Luis Pérez Dasmariñas facts for kids

Luis Pérez Dasmariñas y Páez de Sotomayor was a Spanish soldier who became the Governor of the Philippines. He served in this important role from December 3, 1593, to July 14, 1596. During his time as governor, he sent out groups of soldiers to try and take control of lands like Cambodia and Mindanao, but these efforts were not successful.

Luis Pérez Dasmariñas was a special knight of the Order of Alcántara. His father, Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas, was also a Governor of the Philippines, serving just before him from 1590 to 1593.

A Governor's Story

Early Life and Family

Luis Pérez Dasmariñas was a brave Spanish soldier. He was part of a respected family, and his father, Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas, held the powerful position of Governor of the Philippines before him. This meant Luis grew up around important leaders and military plans.

The Moluccas Expedition

A Secret Plan

In 1593, Luis's father, Governor Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas, planned a big trip. He wanted to lead a Spanish group from Manila to capture a fort in Terrenate, which was in the Moluccas islands. He kept his plans a secret until most of the preparations were finished.

Before he left, Governor Gómez Pérez sent his son, Luis Pérez Dasmariñas, ahead with some of the ships. Luis was the second-in-command of this important journey, with the title of captain general.

A Dangerous Journey

Governor Gómez Pérez left the military matters in Manila to Diego Ronquillo. He put Pedro de Rojas in charge of civil affairs. After Luis left, the governor stayed in Manila to finish getting ready. He prepared a large ship called a galley with 28 rowing spots. He hired skilled Chinese rowers for this ship. To make the rowers happy, he didn't chain them and even let them carry some weapons.

About 40 Spanish soldiers boarded the galley. A few smaller ships, called frigates, joined them. The whole group of ships was very large, with 200 vessels in total. More than 900 Spanish soldiers were part of this expedition. The governor sailed from Cavite in October 1593. He planned to meet Luis Pérez and the rest of the ships in a place called Pintados. From there, they would all go to the Moluccas.

A Mutiny and a New Leader

The Chinese Rowers' Attack

On the second day of their journey, the governor's ships reached Caca Island. This island was near Luzon, about 24 leagues from Manila. The Chinese rowers on the governor's ship had been secretly planning for three days to take control of the ship. This night was their chance.

Just before dawn, they attacked the guards and the sleeping Spanish soldiers. Most of the soldiers were killed. A few managed to escape by swimming or using a small boat. When Governor Dasmariñas heard the noise, he left his room. He was killed by several Chinese rowers waiting outside his door. Two Spanish men, Juan de Cuellar (the governor's secretary) and Father Montilla, survived by staying hidden in their cabin. The rebels later let them go ashore.

The rebels tried to sail to China, but they couldn't make it. Instead, they landed in Cochin China. The king there took their two cannons, the Royal Banner, and all their valuable items like jewels and money. The rebels were scattered, and the ship was left behind. Some of the rebels were later caught in Malacca and sent back to Manila, where they faced justice.

Choosing the Next Governor

Before he died, Governor Gómez Pérez had a special order from the king. This order said he should choose a temporary leader if he died. He had shown this order to several important Spanish people, making each of them think they would be chosen. Both his son, Luis Pérez, and Captain Estevan Rodríguez de Figueroa expected to be the next governor.

When news of the mutiny reached Manila, the people and soldiers gathered. They first chose Pedro de Rojas as the new governor. They sent ships to chase the rebel galley, but they couldn't find it. Rojas also sent a message to Luis Pérez, telling him to return to Manila quickly because the city was not well protected.

Rojas then looked for the document that named the next governor. The document was in a monastery, but the leader of the monastery, who didn't trust Rojas, had hidden it. About 40 days later, Luis Pérez and Estevan Rodríguez arrived in the harbor with many men. Luis Pérez ordered another search for the missing document. This time, it was found. It clearly named Luis Pérez as his father's successor. The city leaders then recognized Luis Pérez as the new governor. Pedro de Rojas stepped down after governing for 40 days.

Pedro de Rojas was later given a higher position in Mexico City. Antonio de Morga took his place in the Philippines with more power. Morga sailed from Acapulco, New Spain on March 22, 1595, and arrived in Cavite on June 11 of the same year.

