Manila History
The city of Manila started as a small settlement along the Pasig River. It was named for the nilad - which is a flowered plant that is common in the area of Maynilad. Maynilad was an islamic city ruled by one Rajah Sulayman who was part of the royal Malay family.
History says that Ferninand Megellan was the first to actually step foot on the islands around Manila in 1570, but when another expedition under Spaniard Marshal Martin de Goiti came across what was then Manila, he ended up burning it down after resistance from Rajah Sulayman.
Soon after the city was burned down, another Spanish explorer by the name of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi arrived and claimed the area for the king of Spain. He declared that Manila was the new capital, and started the Spanish colonization of the surrounding area. Fort Santiago was setup to protect the city with walls and serve as a home base for sending out troops.
By the early 19th century, many of the Spanish civilizations were filled with corruption and a rebel uprising from many filipinos was born to try and stop this. Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio are two national heroes of the Philippines that fought for their cause and have monuments dedicated to them.
Spain eventually lost control of the Philippines and the defeat by the Americans in the battle of Manila Bay confirmed this. The Filipinos, under the help of their new ally America, began building new infrastructure along the islands and western culture, democracy, and the English language was introduced as society moved forward.
World War II brought the Japanese invasion and occupation, where the 'Manila Massacre' took place, and by the end of the war Manila was in very bad shape. In July of 1946, the government of the commonwealth under Manuel L. Quezon declared its independence.
Manila slowly grew in population and industry in the coming years, while subdivisions and villages were built into larger cities. But In 1948, Quezon City was declared the national capital of the new Republic of the Philippines because of the state Manila was in.
Metro Manila was formed in 1976 - joining a total of 13 smaller towns together under one name.
On May 29, 1976, President Ferdinand Marcos returned the national capital to Manila, announcing that Manila was to be the seat of the national government.
Manila today is part of the National Capital Region which is a big metropolis of 17 cities, with a total population exceeding 10 million people.