HOM.02

From Habele Institute

Prelude to Conquest, 1561-1595, is the second volume of the History of Micronesia: A Collection of Source Documents (HOM), compiled and edited by Rodrique Levesque.

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History of Micronesia: A Collection of Source Documents, Volume 2

The History of Micronesia: A Collection of Source Documents was complied, edited and published by Rod Levesque from 1992 to 2002. Copyrights were obtained by the Habele Outer Island Education Fund, a US nonprofit, in 2022, which digitized the content to facilitate noncommercial access to, and use of, the twenty-volume series. The PDF file for HOM.02 is roughly 65MB.

Levesque's Summary

Volume 2 contains 100 chapters, about 142 documents, covering all the Span¬ish voyages and expeditions made in the Pacific during this period (Legazpi, Arellano, Urdaneta, Pericon, Mendana, Gali, Unamuno, Cermeno, and Ordonez), those by the Portuguese (Da Gama), and by the English (Drake and Cavendish).

There are many new documents, conveniently placed in their proper chronological order. Also Part 3 of the early cartography of the Pacific.

The mutiny on the galleon San Geronimo was the first bloody mutiny in the annals of the Pacific Ocean; it was not surpassed in atrocity until the 19th-century. The Boxer Codex was the first document depicting the natives of the Marianas.

—List of 125 illustrations, starting with maps of Oceania and Micronesia, others showing the tracks of the important voyages of discovery, sketches of newly discovered islands, etc.

—A foreword recapitulating the major historical events of the period and giving their main sources.

—27 chapters on the Legazpi expedition and its aftermath. While on the way to conquer and colonize the Philippines in 1565, Legazpi crossed Micronesia and took possession of it for Spain. Two of his ships found the return route to New Spain, thus establishing the galleon trade between the Philippines and New Spain.

—The first bloody mutiny in the Pacific occurred in 1566 during the Pericen relief expedition. Many of the mutineers were later marooned on either Ujelang or Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands.

—In 1567, a Spanish soldier was almost kidnapped at Guam. A few years later, the would-be kidnapper was himself kidnapped.

—If the decrees of the King of Spain had been obeyed, the Ladrones would have been settled one century before they were.

—5 chapters on the first Mendana expedition that discovered Namu atoll in the Marshalls on 17 September 1568, and Wake Island on 3 October. There are 5 different narratives given.

—Document 1573D quotes from royal orders for the discovery, settlement and pacification of the Indies, which resulted in religious, rather than military, conquests.

—Part 3 of the cartography of the Pacific reproduces the Velasco maps, ca. 1575, that guided other map-makers, like Juan Martinez. The origin of the information contained therein is commented upon.

—One chapter is about the famous English pirate, Francis Drake, and his discovery of Palau in 1579.

—For those interested in ships and shipbuilding, a short treatise on the evolution of the galleon is included.

—The circumnavigation of a relative of St. Ignatius of Loyola, via Guam, is brought to light.

—Also featured are Gali’s voyage of 1584 and that of Unamuno in 1587. Both were looking for the mythical islands of gold and silver in the north Pacific.

—Two eyewitness accounts of the voyage of Captain Thomas Cavendish, another English pirate.

—The semi-fictitious voyage of a conquistador who became a priest and ship captain, Ordonez de Cevallos. He bought a ship in Acapulco and had many ad-ventures in the Pacific.

—The Boxer Codex, containing the first relation of the Ladrone Islands (Rota & Guam), is here reproduced with permission, and fully transcribed and translated. The author was with the galleons of 1590.

—In 1592, an embassy came from southern Japan to Manila. In 1594, the Span¬sh responded in kind.

—In 1594-95, Cermerlo make a round-trip through the Pacific, in order to explore the California coast.

