Antonio de Morga
Encyclopedia
Antonio de Morga Sánchez Garay (1559, Seville
, Spain
—July 21, 1636) was a Spanish
lawyer and a high-ranking colonial official in the Philippines
, New Spain
and Peru
. He was also a historian. He published the book Sucesos de las islas Filipinas in 1609, one of the most important works on the early history of the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. He also led the Spanish in one naval battle against Dutch corsairs in the Philippines, in 1600.
in 1574 and in 1578 received a doctorate in canon law. He taught briefly in Osuna, and then returned to Salamanca to study civil law. In 1580 he joined the government service. Among other positions in Spain, he held that of auditor general of the galleys.
In 1593 he was sent to Manila
as lieutenant governor of the Philippines, the second most powerful position in the colony, after the governor-general. He arrived in Manila on June 11, 1595, from Acapulco
, in New Spain. In 1598 he resigned as lieutenant governor to assume the office of oidor, or judge, in the newly re-established Audiencia of Manila.
While stationed in Manila, Antonio noted many of the wares imported from the Ming Dynasty
of China
, while precariously mentioning porcelain
only once, even though at this time it was becoming one of the greatest export items—along with silk
—to Europe from China. From his observation of textiles in the Manila inventory, the Spanish were buying:
Other goods that Antonio de Morga mentioned included were:
De Morga closed his inventory list by stating that there were "rarities which, did I refer to them all, I would never finish, nor have sufficient paper for it."
were preying on shipping entering Manila harbor. According to Morga's account, Governor Francisco de Tello de Guzmán
and the Audiencia appointed Morga to go to Cavite
and assemble, equip and supply a fleet to attack the Dutch (October 31, 1600). The ships available were the San Diego, the San Bartolomé and some smaller vessels. Some refitting was necessary, since both the San Diego and the San Bartolomé were cargo ships. According to Morga, this was done without drawing on the colonial treasury (i.e., at his own expense, perhaps with other private contributions).
Morga had had some military experience, being general of a Spanish fleet sometime previously and lieutenant of the captain general of the Philippines for some years, but he had never seen combat.
On December 1, 1600, Governor Tello
appointed Morga captain general of the fleet, with orders to attack the Dutch. The two forces met on December 14, 1600. Unable to fire (the gunports were closed because they were under the waterline) due to the fact Morga allowed the ship to be dangerously overloaded, Morga ordered the San Diego to ram the Mauritius and grapple it. Thirty soldiers and some sailors then boarded it, taking possession of the forecastle and after-cabin and capturing the Dutch standard. The main and mizzen masts were stripped of sails and rigging. The Dutch retreated to the bows, where at first it seemed they were about to surrender. However, they soon renewed the fight with muskets and artillery.
An intense, six-hour hand-to-hand battle ensued, and many were killed on each side. The Dutch were said to have very few men left, and then the Mauritius caught fire. Fearing the fire, the San Diego recalled its men and cast off. However, the Spanish ship was then seen to be taking on water and sinking, either from the ramming or from the artillery of the Mauritius. (Accounts differ.)
The Dutch took this opportunity to extinguish the fire and set sail with the foresail, the only one remaining, and with a skeleton crew. They eventually reached Borneo. The other Dutch ship, however, was captured by the San Bartolome. It was taken to Manila, where the captain and the surviving sailors were garroted on the orders of the governor.
The San Diego sank so quickly that the men for the most part were unable to disarm or abandon ship. Perhaps 350 men were lost. Morga himself swam for four hours, carrying the Dutch standard with him, until he reached a small deserted island, where a few others of the ship's company also arrived.
This is based on the account of Morga himself. He blamed the captain of the San Bartolome for the loss of the San Diego, because he had pursued the other Dutch ship rather than attacking the Mauritius. The Dutch account of these events was very different, accusing Morga of incompetence and cowardice.
