Andrés Alcaraz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andrés Alcaraz
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| 15th Governor-General of the Philippines | |
| In office April 19, 1616 – July 3, 1618 |
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| Monarch | Philip III of Spain |
| Governor | (Viceroy of New Spain) Diego Fernández de Córdoba, 1st Marquess of Guadalcázar |
| Preceded by | Juan de Silva |
| Succeeded by | Alonso Fajardo de Entenza |
Andrés Alcaraz was a Spanish official who helped manage military matters in the Philippines. He later became the 15th Governor-General of the Philippines. This was a very important job under Spanish colonial rule. He was the second person from the `Royal Court of Manila` to serve as Governor-General.
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Leading the Philippines as Governor-General
Andrés Alcaraz took over as Governor-General after the previous leader, Juan de Silva, died during a trip to Malacca. The person who was supposed to take over, Jeronimo de Silva (Juan's uncle), was busy fighting the Dutch in the Moluccas. Because of this, the `Royal Court` took charge of political matters. Alcaraz was put in charge of military affairs by a special royal order in March 1616.
At this time, the Philippines was a Spanish colony. This meant it was involved in the `Eighty Years' War`, a big conflict between Spain and the Dutch.
When Alcaraz started his job, he needed to create a new army. He also had to get a new fleet of ships ready. These ships were called galleons and galleys. His goal was to fight the Dutch fleet, which had been causing problems for the Philippines for many years.
Alcaraz needed 1,000 soldiers for his new army. However, he was only able to get 600 men. He gathered 380 men from Manila. This group included 34 captains, 80 sergeants, and 180 regular soldiers.
During Alcaraz's time in charge, a Dutch naval officer named Joris van Spilbergen arrived. He had a fleet of 10 galleons. After being defeated in Iloilo on September 30, 1616, Spilbergen's fleet formed a blockade at Manila Bay. This meant they tried to stop ships from entering or leaving the bay.
A Spanish fleet of 7 galleons, led by Juan Ronquillo del Castillo, went out to meet the Dutch. This battle was called the Second Battle of Playa Honda. It happened on April 14, 1617. During the fight, Spilbergen's main ship sank, along with two other Dutch galleons. The Spanish forces successfully pushed back the Dutch.
On September 30, 1617, Jeronimo de Silva returned. He then took over military matters. However, the `Royal Court` still managed the country's overall affairs. In 1618, the government collected 160,000 tributes, which were payments made by the people.
See also
In Spanish: Andrés Alcaraz para niños
