Taiwan under Spanish rule
| Spanish Formosa | ||||||||||
| Hermosa | ||||||||||
| Spanish colony | ||||||||||
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 Flag
.svg) Coat of arms
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 Spanish possessions in green, Dutch possessions in magenta and Kingdom of Middag in orange
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| Capital | San Salvador (Keelung) | |||||||||
| Languages | Spanish, Formosan languages | |||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | |||||||||
| Government | Colony | |||||||||
| Historical era | Age of Discovery | |||||||||
| • | Established | 1626 | ||||||||
| • | Surrender of San Salvador | 1642 | ||||||||
| Currency | Spanish real | |||||||||
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Spanish Formosa was a Spanish colony established in the north of Taiwan from 1626 to 1642.
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach the island of Taiwan in 1544, and named it Formosa due to the beautiful landscape as seen from the sea. The colony was meant to protect Spanish in the region from interference by the Dutch base in the south of Taiwan. The Spanish colony was short-lived due to the unwillingness of Spanish colonial authorities in Manila to commit men and materiel for its defense.
After seventeen years, the last fortress of the Spanish was besieged by Dutch forces and eventually fell, giving the Dutch control over most of the island.
In 1566, the Dutch Revolt against King Philip II erupted. The Dutch Republic and its allies, England and France invaded and looted many of Phillip II's overseas territories as part of the Eighty Years' War.
As a result of the personal union of the Portuguese and Spanish crowns in 1580, Spanish Habsburg Philip II of Spain ruled Portugal and its Empire as Philip I of Portugal. The Dutch of the Seventeen Provinces in Dutch–Portuguese War as well as their allies England and France became enemies of both Portugal and Spain.
Philip cut the Dutch off from the spices and the markets in Lisbon, making it necessary for the Dutch to send their own expeditions to the sources of these commodities to take control of the spice trade in the East Indies.
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Wikipedia