Forgotten Ties 2

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Short story of Brunei & Philippines.

Philippines clothes from Tagalog Maginoo class. From the Boxer Codex, c.1595 AD.

=> Kingdom of Tondo

Tondo, (also referred to as Tundo, Tundun, Tundok, Lusung) was a Philippine fortified kingdom which was located in the Manila Bay area, specifically north of the Pasig river, on Luzon island. It is one of the settlements mentioned by the Philippines' earliest historical record, the Laguna Copperplate Inscription. Originally an Indianized kingdom in the 10th century, Tondo initiated diplomatic ties with China during the Ming Dynasty, and thus became a dominant force in trade throughout Southeast Asia and East Asia. (See Luções). Its regional prominence in trade and alliance with Brunei's Sultan Bolkiah in 1500 led to its peak age as a thalassocratic force in the northern archipelago. When the Spanish first arrived in Tondo in 1570 and defeated the local rulers in the Manila Bay area in 1591, Tondo came under the administration of Manila (a Spanish fort built on the remains of Kota Seludong), ending its existence as an independent state. This subjugated Tondo continues to exist today as a district of the city of Manila.

=> Alliance with Brunei (1500 A.D.)

Tondo became so prosperous that around the year 1500 AD, the Kingdom of Brunei under Sultan Bolkiah merged it by a royal marriage of Gat Lontok, who later became Rajah of Namayan, and Dayang Kaylangitan to establish a city with the Malay name of Selurong (later to become the city of Maynila)[11][12] on the opposite bank of Pasig River. The traditional rulers of Tondo, the Lakandula, retained their titles and property but the real political power transferred to the House of Soliman, the Rajahs of Manila.[13]

=> Diplomacy with the Ming dynasty

The next historical reference to Ancient Tondo can be found in the Ming Shilu Annals (明史])[4], which record the arrival of an envoy from Luzon to the Ming Dynasty (大明朝) in 1373 AD.[4] Her rulers, based in their capital, Tondo (Chinese: 東都; pinyin: dōngdū) were acknowledged not as mere chieftains, but as kings (王).[5] This reference places Tondo into the larger context of Chinese trade with the peoples of the Philippine archipelago.
Theories such as Wilhelm Solheim's Nusantao Maritime Trading and Communication Network (NMTCN) suggest that cultural links between what are now China and the nations of Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, date back to the peopling of these lands.[6] But the earliest archeological evidence of trade between the Philippines and China takes the form of pottery and porcelain pieces dated to the Tang and Song Dynasties.[7]
The rise of the Ming dynasty saw the arrival of the first Chinese settlers in the Philippines. They were well received and lived together in harmony with the existing local population — eventually intermarrying with them such that today, numerous Philippine people have Chinese blood in their veins.[7]

This connection was important enough that when the Ming Dynasty emperors enforced the Hai jin laws which closed China to maritime trade from 1371 to about 1567, trade with the Philippines was officially allowed to continue, masqueraded as a tribute system, through the seaport at Fuzhou.[8] Aside from this, a more extensive clandestine trade from Guangzhou and Quanzhou also brought in Chinese goods to Luzon.[9]
Luzon and Tondo thus became a center from which Chinese goods were traded all across Southeast Asia. Chinese trade was so strict that Luzon traders carrying these goods were considered "Chinese" by the people they encountered.[9]

This powerful presence in the trade of Chinese goods in 16th century East Asia was also felt strongly by Japan[10]. The Ming Empire treated Luzon traders more favorably than Japan by allowing them to trade with China once every two years, while Japan was only allowed to trade once every 10 years. Japanese merchants often had to resort to piracy in order to obtain much sought after Chinese products such as silk and porcelain. Famous 16th century Japanese merchants and tea connoisseurs like Shimai Soushitsu (島井宗室) and Kamiya Soutan (神屋宗湛) established branch offices on the island of Luzon. One famous Japanese merchant, Luzon Sukezaemon (呂宋助左衛門), went as far as to change his surname from Naya (納屋) to Luzon (呂宋). Source :[link]

Hetalia, England aph, Spain aph, Egypt aph, Italy aph, Macau aph & Netherlands aph belonged to Himaruya H.
Spice Islands is Maluku Islands in Indonesia.
Indonesia aph, Malaysia aph & Portugal aph based on Himaruya's sketch. ([link])
India OC & Mughal OC design by dinosaurusgede
Philippines OC design by
Brunei Darussalam OC design by
Japan 17th century design by