Table of Contents

1565A Legazpi—Background to his expedition

1565B Legazpi—Letter from the King to the Viceroy of New Spain, dated Valladolid 24 September 1559

1565C Legazpi—Letter from King Philip II to Father Urdaneta, dated Valladolid 24 September 1559

1565D Legazpi—Reply from the Viceroy to the King, dated Mexico 28 May 1560

1565E Legazpi—Reply from Fr. Urdaneta to the King, dated Mexico 28 May 1560, including a memorandum

1565F Legazpi—Second letter from the King to Fr. Urdaneta, dated Aranjuez 4 March 1561

1565G Legazpi—Letter from the Viceroy regarding the preparations, dated 9 February 1561

1565H Legazpi—Second memorandum by Fr. Urdaneta about the planned route, dated Mexico 1561

15651 Legazpi—Letter from Legazpi to the King, dated Mexico 26 May 1563

1565J Legazpi—Two letters from the Viceroy to the King, dated Mexico 25 February 1564 and 15 June 1564

1565K Legazpi—Final instructions given by the Royal Audiencia of Mexico, dated 1 September 1564

1565L Legazpi—Letter from the Audiencia to the King, dated Mexico 12 September 1564

1565M Legazpi—Letter from Captain Carrion to the King, undated (ca. September 1564)

1565N Legazpi—Letter to the King, dated Navidad 18 Nov. 1564

15650 Legazpi—Letter from Fr. Urdaneta to the King, dated Navidad 20 November 1564

1565P Legazpi—Instructions given to the fleet, at sea, 25 Nov. 1564

1565Q Legazpi’s voyage—logbook of Pilot Major E. Rodriguez First Chamorro dictionary

1565R Legazpi’s voyage—logbook of the French pilot Pierre Plin

1565S Legazpi’s voyage—logbook kept by Pilots Jaime Martinez Fortun and Diego Martin

1565T Legazpi’s voyage—logbook of Rodrigo de Espinosa

1565U Legazpi—Documents regarding the provisioning of the fleet, dated May 1565

1565V Legazpi—First batch of letters sent from Cebu, in 1565

1565W Legazpi’s narrative of his voyage, dated 27 May 1565

1565X Legazpi’s voyage—Anonymous narrative, attributed to Fr. Martin Rada, dated May 1565

1565Y Legazpi—First printed account of the Legazpi expedition, Barcelona 1566

1565Z Legazpi—Taking possession of Micronesia for the King of Spain, January 1565

1565AA Legazpi—Captain Arellano’s round-trip voyage in the patache San Lucas

1565AB Captain Salcedo and Fr. Urdaneta find the return route

1565AC Legazpi—Father Urdaneta’s reports

1565AD Legazpi—Secondary account of the voyage by Fr. Medina

1565AE Legazpi—Secondary account by Fr. San Augustin

1566A Pericon relief expedition—Summary of the bloody mutiny aboard the San Jeronimo, by Fr. Juan de la Concepcion

1566B Pericon expedition—Narrative of the voyage and mutiny, by Juan Martinez

1566C Which Marshall Islands were visited by the Pericon expedition 335

1566D Pericon expedition—Letter from Legazpi to the King, dated Cebu 23 July 1567

1566E Legazpi’s official report for 1565-1567 regarding the events in the Philippines

1566F Letter from Lavezaris to the King, dated Cebu 25 July 1567

1566G Letter from the Royal Officials, dated Cebu 26 July 1567

1567A Relation of the Islands of the West by Captain Diego de Artieda to the King, undated [ca. 1570]

1567B Salcedo’s voyage—Spanish soldier almost kidnapped at Guam

1568A The galleon San Pablo, Captain Salcedo, shipwrecked at Guam in 1568 when on the way to New Spain

1568B Legazpi—His son Melchor’s petitions to the King, dated Madrid November 1568 and later

1568C Royal communications to Legazpi regarding the Ladrones, dated 1568 and 1569

1568D Mendaiia expedition—Background to the expedition and report by Mendafia himself

1568E Mendafia expedition—Narrative of Captain Sarmiento

1568F Mendafla expedition—Narrative of Chief Pilot Gallego

1568G Mendafla expedition—Narrative of Catoria the steward

1568H Mendafla expedition—Narrative of a Franciscan friar

1570A Letter from Legazpi to the King, dated Panay 25 July 1570

1570B Letter from Fr. Herrera to the Viceroy of New Spain, dated Panay July 1570

1570C Letter from Fr. Diego de Herrera to the King, dated Panay 25 July 1570

1573A 1572-1573 annual report by Governor Lavezaris to the King, dated Manila 29 June 1573