French explorers led by Franck Goddio excavated the sunken San Diego with its treasure trove in 1992. Because of the astounding number of artifacts found with it (over 34,000), this was hailed as a great archaeological discovery. The artifacts included Chinese porcelain, celadon ware, Japanese katanas, Spanish casques, Portuguese cannons and Mexican coins. There is now an MV San Diego warship museum on Fortune Island, the island where Morga and the other survivors of the San Diego first reached land.http://www.nasugbu.gov.ph/history.htm
In 1615 he was named president of the Audiencia of Quito
, within the Viceroyalty of Peru
. He arrived in Guayaquil
on September 8, 1615, having narrowly escaped falling into the hands of Dutch corsairs off the island of Santa Clara. He took up his office in Quito on September 30, 1615. During his administration, the textile industry advanced and the University of San Gregorio Magno was founded. This occurred, however, in a climate of confrontation between the civil and ecclesiastic powers and disputes between the Creole
and Peninsular monks for control of the religious orders.http://lanic.utexas.edu/project/tavera/ecuador/intro.html
In 1625 de Morga was investigated for corruption. He was arrested, but on September 18, 1627 he was cleared and his offices were restored to him. He died in 1636. Except for the period 1625-27, he held the position of president of the Audiencia of Quito from 1615 until the year of his death.
Shortly before his death in 1636, de Morga was relieved of his duties. He was fined 2.000 gold ducats for "having lewd relationships with much publicity and with many women".
The history was published in two volumes, both in 1609 by Casa de Geronymo Balli, in Mexico City. (The work had circulated for years before this in manuscript form.) New Spain Viceroy Luis de Velasco (hijo)
authorized the publication and granted Morga the sole right to publish it for ten years, on April 7, 1609. On the same date, Fray García Guerra
, archbishop of Mexico, approved the publication of the work. The history covers the years from 1493 to 1603. Political, social, and economic phases of life, both among the natives and their conquerors, are treated. Morga's official position allowed him access to many government documents.
The work so impressed Philippine independence hero José Rizal
(1861–96), himself a man of letters and of action, that he decided to annotate it and publish a new edition. He began work on this in London, completing it in Paris in 1890. He wrote:
An English translation by E.H. Blair
and J.A. Robertson was published in Cleveland in 1907, and an edition edited by J.S. Cummins was published by the Hakluyt Society
in 1971 (ISBN 0-521-01035-7).
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
—July 21, 1636) was a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
lawyer and a high-ranking colonial official in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. He was also a historian. He published the book Sucesos de las islas Filipinas in 1609, one of the most important works on the early history of the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. He also led the Spanish in one naval battle against Dutch corsairs in the Philippines, in 1600.
Education and service in the Philippines
He graduated from the University of SalamancaUniversity of Salamanca
The University of Salamanca is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the town of Salamanca, west of Madrid. It was founded in 1134 and given the Royal charter of foundation by King Alfonso IX in 1218. It is the oldest founded university in Spain and the third oldest European...
in 1574 and in 1578 received a doctorate in canon law. He taught briefly in Osuna, and then returned to Salamanca to study civil law. In 1580 he joined the government service. Among other positions in Spain, he held that of auditor general of the galleys.
In 1593 he was sent to Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
as lieutenant governor of the Philippines, the second most powerful position in the colony, after the governor-general. He arrived in Manila on June 11, 1595, from Acapulco
Acapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
, in New Spain. In 1598 he resigned as lieutenant governor to assume the office of oidor, or judge, in the newly re-established Audiencia of Manila.
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, while precariously mentioning porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
only once, even though at this time it was becoming one of the greatest export items—along with silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
—to Europe from China. From his observation of textiles in the Manila inventory, the Spanish were buying:
...raw silk in bundles...fine untwisted silk, white and of all colors...quantities of velvets, some plain and some embroidered in all sorts of figures, colors, and fashions, with body of gold and embroidered with gold; woven stuff and brocades, of gold and silver upon silk of various colors and patterns...damasks, satins, taffetas...
Other goods that Antonio de Morga mentioned included were:
...musk, benzoin and ivory; many bed ornaments, hangings, coverlets and tapestries of embroidered velvet...tablecloths, cushions, and carpets; horse-trappings of the same stuffs, and embroidered with glass beads and seed-pearls; also pearls and rubies, sapphires and crystals; metal basins, copper kettles and other copper and cast-iron pots. . .wheat flour, preserves made of orange, peach, pair, nutmeg and ginger, and other fruits of China; salt pork and other salt meats; live fowl of good breed and many fine capons...chestnuts, walnuts...little boxes and writing cases; beds, tables, chairs, and gilded benches, painted in many figures and patterns. They bring domestic buffaloes; geese that resemble swans; horses, some mules and asses; even caged birds, some of which talk, while others sing, and they make them play innumerable tricks...pepper and other spices.
