kingdom · Maritime Southeast Asia

Kingdom of Maynila

1500 CE – 1571 CE (approx.) · capital Maynila

The Muslim Tagalog kingdom on the south bank of the Pasig River, closely tied to Brunei, whose capture in 1571 gave Spain its Philippine capital.

Origins

Maynila grew on the southern side of the Pasig River mouth, across from Tondo. Tradition holds that around 1500 Sultan Bolkiah of Brunei conquered it and set up a ruling family allied to Brunei, beginning with Rajah Salalila. By the 16th century its elite was Muslim and spoke of the Bruneian court as kin.

Rule and society

Maynila was a fortified port with a palisade and bronze cannon, trading with Chinese, Bornean and Japanese merchants. Power was shared between Rajah Matanda and his nephew Rajah Sulayman, who led a nobility of datus over freemen and dependants.

Decline and legacy

In 1570 a Spanish force under Martin de Goiti burned the town after a clash with Sulayman. In 1571 Miguel Lopez de Legazpi occupied the site and founded Spanish Manila. A coalition led by Tarik Sulayman of Macabebe, often confused with Rajah Sulayman, was defeated at Bangkusay that June, and Manila became the capital of the Captaincy General of the Philippines.

Connections (2)

More states of Maritime Southeast Asia →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Maynila. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-maynila
MLA
“Kingdom of Maynila.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-maynila. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Maynila.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-maynila.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Maynila’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-maynila (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