1573B Letter from the Viceroy of New Spain to the King, dated Mexico 5 December 1573

1573C 1570-1573 events by the notary Hernando Riquel

1573D Royal Orders regarding the discovery, settlement and pacification of the Indies

1574 1573-1574 annual reports by Governor Lavezaris to the King, dated Manila July 1574

1575 Cartography of the Pacific—Part 3

1576A Governor Sande writes to King Philip II

1576B Letter from the Viceroy to the King, dated Mexico 31 October 1576

1577A Governor Sande’s relation (continued)

1577B Letter from the Viceroy to the King, dated 13 Dec 1577

1578 Letter from Fr. de Jesus to the Pope, dated Manila July 1580

1579A Letter from Governor Sande to the King, dated Manila 30 May 1579

1579B Voyage of Francis Drake and the discovery of Palau in 1579

1580 A short treatise on the evolution of the galleon during the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries

1581A Letter from the Viceroy to the King, dated 1 April 1581

1581B The voyage of Father Martin Ignacio de Ioyola, O.F.M., around the world, via Guam

1582 Voyage of the galleon San Martin to the Philippines

1583 Voyage of the Nuestra Seflora de la Cinta from Peru

1584A The voyage of the ship Mora with Governor Santiago de Vera

1584B Francisco Gali’s voyage of 1584 and Pedro de Unamuno’s voyage of 1587, in search of islands of gold and silver

1587 The galleon San Martin ends up wrecked at Macao and a small ship makes it to Manila in 1587

1588A Letter from Governor Vera to the King, dated Manila 26 June 1588

1588B The remnant of the Dominican mission crossed the Pacific in an unnamed small ship in 1588

1588C Letter from the Bishop of Manila to the King, dated Manila 27 June 1588

1588D Letter from the Audiencia of Manila to the King, dated Manila 25 June 1588

1588E More about Cavendish in a letter from Juan Bautista Roman to the King, dated Manila 2 July 1588

1588F The voyage of Thomas Cavendish—The narratives of Francis Pretty and Thomas Fuller

1589A Shipping news for 1589

1589B Note of Dom JoSo da Gama and Gamaland

1590A Instructions given to the new Governor, Gomez Perez Dasmariiias

1590B Two letters from Bishop Salazar to the King, both dated Manila 24 June 1590

1590C The semi-fictitious voyage of Ordofiez de Cevallos aboard the San Pedro

1590D The Boxer Codex and the 1590 galleons

1591A The Pope issues a decree against slavery

159 IB Letter from Viceroy Velasco to the King, dated Mexico 24 February 1591

1591C Letter from Governor Dasmariiias, dated 21 June 1591

1591D Register of the ship San Felipe in 1591

1592A The missionaries stipulate the conditions for making war on the natives

1592B Governor Dasmariiias’ 1592 letter to the King, dated Manila 31 May 1592

1592C The embassy that came from Japan in May 1592

1592D Another letter from Gov. Dasmariiias, dated 20 June 1592

1592E A Spanish embassy sent to Japan in 1592 and its aftermath

1592F The voyage of Jaque de los Rios in 1592

1593 Letter from the King to Governor Dasmariiias, dated Madrid 11 February 1593

1594A Letters from/to Japan, 1594

1594B Reports on the last embassy to Japan

1594C The round-trip voyage of S. Rodriguez Cermeiio, 1594-95

1595 Letter from Lieutenant-Governor Antonio de Morga to the King, dated Manila 25 June 1595

Publication Details

Lévesque Rodrigue. History of Micronesia : A Collection of Source Documents. Vol. 2 Prelude to Conquest: 1561-1595. Gatineau Québec: Lévesque Publications; 1992.

ISBN-10: 0920201024

ISBN-13: 978-0920201022

LCC: DU500 .H58 2000