The English armed riding him ever given us very well. 27 years after we had sunk the Armada in English waters more by incompetence than by enemy fire, organized another army in the Philippines that left us adrift and this time without having come even to see the opponent.
early seventeenth century the Dutch East India Company (VOC, as its Dutch acronym) made their presence in the Indian Ocean. Its objectives were to have direct access to the islands producing spices and disrupt business networks and English on However, the Portuguese in the region. In both succeeded.
The Portuguese had arrived in the Indian Ocean in the early sixteenth century. Throughout this century, equally devoted to trade and plunder in the area and founded a series of enclaves throughout Asia. This set of enclaves was what became known as the Estado da India, which was ruled from Goa, on the west coast of India. Within the set of Malacca Portuguese enclaves on the southern coast of mainland Malaysia held a special place, being a key level for trade circulated between Macao and South China Sea and India, as well as those operating in the Gulf of Siam, Sumatra and the Spice Islands.
quickly warned the Dutch that the Portuguese were overextended and could hardly defend all its colonial empire. The strategy followed was to identify a few bottlenecks in trade routes and primed them. The main bottleneck identified was Malacca. Conquer, or at least neutralize Malacca, would virtually cut the path that led from the South China Sea at Goa.
In the first decade of the seventeenth century capons rained in the Indian Ocean between English, Portuguese and Dutch. In these exchanges the Portuguese tended to be the worst part: they had enough resources to defend all their possessions and their ships and men used to fighting against Asian foes were not ready to tackle deep-water European vessels and very gunships. As from 1580 Portugal and Spain were united under one monarch, the Portuguese could have ask for help from the English in Manila, but most preferred that the Dutch were attacked. It is feared that under the guise of assistance, the English had just getting into their markets. And they were right. There were groups of merchants in Seville that had been realized that the Moluccas were a negoción and clicking went to Spain to further metiese in these islands.
A early in the second decade of the seventeenth century in the Philippines was the English Governor Juan de Silva. In previous years he had known some victories against the Dutch and the body now has asked for more. Depending on who you talk to him, was the desire of glory or desire for money that moved him. In any case, de Silva was among those who think everything big. That is very good except for one thing: when plans go awry, the droppings are also be of great proportions.
A de Silva came up with the best thing to do was to send a large English-Portuguese fleet to the Moluccas and to this end requested the Portuguese Viceroy in Goa to send him to Manila ten Galleons and six galleys. The Viceroy replied that what had been smoked to ask so many forces, which would conform to four galleons and 300 soldiers, who would go to the command of Francisco de Miranda Enriquez. We must recognize that in the context of scarce resources which the State moved da India, the request for de Silva was amazing.
De Silva was not limited to scrounge, but wanted to also do their part and in the Philippines proposed to build a large navy to the company that had been marked. Had not men and materials was not an obstacle for a man as brave or as irresponsible.
To begin with, persuaded the Viceroy of New Spain will send three ships and 500 men. Since many of the necessary materials could not be manufactured in Manila, made a collection among the inhabitants of the town and sent his aide de camp Cristobal de Azcueta with 16,000 pesos in gold to purchase the necessary goods in Asian markets. In the Azcueta and his companions were heard from again. Or wrecked or retired on an island paradise at the expense of 16,000 pesos. As Silva had realized that to fight the Dutch (as for many other things), size does matter, is who was determined to build a huge galleons. Too bad the forests of the Philippines fail to deal, but those most learned that it was the poor Filipinos who enlisted for felling and transporting logs. It took two years to build 150 artillery pieces in bronze, but the lack of knowledge in the art, the guns that came served more to decorate it for something else. De Silva was a man of means: ordered to remove items from the strong to provide ships. Stripped to a saint to dress another. It also ordered the collection of food made for the issue, but ordered it so early that by the time they left, much of the food had already been damaged. Manilan agent Hernando de los Rios Coronel, who had not dearly, wrote five years after the fact that bandits would not have done more looting in the islands caused by Silva with his ideas.
The May 12, 1615 the expedition sailed from a Portuguese Goa more pints to go out partying than from combat. The 110 soldiers who took the four galleons thing had led 600 people on the side, between servers and prostitutes. The transition to Malacca was painful: they ran out of supplies, the fights were endless and there were outbreaks spur of overcrowding of passengers. They came to Malacca in August, tired and with little desire to fight.
A Malay inhabitants lacked time to put them on ships and sending them towards their final destination in Manila. At the height of the Straits of Singapore, the expedition turned back, either because they give lazy to do the journey to Manila or because they give even more lazy to go to fight in the Moluccas. De los Rios Coronel is less pious than me and Miranda said that the captain "did not dare" to continue, if there were written today, would have said that "scares." Returned to Malacca and were lucky fool. His arrival came just as the King of Aceh was attacking the city and helped repel the attack, losing one of their boats. For twenty-four hours were the heroes of day.
Scarcely had defeated the Acehnese, a Dutch fleet of five ships appeared to Malacca. The Portuguese ships were poorly placed to receive them and in the ensuing battle and sank all the Portuguese were 100 casualties in dead and wounded and lost 92 pieces of artillery.
A Manila came the news that the Portuguese fleet was going to spend the winter in Malacca. It is not clear why the Governor of Silva then changed plans. Decided he would go to Malacca, link up there with the Portuguese and then be directed together to attack Java, Banda, and finally the Moluccas. Historians agree that if had then attacked the Moluccas, have found unprotected and have obtained an easy victory. Not only did not follow the course that seemed most obvious and promising, but when it launched the navigation station was already too late.
The February 28, 1616 (almost all the sources I have consulted give the date for the start of the February 9, 1616 I do not know where it comes from that date, in the absence of convinvente I just stick to the the Memorial de los Rios Coronel wrote, which is February 28) Juan de Silva left Manila with ten galleons, four galleys and four small vessels accompanying on board which had 5,000 men including soldiers and sailors and 300 artillery pieces. Gone were the Philippine Islands, protected only by a few poorly armed militia and some guns obsolete.
At Singapore the Straits of Juan de Silva learned of what had happened to the Portuguese fleet. Some advised him to proceed immediately against the Moluccas. Instead, she was anchored there for a month, touching a little noses to the Sultan of Johor, whose loyalty was not clear who they were. Finally, in late March went to Malacca with their vessels. Among the absurdities of the expedition this was the maximum, Malay was not threatened at this time and apart from encouraging people and restore their morale, there was nothing more than de Silva could do.
Well, yes there was more than de Silva could do: die. In Malacca he received under a canopy, as a savior. Soon after arriving, between feast and banquet, gave a fever that took him eleven days. On April 19 died, apparently quite demoralized and convinced that the company had failed. His last orders were that the army should return to Manila with his embalmed body. Maybe those were his orders more sensible, because the fever had begun to prey components of the Navy, they were dying like flies. According to de los Rios Coronel, each day had to jettison between 40 and 50 bodies of victims of the fever.
The navy, which was to make as many achievements and erase the Dutch East Indies, he returned to Manila in early June 1616. He had not hit a shot, but was so battered as if he had spent a year at sea.
And it should only do the English land expeditions.
0 comments:
Post a Comment