Mysterious Chinese Visitors

Soon after the ships returned to Manila, many Chinese trading ships arrived. They seemed to be there for trade, but they carried many men and not much merchandise. Seven important Chinese officials, called Mandarins, were also on board. The Spanish became suspicious. They thought the Chinese might have heard that most of the Spanish soldiers had left for the Moluccas. They worried the Chinese had sent a fleet to try and conquer the islands, which seemed almost defenseless.

However, when the Chinese saw that Manila was still strongly defended, they didn't make any hostile moves. They returned to China without explaining why they had come with so many men. Neither side openly talked about the real reason for their visit.

Adventures in Cambodia

A Plan to Help Cambodia

In 1594, news reached Manila that the king of Siam had attacked and taken over Cambodia. King Langara of Cambodia had to run away to Laos. Some Spanish and Portuguese people who had been in Cambodia convinced Governor Pérez Dasmariñas that Cambodia could be easily taken back. They believed this would give Spain a strong position on the mainland of Asia.

The governor decided to send one medium-sized ship and two smaller ships called junks. These ships carried 120 Spanish soldiers, along with some Japanese and Filipino fighters. This group sailed at the beginning of 1596.

Unexpected Events

The main ship got separated from the two junks. The junks arrived in Cambodia only to find that the Cambodians had already driven out the Siamese. One of the Cambodian leaders, Anacaparan, had declared himself king. The Spanish thought this was a good chance to act, but they decided to wait for their main ship to arrive. However, a fight broke out with Chinese traders in the port. The Spanish attacked them, killing some. This led to a fight with the new king, whom the Spanish also defeated. They even burned a large part of his capital city.

Around 1597, the main ship of the expedition finally arrived in Cambodia. The commander of this ship refused to help restore King Langara to the throne. Instead, he sailed back to the Philippines. Later, in 1599, Malay Muslim traders defeated and killed almost all the Spanish soldiers in Cambodia. This ended Spain's plans to conquer Cambodia in the Cambodian–Spanish War.

The Mindanao Expedition

A Brave Captain's Plan

Captain Estevan Rodríguez de Figueroa had made a deal with Governor Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas (Luis's father). He agreed to conquer the island of Mindanao using his own money. In return, he would have the right to rule it for two generations of his family. This agreement was approved in Spain. In February 1596, Rodríguez set out with 214 Spanish soldiers and many Filipinos. They traveled in various ships like galleys and frigates to begin their conquest.

He soon reached the Mindanao River. There, he was joined by men from two local settlements, Tancapan and Lumaguan. Now, he commanded about 6,000 men.

A Sad Ending

The combined force then went to Buhahayen, the main town of the island and the capital of the most important chief. Buhahayen was well protected. Soon after they arrived, the Spanish had a small battle with the local people. Rodríguez was still on his main ship, but he saw that the Spanish were not doing well. He left his ship with a few men to take charge. To move faster, he was not wearing his helmet. Before he reached the battle, a local warrior surprised him and hit him on the head with a sword.

Rodríguez was taken back to his ship, where he died the next day. This was the end of the first generation of his rule over Mindanao. The Spanish soldiers, now led by Juan de la Xara, went back to the friendlier town of Tancapan. There, they built a fort and a Spanish settlement called Murcia.

Life After Being Governor

Luis Pérez Dasmarinas was still waiting for news about the expeditions to Cambodia and Mindanao. Then, he heard that the new governor, Francisco de Tello de Guzmán, was arriving. Tello de Guzmán had been sent directly from Spain. He took over the government on July 14, 1596.

After his term as governor ended, Luis Pérez made one more trip to Cambodia himself. However, a storm blew his ship off course, and he ended up in El Piñal on the Chinese coast. This angered the Portuguese Macau nearby, and the Portuguese attacked him. He had to stop his trip to Cambodia and returned to Manila. Luis Pérez Dasmariñas was sadly killed by Chinese rebels in the Sangley rebellion in 1603. The rebels displayed the Spanish heads they had cut off throughout Manila.

See also

In Spanish: Luis Pérez das Mariñas para niños