Moluccas

Esteban de Alcázar, a soldier in the service of the king of Spain in Europe, the Philippines and the Moluccas

L'assedio di Rheinberg nel 1598

Written by Marco Ramerini – 2021 (English translation: 2023) General Index AROUND EUROPE p. 3 ARAGON, ITALY, FRANCE p. 3 FLANDERS, FRISIA, GELDRIA… p. 4 THE RETURN TO SPAIN p. 7 IN THE PHILIPPINES AND THE MOLUCCAS p. 10 THE CONQUEST OF TERNATE p. 10 THE FIRST BATTLE OF PLAYA HONDA p. 11 PERMANENCE IN TERNATE p. 11 THE WEDDING ...

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Tidore 1 – The Spanish forts on the island of Tidore 1521-1663: introduction

Ternate and Tidore, Moluccas (1760), Indonesia. Author Bellin. No Copyright

Written by Marco Ramerini. English text revision by Dietrich Köster. 1.0 INTRODUCTION This research aims to want to shed light on an aspect of the history of the Moluccas islands that is still largely unexplored. Its purpose is to trace through the study of manuscripts and other documents a preliminary framework of the fortifications, the Spanish had built on the ...

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Tidore 2 – The expeditions of Magellan and Villalobos: The first contacts of the Spaniards with the island of Tidore and the first Spanish fort

Ternate and Tidore, Moluccas (1760), Indonesia. Author Bellin. No Copyright

Written by Marco Ramerini – 2000-2007/2023 2 – THE EXPEDITIONS OF MAGELLAN AND VILLALOBOS: THE FIRST SPANISH CONTACTS WITH THE ISLAND OF TIDORE AND THE FIRST SPANISH FORT In the first half of the sixteenth century, upon the arrival of the Europeans, two main kingdoms competed for control of the Moluccas islands, they were the Ternate sultanate and the kingdom ...

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Tidore 3 – The Spanish expeditions to the Moluccas after the union with Portugal

Ternate and Tidore, Moluccas (1760), Indonesia. Author Bellin. No Copyright

Written by Marco Ramerini – 2000-2007/2023 3 – THE SPANISH EXPEDITIONS TO THE MOLUCCAS AFTER THE UNION WITH PORTUGAL The first period of interest of the Spaniards in the Moluccas, i.e. the one concerning the years 1521-1606, can be divided into two distinct parts: the first part was that, to which we have already mentioned, of the struggles against the ...

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Tidore 4 – The Spanish forts on the island of Tidore, 1606-1663

Ternate and Tidore, Moluccas (1760), Indonesia. Author Bellin. No Copyright

Written by Marco Ramerini. English text revision by Dietrich Köster. 4.0 THE SPANISH FORTS ON THE ISLAND OF TIDORE, 1606-1663 As we mentioned earlier, from April 1606 after the conquest by the troops of Acuña of the city of Ternate, the Spaniards had, in the Moluccas, as their main and often the only ally the King of Tidore. They tried for ...

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Tidore 5 – The defenses of the city of the King of Tidore: Lugar Grande de El Rey (Soa Siu) and the fort of Gomafo. The Spanish fortresses on the island of Tidore 1521-1663

Ternate and Tidore, Moluccas (1760), Indonesia. Author Bellin. No Copyright

Written by Marco Ramerini 2000-2007/2023 5 – DEFENSES OF THE CITY OF THE KING The centerpiece of Tidore’s defenses were the fortifications of the island’s main city, which the Spanish called Lugar Grande del Rey. It was located on the southeast coast of the island, where today is the main city of Tidore, Soa Siu. Over the years, a series ...

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Tidore 6 – Fuerte de los portugueses (Fortaleza dos Reis Magos). The Spanish fortresses in the island of Tidore 1521-1663

Ternate and Tidore, Moluccas (1760), Indonesia. Author Bellin. No Copyright

Written by Marco Ramerini 2000-2007/2023 5.2 – FUERTE DE LOS PORTUGUESES Fuerte de los Portuguéses (Fortaleza dos Reis Magos): (Current name: ?) CHRONOLOGY: Portuguese: January 6, 1578 – May 19, 1605 Captured by the Dutch on 19 May 1605 then abandoned. Spanish: c.1609 – 9 July 1613 Dutch: 9 July 1613- August/November (?) 1613 This is the fort built in ...

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Tidore 7 – Tohula Fort, Santiago de los Caballeros. The Spanish fortresses in the island of Tidore 1521-1663

Ternate and Tidore, Moluccas (1760), Indonesia. Author Bellin. No Copyright

Written by Marco Ramerini 2000-2007/2023 5.3 – SANTIAGO DE LOS CABALLEROS (TOHULA) Tohula1, Santiago de los Caballeros2, Sanctiago de los Caualleros3, Tahula, Taula, Thaula Olandese: Tahoela4, Tahoelo5, Tahoele6: (Current name: Benteng Tohula) CHRONOLOGY: Spanish: The construction of this fortress was begun by Azcqueta, in 1610, the works were resumed more intensely starting from 1613, it was finished by Geronimo de ...

