Limahong
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Limahong, Lim Ah Hong or also called Lin Feng (traditional Chinese: 林風; simplified Chinese: 林风; pinyin: Lín Fēng) was a notorious Chinese pirate and warlord who invaded the northern Philippine Islands in 1574. He built up a reputation for his constant raids to ports in Guangdong, Fujian and southern China. He is noted to have twice attempted, and failed, to overthrow the Spanish city of Manila in 1574.
Contents |
[edit] Birth and origins
Born Dim Mhon to a poor family in the city of Tru Cheo (Teochew) in the province of Cuy Tan (called Catim by the Portuguese during the middle of the 16th century). Known to be called Limahong, he had an early start in criminal activity and progressed to piracy becoming leader of around 2000 pirates. His activities and attacks on ports and ships throughout southern China increased and a warrant was issued by the authorities to capture him alive and send him to the city of Tay Bin.
He shifted his activities to piracy on the high seas and out of reach of China's power. He was able to accumulate up to 40 ships, whereupon he once again raided cities and ports in southern China. Limahong attacked a city occupied by Vinh To Quiam, another pirate, but Vinh was able to escape along with 5 of Limahong's ships. However, Limahong was able to capture 55 of Vinh's fleet and thus increased his own to 95 ships. He was now a veritable king of the high seas of southern China.
In late 1573, he gathered an army of 3,000 Chinese warriors, renegades and vagabonds and fled to the island of Luzon. There, he and his band of outlaws sought refuge, established their own kingdom and waged war with the Spaniards.
By this time, a force of 40,000 soldiers and 135 ships was sent by the Chinese to kill and capture Limahong. Limahong and his troops first arrived in Ilocos Sur in early 1574 where they quarrelled with the Spanish commander, Juan de Salcedo. After a brief struggle with the Spanish army, his troops were driven away from the city. The pirates then chanced upon merchant ships from Manila doing trade with the Chinese and learned from 2 captured ships that Manila was a new and relatively unprotected Spanish settlement. From this information and knowing that China had a no-war policy with its neighbors during that time, he decided to capture Manila and establish himself as ruler of his would-be kingdom and stronghold.
[edit] Attack on Manila
Limahong's massive pirate fleet was first sighted off the coast of Ilocos on September 1574. He attempted twice to attack and take the new Spanish city of Manila (established 1571) in 1574 with a fleet of 64 ships. He was unsuccessful in his attempts. But during his attempted invasion, he managed to kill Martin de Goiti, a member of the first Spanish expeditionary force that settled in Manila. Lin Feng then took possession of the city and burned it to the ground. However, he failed to keep the Spaniards out of the city.
Spanish forces, led by Salcedo, besieged Manila and re-captured the settlements later that year and Limahong was forced to flee to what is now Pangasinan in the Philippines. A ship was dispatched by Governor General Lavezares to follow and report the whereabouts of the pirate, who was later found establishing a settlement in Lingayen. An expeditionary force of about 250 Spaniards and 2500 native fighters were sent to neutralize the 3000 strong force of Limahong. The Chinese pirate Limahong tried to build a colony on the Lingayen coast in 1574 but was overthrown by the Spanish armada led by Juan de Salcedo after a seven month siege. The Limahong Channel, dug for six months that served as the pirate's escape route, stands today as a marker of his failed try.
[edit] References and further reading
- Gambe, Annabelle R., Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurship and Capitalist Development in Southeast Asia (Munster, Hamburg and London: Lit Verlag, 1999).
- Stearn, Duncan, Chronology of South-East Asian History 1400-1996 (Dee Why, NSW: The Mitraphab Centre Pty Ltd., 1997).
- Morga , Antonio de. (2004). The Project Gutenberg Edition Book : History of the Philippine Islands - 1521 to the beginning of the XVII century. Volume 1 and 2.
- Blair , Emma H. (2004). The Philippine Islands, 1493 - 1898 . Volume VI