De Morga closed his inventory list by stating that there were "rarities which, did I refer to them all, I would never finish, nor have sufficient paper for it."
Combat with Dutch corsairs
In 1600 Dutch corsairs under Olivier van NoortOlivier van Noort
Olivier van Noort was the first Dutchman to circumnavigate the world.Olivier van Noort was born in 1558 in Utrecht. He left Rotterdam on 2 July 1598 with four ships and a plan to attack Spanish possessions in the Pacific and to trade with China and the Spice Islands...
were preying on shipping entering Manila harbor. According to Morga's account, Governor Francisco de Tello de Guzmán
Francisco de Tello de Guzmán
Francisco de Tello de Guzmán was Spanish governor of the Philippines from July 14, 1596 to May 1602. He was a knight of the Order of Santiago.-Early life and appointment as governor:...
and the Audiencia appointed Morga to go to Cavite
Cavite
Cavite is a province of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the CALABARZON region in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila. Cavite is surrounded by Laguna to the east, Metro Manila to the northeast, and Batangas to the south...
and assemble, equip and supply a fleet to attack the Dutch (October 31, 1600). The ships available were the San Diego, the San Bartolomé and some smaller vessels. Some refitting was necessary, since both the San Diego and the San Bartolomé were cargo ships. According to Morga, this was done without drawing on the colonial treasury (i.e., at his own expense, perhaps with other private contributions).
Morga had had some military experience, being general of a Spanish fleet sometime previously and lieutenant of the captain general of the Philippines for some years, but he had never seen combat.
On December 1, 1600, Governor Tello
Tello
Tello was the Bishop of Chur from 758/759 until his death. He was the last member of the ecclesiastical dynasty of the Victorids to wield power in Rhaetia through his control of the bishopric...
appointed Morga captain general of the fleet, with orders to attack the Dutch. The two forces met on December 14, 1600. Unable to fire (the gunports were closed because they were under the waterline) due to the fact Morga allowed the ship to be dangerously overloaded, Morga ordered the San Diego to ram the Mauritius and grapple it. Thirty soldiers and some sailors then boarded it, taking possession of the forecastle and after-cabin and capturing the Dutch standard. The main and mizzen masts were stripped of sails and rigging. The Dutch retreated to the bows, where at first it seemed they were about to surrender. However, they soon renewed the fight with muskets and artillery.
An intense, six-hour hand-to-hand battle ensued, and many were killed on each side. The Dutch were said to have very few men left, and then the Mauritius caught fire. Fearing the fire, the San Diego recalled its men and cast off. However, the Spanish ship was then seen to be taking on water and sinking, either from the ramming or from the artillery of the Mauritius. (Accounts differ.)
The Dutch took this opportunity to extinguish the fire and set sail with the foresail, the only one remaining, and with a skeleton crew. They eventually reached Borneo. The other Dutch ship, however, was captured by the San Bartolome. It was taken to Manila, where the captain and the surviving sailors were garroted on the orders of the governor.
The San Diego sank so quickly that the men for the most part were unable to disarm or abandon ship. Perhaps 350 men were lost. Morga himself swam for four hours, carrying the Dutch standard with him, until he reached a small deserted island, where a few others of the ship's company also arrived.
This is based on the account of Morga himself. He blamed the captain of the San Bartolome for the loss of the San Diego, because he had pursued the other Dutch ship rather than attacking the Mauritius. The Dutch account of these events was very different, accusing Morga of incompetence and cowardice.
French explorers led by Franck Goddio excavated the sunken San Diego with its treasure trove in 1992. Because of the astounding number of artifacts found with it (over 34,000), this was hailed as a great archaeological discovery. The artifacts included Chinese porcelain, celadon ware, Japanese katanas, Spanish casques, Portuguese cannons and Mexican coins. There is now an MV San Diego warship museum on Fortune Island, the island where Morga and the other survivors of the San Diego first reached land.http://www.nasugbu.gov.ph/history.htm
In New Spain and Peru
On July 10, 1603 he left Manila, in command of the ships sailing that year for New Spain. He became alcalde of criminal causes in the Royal Audiencia of Mexico City. He was also advisor to the viceroy on military matters and counsel for the Holy Office of the Inquisition. He served in Mexico until 1615, publishing there his famous history of the Philippines in 1609. (See below.)In 1615 he was named president of the Audiencia of Quito
Quito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
, within the Viceroyalty of Peru
Viceroyalty of Peru
Created in 1542, the Viceroyalty of Peru was a Spanish colonial administrative district that originally contained most of Spanish-ruled South America, governed from the capital of Lima...
