Andrés Alcaraz

Andrés Alcaraz was an auditor licentiate taking over military affairs before becoming the 15th Governor-General of the Philippines of the Philippines under Spanish colonial rule.

Governor General of the Philippines

The successor of Juan de Silva, who died in his expedition to Malacca, as Governor-General was supposed to be Jeronimo de Silva, his uncle, but the latter was fighting the Dutch in the Moluccas so the Audiencia Real takes charge of political affairs and Auditor Licentiate Alcaraz takes charge of military affairs by royal decree in March 1616.^[1] The Philippines, being a Spanish colony, had been involved in the Eighty Years' War. At the start of his term, Alcaraz sought to raise an army to equip a new fleet of galleons and galleys to battle the Dutch fleet, which had been a menace to the archipelago for years. He needed 1,000 men, but he got only 600. So, he furnished 380 men from Manila, along with 34 captains, 80 sergeants and 180 soldiers.^[2]

During his term also, Dutch naval officer Joris van Spilbergen and his fleet of 10 galleons formed a blockade at Manila Bay, after being defeated in Iloilo on September 30, 1616. This was faced by a Spanish armada of 7 galleons under Juan Ronquillo del Castillo. This was the Second Battle of Playa Honda, occurred on April 14, 1617. Spillbergen's flagship sank with other two galleons, and the Dutch repulsed.^[3] Jeronimo de Silva returned on September 30, 1617, taking over military affairs. However, the Audiencia still takes charge of the country as a whole. In 1618, the government collected 160,000 tributes.

References

Spanish Governors-General of the Philippines 1565–1898 Under the Viceroyalty of New Spain (1565–1821) Miguel López de Legazpi Guido de Lavezaris Francisco de Sande Gonzalo Ronquillo de Peñalosa Diego Ronquillo Santiago de Vera Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas Pedro de Rojas Luis Pérez Dasmariñas Francisco Tello de Guzmán Pedro Bravo de Acuña Cristóbal Téllez de Almanza Count of Valle de Orizaba Juan de Silva Andrés Alcaraz Alonso Fajardo Jeronimo de Silva Fernándo de Silva Juan Niño de Tabora Lorenzo de Olaza Juan Cerezo de Salamanca Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera Diego Fajardo Sabiniano Manrique de Lara Diego de Salcedo Juan Manuel de la Peña Bonifaz Manuel de León Francisco Coloma Francisco Sotomayor Juan de Vargas Gabriel de Curuzealegui Alonso de Ávila Fuertes Fausto Cruzat y Góngora Domingo Zabálburu de Echevarri Martín de Urzua y Arismendi José Torralba Fernando Bustamante Francisco de la Cuesta Toribio José Cosio Fernándo Valdés Gaspar de la Torre Juan de Arechederra Marquis of Brindisi and Ovando Pedro Manuel de Arandía Miguel Lino de Ezpeleta Manuel Rojo Simón de Anda Francisco Javier de la Torre José Antonio Raón Simón de Anda Pedro de Sarrio The Count of the Conquest of Batanes Islands Pedro de Sarrio Félix Berenguer de Marquina Rafael María de Aguilar Mariano Fernández de Folgueras Manuel Gonzalez de Aguilar José Gardoqui Jaraveitia Mariano Fernández de Folgueras Under Spain (1821–1898) Mariano Fernández de Folgueras Juan Antonio Martínez Mariano Ricafort Palacin Pasqual Enrile Gabriel de Torres Joaquín de Crámer Pedro Antonio Salazar Andrés García Camba Luis Lardizábal Marcelino de Oraá Lecumberri Francisco de Paula Alcalá de la Torre Narciso Clavería Antonio María Blanco Marquis of La Solana Ramón Montero Manuel Pavía Ramón Montero Manuel Crespo Ramón Montero Fernándo Norzagaray Ramón María Solano Juan Herrera Dávila José Lemery Salvador Valdés Rafael de Echague Joaquín del Solar Juan de Lara José Laureano de Sanz Juan Antonio Osorio Joaquín del Solar José de la Gándara Manuel Maldonado Cárlos María de la Torre Rafael de Izquierdo Manuel MacCrohon Juan Alaminos Manuel Blanco Valderrama Marquis of San Rafael Marquis of Oroquieta Rafael Rodríguez Arias Fernando Primo de Rivera Emilio Molíns Joaquín Jovellar Emilio Molíns Emilio Terrero Antonio Molto Federico Lobaton Marquis of Tenerife Eulogio Despujol Federico Ochando Marquis of Peña Plata Camilo de Polavieja José de Lachambre Fernando Primo de Rivera Basilio Augustín Fermín Jáudenes Francisco Rizzo Diego de los Ríos Italics indicates a member of the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church. Smallcaps indicates an oidor of the Real Audiencia of Manila.