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Tidore 8 – Sokanora Fort. The Spanish fortresses in the island of Tidore 1521-1663

Ternate and Tidore, Moluccas (1760), Indonesia. Author Bellin. No Copyright

Written by Marco Ramerini 2000-2007/2023 5.4 – SOKANORA Sokanora, Socanora1, Sokanosa, Saconora2, Zoconora3: (Current name: ?) CHRONOLOGY: Spanish: 1613-c.1620 (?) Socanora, was a village located on the coast to south of the city of the king of Tidore (‘Lugar Grande‘). Here the Spanish maintained a small fortified post for some years. We already have a first mention of the village ...

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Tidore 9 – The Fort of Marieco. The Spanish fortresses in the island of Tidore 1521-1663

Ternate and Tidore, Moluccas (1760), Indonesia. Author Bellin. No Copyright

Written by Marco Ramerini 2000-2007/2023 6 – WEST COAST AND NORTH COAST OF THE ISLAND On the western coast of Tidore the Spanish had garrisons in the localities of Marieco, Rume, Tomañira (which was almost certainly the same fort sometimes also called Marieco el Chico) and finally in the extreme northern tip at Chobo. This part of the island which ...

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Tidore 10 – Tomanira Fort. The Spanish fortresses in the island of Tidore 1521-1663

Ternate and Tidore, Moluccas (1760), Indonesia. Author Bellin. No Copyright

Written by Marco Ramerini 2000-2007/2023 6.2 – MARIECO EL CHICO OR TOMANIRA Spanish: Marieco el Chico: Dutch: Kleine Marieko, Spaens Mariecque. This fort was built by Geronimo de Silva in 1613, after the loss of Marieco (Marieco el Grande), and was located half a league from Marieco. After the conquest of Marieco by the Dutch, Geronimo de Silva describes in ...

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Tidore 11 – Chobo Fort. The Spanish fortresses on the island of Tidore 1521-1663

Ternate and Tidore, Moluccas (1760), Indonesia. Author Bellin. No Copyright

Written by Marco Ramerini 2000-2007/2023 6.3 – CHOBO Spanish: Cubo1, Sobo2, Chobo3, Chovo4, Cobo, Tjobo, San(t) Joseph de Chouo5: (Current name: Cobo) CHRONOLOGY: Spanish: 1643 ? –1661 ? o 1662 ? Dutch: Chiobbe6, T’Siobbo7, Siobbo8, Ziobbo9, Tsiobbe10, t’Siobbe11, Sjobbo12, Sjobbe13 Spanish garrison located on the extreme northern offshoot of the island of Tidore, called by the Spaniards San Joseph de Chovo. ...

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Tidore 13 – Puli Caballo Island. The Spanish fortresses in the island of Tidore 1521-1663

Ternate and Tidore, Moluccas (1760), Indonesia. Author Bellin. No Copyright

Written by Marco Ramerini 2000-2007/2023 6.5 – PULI CABALLO Spanish: Puli Caballo: Sant Miguel de la isla de Puri Cauallo (Puli Cauallo) (Current name: Pulau Mare) CHRONOLOGY: Spanish: c.1650 ?-1662 ? Dutch: Pottebackers Eyland The island in question is a small island located south of Tidore, according to what de Clercq tells us, the name Mare meant ‘stone‘ both in ...

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Tidore 14 – Captains of Tidore (Fortress of Santiago de los Caballeros). The Spanish fortresses in the island of Tidore 1521-1663

Ternate and Tidore, Moluccas (1760), Indonesia. Author Bellin. No Copyright

Written by Marco Ramerini. 2000-2007/2023 7 – CAPTAINS OF TIDORE (Fortress of Santiago de los Caballeros) In Tidore resided a Spanish captain who commanded the garrisoned troops in the ‘presidios‘ of the island and who also had under his jurisdiction the garrisons of Payaye and Tafongo located on the island of Halmahera and during the period in which the Spanish ...

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The Portuguese in the Moluccas: Ternate and Tidore

Moluccas 1714.

Written by Marco Ramerini. English text revision by Dietrich Köster. TERNATE AND TIDORE The first Portuguese expedition to the Moluccas under the command of António de Abreu arrived in Amboina and on the Banda islands in 1512. After an adventurous voyage he went back to Malacca. Francisco Serrão and other members of this expedition wrecked on a reef off Lucopino ...

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The Spanish Presence in the Moluccas: Ternate and Tidore

Machian and Motir, Moluccas, Indonesia. Author Bellin. No Copyright

Written by Marco Ramerini. English text revision by Geoffrey A. P. Groesbeck The islands formerly known as the Moluccas – the Spice Islands – are five islands of volcanic origin (Ternate, Tidore, Moti, Makian, and Bacan). They are found off of the west coast of the island of Halmahera, in the Indonesian archipelago. These islands were the only ones in ...

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The abortive expedition of Don Juan de Silva against the Dutch in the East Indies (1612-1616)

Written by Marco Ramerini. English text revision by Dietrich Köster. English translation of a small part of my work entitled “La presenza Spagnola alle Isole Molucche, 1606-1663”. In the propositions of the governor of the Philippines, Don Juan de Silva, a big joint expedition of Spaniards and Portuguese should succeed in getting rid of the Dutch forces present in Indonesian ...

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The Portuguese fort of Ternate

Written by Marco Ramerini. English text revision by Dietrich Köster. The Portuguese fort of Ternate was founded by António de Brito in 1522, the foundation stone of the fortress was laid the day of the feast of St. John the Baptist, June 24, 1522, the fort was named “São João Bautista de Ternate.” The outer wall of the fortress enclosing ...

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