earliest known evidence of human habitation. The sudden appearance of a culture based on agriculture around 3000 BC is believed to reflect the arrival of the ancestors of today's Taiwanese indigenous peoples. Han Chinese gradually came into contact with Taiwan starting in the late 13th century and started settling there by the early 17th century. Named Formosa by Portuguese explorers, the south of the island was colonized by the Dutch in the 17th century whilst the Spanish built a settlement in the north which lasted until 1642. These European settlements were followed by an influx of Hoklo and Hakka immigrants from Fujian and Guangdong.

The Penghu or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait, located approximately 50 km (31 mi) west from the main island of Taiwan across the Penghu Channel, covering an area of 141 square kilometers (54 sq mi). The archipelago collectively forms Penghu County of Taiwan and is the smallest county of Taiwan. The largest city is Magong, located on the largest island, which is also named Magong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keelung</span> City in Taiwan

Keelung, Chilung or Jilong, officially known as Keelung City, is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. The city is a part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, along with its neighbors, New Taipei City and Taipei, respectively. Nicknamed the Rainy Port for its frequent rain and maritime role, the city is Taiwan's second largest seaport.

Fort Zeelandia was a fortress built over ten years from 1624 to 1634 by the Dutch East India Company (VOC), in the town of Anping on Formosa, the former name of central island of Taiwan, during their 38-year rule over the western part of the island. The site had been renamed several times as Fort Orange, Fort Anping, and Taiwan City ; the current name of the site in Chinese is Chinese: 安平古堡; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: An-pêng Kó͘-pó; lit. 'Anping Old Fort'.

Fort Santo Domingo is a historical fortress in Tamsui District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. It was originally a wooden fort built in 1628 by the Spanish Empire, who named it "Fort Santo Domingo". However, the fort was then destroyed by the Spanish themselves, after losing the Second Battle of San Salvador to the Dutch Empire in 1642. After the battle, in 1644, the Dutch rebuilt a fort in the original site and renamed it "Fort Antonio". Since the Dutch were called "Red-haired People" by the Han immigrants during the time, the fort was then nicknamed "Fort Red Hair".(Chinese: 紅毛城; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Âng-mn̂g-siâⁿ; lit. 'ang mo fort').

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The Kingdom of Tungning, also known as Tywan by the British at the time, was a dynastic maritime state that ruled part of southwestern Taiwan and the Penghu islands between 1661 and 1683. It is the first predominantly ethnic Han state in Taiwanese history. At its zenith, the kingdom's maritime power dominated varying extents of coastal regions of southeastern China and controlled the major sea lanes across both China Seas, and its vast trade network stretched from Japan to Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santisima Trinidad (Taiwan)</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamsui District</span> District in Taiwan

Tamsui District is a seaside district in New Taipei City, Taiwan adjacent to the Tamsui River and overlooking the Taiwan Strait. The name "Tamsui" means "fresh water" in Mandarin Chinese. Although modest in size, Tamsui plays a significant role in Taiwanese history and culture.

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References

1 2 Wills, John E. Jr. (2006). "The Seventeenth-century Transformation: Taiwan under the Dutch and the Cheng Regime". In Rubinstein, Murray A. (ed.). Taiwan: A New History. M.E. Sharpe. pp. 84–106. ISBN 978-0-7656-1495-7.
↑ Oosterhoff, J.L. (1985). "Zeelandia, a Dutch colonial city on Formosa (1624–1662)". In Ross, Robert; Telkamp, Gerard J. (eds.). Colonial Cities: Essays on Urbanism in a Colonial Context. Springer. pp. 51–62. ISBN 978-90-247-2635-6.
↑ Valentijn, François (1903) [First published 1724 in Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën]. "Notes on the Topography". In Campbell, William (ed.). Formosa under the Dutch: described from contemporary records, with explanatory notes and a bibliography of the island. London: Kegan Paul. pp. 6–7. ISBN 978-957-638-083-9. LCCN 04007338.
↑ Davidson (1903), p. 19.
↑ Davidson (1903), p. 20.
1 2 3 Andrade, Tonio (2005). How Taiwan Became Chinese: Dutch, Spanish and Han Colonization in the Seventeenth Century. Columbia University Press.
↑ Jose Eugenio Barrio (2007). "An Overview of the Spaniards in Taiwan" (PDF). University of Taiwan Foreign Languages in Literature. University of Taiwan. Retrieved 16 May 2012.

Bibliography

Boxer, C.R. (1965). The Dutch Seaborne Empire 1600–1800 . Hutchinson.
Davidson, James W. (1903). The Island of Formosa, Past and Present : history, people, resources, and commercial prospects: tea, camphor, sugar, gold, coal, sulphur, economical plants, and other productions. London and New York: Macmillan. OCLC 1887893. OL 6931635M.

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[Wills-1] 1 2 Wills, John E. Jr. (2006). "The Seventeenth-century Transformation: Taiwan under the Dutch and the Cheng Regime". In Rubinstein, Murray A. (ed.). Taiwan: A New History. M.E. Sharpe. pp. 84–106. ISBN 978-0-7656-1495-7.

[Oosterhoff-2] Oosterhoff, J.L. (1985). "Zeelandia, a Dutch colonial city on Formosa (1624–1662)". In Ross, Robert; Telkamp, Gerard J. (eds.). Colonial Cities: Essays on Urbanism in a Colonial Context. Springer. pp. 51–62. ISBN 978-90-247-2635-6.

[3] Valentijn, François (1903) [First published 1724 in Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën]. "Notes on the Topography". In Campbell, William (ed.). Formosa under the Dutch: described from contemporary records, with explanatory notes and a bibliography of the island. London: Kegan Paul. pp. 6–7. ISBN 978-957-638-083-9. LCCN 04007338.

[FOOTNOTEDavidson190319-4] Davidson (1903), p. 19.

[FOOTNOTEDavidson190320-5] Davidson (1903), p. 20.

[Andrade-6] 1 2 3 Andrade, Tonio (2005). How Taiwan Became Chinese: Dutch, Spanish and Han Colonization in the Seventeenth Century. Columbia University Press.

[Spaniards-Taiwan-7] Jose Eugenio Barrio (2007). "An Overview of the Spaniards in Taiwan" (PDF). University of Taiwan Foreign Languages in Literature. University of Taiwan. Retrieved 16 May 2012.

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Early modern	Mactan Dagami Bangkusay Channel Manila (1574) Borneo expedition Conspiracy of the Maharlikas Eighty Years' War Cagayan and Dingras Cambodia expedition Magalat Igorot Formosa expedition First Battle of San Salvador Second Battle of San Salvador Sumuroy Manila (1762) Cochinchina expedition Cavite
Late modern	Philippine Revolution Spanish–American War Philippine–American War Moro (1899−1913) World War II Japanese invasion Allied invasion Hukbalahap New People's Army Moro (1969−2019) Cold War Korean War Vietnam War