Spanish Expeditions to the Philippines: Magellan-Elcano, Loaisa, Cabot, Saavedra, Villabos & Legaspi

The earliest documented European expedition to the Philippine archipelago was led by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, in the service of King Charles I of Spain. Despite four more expeditions after Magellan, the Philippines remained uncolonized by this point. It was only when Philip II succeeded his father that a new expedition under Miguel Lopez de Legazpi successfully colonized the country. Magellan sailed from Spain on September 20, 1519, to find a western route to the Moluccas (Spice Islands). His fleet made the first crossing of the Pacific and landed on Homonhon Island in Samar on March 16, 1521, naming the islands Los Isles de San Lazaro. Magellan befriended Raja Humabon but was killed in battle by Lapu-Lapu on Mactan Island on April 17, 1521. Juan Sebastian de Elcano took command and completed the first circumnavigation of the globe, with only one ship and 18 men returning to Spain in 1522.

Loaisa's expedition, launched in 1525, was conceived as both a rescue mission for the missing Trinidad from Magellan's fleet and a voyage of discovery to colonize the Spice Islands. Assigned seven vessels and 450 men, Loaisa, along with Juan Sebastian Elcano, sailed from Corona on July 24, 1525. After navigating the Atlantic and reaching Patagonia, Loaisa abandoned the search for Trinidad and continued towards the Spice Islands. However, the fleet was scattered by bad weather in the Strait of Magellan and the Pacific. Loaisa and Elcano both died of scurvy, and command passed through several hands. Only Andres de Urdaneta and 24 men survived to reach the Spice Islands, returning to Spain in 1536, completing the second world circumnavigation.

Sebastian Cabot, son of John Cabot, sailed for Spain and was given command of a fleet on March 4, 1525. His mission was to determine the precise demarcation of the Treaty of Tordesillas and convey settlers to the Moluccas to reinforce Spanish claims. The expedition set sail on April 3, 1526, with four ships and 250 men. Cabot was intended to cross the Pacific twice. However, upon landing in Brazil, he heard rumors of the Incas' wealth and abandoned his original charge to explore the Rio de la Plata, effectively failing his mission to the Moluccas.

In 1527, Hernan Cortes commissioned his cousin Alvaro de Saavedra to lead an expedition to find the missing Loaisa fleet and discover new lands in the Pacific, bringing back spice plants. Saavedra sailed on October 31, 1527. After losing two ships in a squall, his ship, La Florida, sighted the Philippines on February 2, 1528, making Saavedra the first navigator to cross the Pacific from the Americas. La Florida arrived in Tidore, Moluccas, on March 30, 1528, finding the remaining men from the Loaisa expedition. Saavedra attempted to return to New Spain (Mexico) twice but was thwarted by trade winds and ultimately died. The remaining crew endured captivity by the Portuguese, with eight survivors finally returning to Spain in 1534.

Roy Lopez de Villalobos was commissioned in 1541 by the viceroy of New Spain to lead an expedition to the 'Islands of the West.' His fleet of six ships and 370-400 men left Mexico on November 1, 1542. He reached Mindanao on February 2, 1543, and established a colony in Sarangani but faced food shortages. In April 1544, he sailed to Amboyna and then to Samar and Leyte, which he named 'Los Isles Filipinas' in honor of Prince Philip II of Spain. Driven away by hostile natives, hunger, and a shipwreck, Villalobos and his crew sought refuge in the Moluccas, where they were imprisoned by the Portuguese. Villalobos died in his prison cell on Amboyna on April 4, 1544. He is remembered for naming the country the Philippine Islands.

Philip II became King of Spain in 1556 and ordered an expedition in 1559, ostensibly to discover islands to the west, but with the true aim of conquering the Philippine Islands. In 1564, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi was commissioned to lead this expedition. On November 20, 1564, five ships carrying 500 soldiers sailed from New Spain (Mexico). After 93 days, Legazpi's expedition landed on Cebu Island on February 13, 1565. This expedition was successful, establishing the first permanent Spanish colony in the Philippines and discovering the vital return route to Mexico across the Pacific. This discovery initiated the Manila Galleon trade, which lasted for 250 years. The Philippines remained a Spanish colony for 333 years, from 1565 until the Treaty of Paris in 1898.