. He arrived in Guayaquil
Guayaquil
Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil , is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador,with about 2.3 million inhabitants in the city and nearly 3.1 million in the metropolitan area, as well as that nation's main port...
on September 8, 1615, having narrowly escaped falling into the hands of Dutch corsairs off the island of Santa Clara. He took up his office in Quito on September 30, 1615. During his administration, the textile industry advanced and the University of San Gregorio Magno was founded. This occurred, however, in a climate of confrontation between the civil and ecclesiastic powers and disputes between the Creole
Creole peoples
The term Creole and its cognates in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kreol, kriulo, kriol, krio, etc. — have been applied to people in different countries and epochs, with rather different meanings...
and Peninsular monks for control of the religious orders.http://lanic.utexas.edu/project/tavera/ecuador/intro.html
In 1625 de Morga was investigated for corruption. He was arrested, but on September 18, 1627 he was cleared and his offices were restored to him. He died in 1636. Except for the period 1625-27, he held the position of president of the Audiencia of Quito from 1615 until the year of his death.
Shortly before his death in 1636, de Morga was relieved of his duties. He was fined 2.000 gold ducats for "having lewd relationships with much publicity and with many women".
History of the Philippine Islands
Morga suffered important failures in both his military and political capacities. The same cannot be said for his work as historian. In 1609, he published the work for which he is now remembered — Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (Events in the Philippine Isles). This work, perhaps the best account of Spanish colonialism in the Philippines written during that period, is based partly on documentary research, partly on keen observation, and partly on Morga's personal involvement and knowledge.The history was published in two volumes, both in 1609 by Casa de Geronymo Balli, in Mexico City. (The work had circulated for years before this in manuscript form.) New Spain Viceroy Luis de Velasco (hijo)
Luis de Velasco, marqués de Salinas
Luis de Velasco, marqués de Salinas , Spanish nobleman, son of the second viceroy of New Spain, and himself the eighth viceroy. He governed from January 27, 1590 to November 4, 1595, and again from July 2, 1607 to June 10, 1611...
authorized the publication and granted Morga the sole right to publish it for ten years, on April 7, 1609. On the same date, Fray García Guerra
García Guerra
Fray García Guerra, OP , archbishop of Mexico and viceroy of New Spain. He held the former office from December 3, 1607 and the latter from June 19, 1611...
, archbishop of Mexico, approved the publication of the work. The history covers the years from 1493 to 1603. Political, social, and economic phases of life, both among the natives and their conquerors, are treated. Morga's official position allowed him access to many government documents.
The work so impressed Philippine independence hero José Rizal
José Rizal
José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda , was a Filipino polymath, patriot and the most prominent advocate for reform in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. He is regarded as the foremost Filipino patriot and is listed as one of the national heroes of the Philippines by...
(1861–96), himself a man of letters and of action, that he decided to annotate it and publish a new edition. He began work on this in London, completing it in Paris in 1890. He wrote:
If the book (Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas) succeeds to awaken your consciousness of our past, already effaced from your memory, and to rectify what has been falsified and slandered, then I have not worked in vain, and with this as a basis, however small it may be, we shall be able to study the future.http://www.univie.ac.at/Voelkerkunde/apsis/aufi/rizal/hall03.htm
An English translation by E.H. Blair
Emma Helen Blair
Emma Helen Blair was a United States historian, journalist and editor, whose most notable work was a monumental documentary history of the Philippines....
and J.A. Robertson was published in Cleveland in 1907, and an edition edited by J.S. Cummins was published by the Hakluyt Society
Hakluyt Society
Founded in 1846, the Hakluyt Society is a registered charity based in London, England, which seeks to advance knowledge and education by the publication of scholarly editions of primary records of voyages, travels and other geographical material...
in 1971 (ISBN 0-521-01035-7).
External links
- History of the Philippine Islands by Dr. Antonio de Morga (1907). This work is also available at Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/7001
- Some biographical details
- Account of the battle between the San Diego and the Mauritius, from a Dutch perspective
- Another account of the battle
- About Rizal's Morga
- Some notes on his responsibilities in Manila Historia general de la República del Ecuador, by Federico González Suárez, chapter 11, "El presidente don Antonio de Morga"